Sportster Models 883, 883 Custom, 1200 Custom, 883L, 1200L, 1200S, 1200 Roadster, XR1200, and the Nightster.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

issues with running non premium gas

Old Sep 13, 2017 | 04:42 AM
  #21  
shanneba's Avatar
shanneba
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 443
From: Indianapolis
Default

Originally Posted by lh4x4
Since all gas by regulation has 115,000 BTU's per gallon except winter gas which is 108,000 BTU's and BTU's are what provides the power the lower the octane the faster the burn. The faster the burn the more power is produced.

All mine run stronger than their stock counterparts because of the above.
The burning speed is also dependent on the air-fuel-ratio.
At about 12.5 to 13 air-fuel-ratio the mixture burns fastest.
A leaner mixture than that burns slower.
A richer mixture also burns slower.

" You might be surprised to learn that some of the highest octane fuels may also be some of the fastest burning fuels!"

Not all gasoline will have 108,000 BTU/gallon. Some areas use gasoline without ethanol. Even e10 gas can have between 5-10% alcohol.
You might be surprised by all the different types of gasoline that are required by regulation.

Here in Indiana we change the RVP 5 time per year.

Here is a sample of the different gasoline blends required in the US.
https://www.afpm.org/uploadedFiles/C...ine-Map(1).pdf
 

Last edited by shanneba; Sep 13, 2017 at 05:11 AM.
Reply
Old Sep 13, 2017 | 04:58 PM
  #22  
shanneba's Avatar
shanneba
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 443
From: Indianapolis
Default

Originally Posted by lh4x4

For me it works just fine with E10 87 octane.

Knocking can occur before, during and after spark ignition but all come under the term spontaneous combustion which is a heat source other than the spark plug. Keep the engine cool and pinging can not happen.

The alcohol content acts as a refrigerant when it is atomized by the injectors as it is dramatically more volatile than gas. That causes a much cooler denser intake charge.
The 10% alcohol blend will help in two ways:

1.The auto ignition temperature of 90% gas and 10% ethanol will be about 30 F higher than straight gasoline.
Straight gasoline has an auto ignition temp of 495 F.
Ethanol has an auto ignition temp of 793 F.
Mixing 90% gas and 10% ethanol raises the auto ignition temp to about 525 F

2. The latent heat of vaporization of the mixed fuel will increase, that will reduce the intake charge temp slightly.

gasoline has LHV of 10 BTU / Lb of air at stoichmetric mixture at 60 F.
ethanol has LHV of 44 BTU / Lb of air at stoichmetric mixture at 60 F.

Mixing them at a 90/10 ratio raises the LHV to 13.4 BTU / Lb of air at stoichmetric mixture at 60 F.
 
Reply
Old Sep 15, 2017 | 07:35 AM
  #23  
shanneba's Avatar
shanneba
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 443
From: Indianapolis
Default

Originally Posted by 14IronCross
Then, could you explain why my 2016 48 has knock tables.
One of the tables says knock control minimum rpm=800.
Another one says maximum knock retard = 6 degrees


I can see them using WinPV.
DO you also have any place under "Limits and Switches" to enable/Disable it?

Let me know if you get any data. It looks like the 2014 + Sportsters may have a ECM connection to the Coil, ION Sense. Maybe you do have "knock Control"
 
Reply
Old Sep 15, 2017 | 09:24 AM
  #24  
14IronCross's Avatar
14IronCross
Banned
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 250
Likes: 89
From: lower 48
Default


I don't see anything to turn it on/off. it could be an always on feature.
I attached the text explanation regarding "adaptive knock retard" in the knock section
Looks like '14 and up have some knock control capability.
 
Reply
Old Sep 15, 2017 | 09:44 AM
  #25  
shanneba's Avatar
shanneba
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 443
From: Indianapolis
Default

That same info shows up in WinPV on the 2013 tunes.

What are the other "Knock Control" Settings you see in your stock tune?
In my 2013 tune the temp is set to 462F (I have never seen a temp this high)
The Map is set to 60 kPa.

The ignition coil part number is the same between 2013 and 2014 Sportster models.
The Updated ECU and Software level, 374 I believe, plus the additional connection to the ECU may enable the knock control.
 
Reply
Old Sep 15, 2017 | 09:48 AM
  #26  
elephantrider's Avatar
elephantrider
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 202
Likes: 38
From: round rock tx
Default

you wouldn't want to turn the knock sensor off.
 
Reply
Old Sep 15, 2017 | 11:49 AM
  #27  
14IronCross's Avatar
14IronCross
Banned
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 250
Likes: 89
From: lower 48
Default

Originally Posted by elephantrider
you wouldn't want to turn the knock sensor off.

thank you captain obvious
 
Reply
Old Sep 15, 2017 | 11:55 AM
  #28  
14IronCross's Avatar
14IronCross
Banned
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 250
Likes: 89
From: lower 48
Default

knock control minimum map = 54.9
knock control minimum map hysteresis = 52
knock control min rpm = 800
knock control min temp = 239C or 462F
knock control min temp hysteresis = 239C or 462F
knock event spark retard adder = 1 degree
knock spark retard removal % = 14.8%
knock retard removal rate = 0.496 seconds
max knock retard = 6 degrees
 
Reply
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Sep 15, 2017 | 04:18 PM
  #29  
shanneba's Avatar
shanneba
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 443
From: Indianapolis
Default

I have seen tunes from Dynojet for touring models where there is an on/off 1/0 switch / setting to turn off the knock sensing, I was just wondering if the Sportster had the same thing.

I also noticed the 2014+ Sportsters have a couple of settings to change the ignition timing at idle too. It looks like it adds/deletes timing if the idle rpm is +/- 100 rpms from set speed.
 
Reply
Old Sep 15, 2017 | 04:52 PM
  #30  
FMB42's Avatar
FMB42
Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 188
Likes: 29
From: Idaho
Default

Octane number is not related to flame (burn) speed. Certain high octane gasolines offer fast (burn) flame speeds while other brands offer slower flame speeds.
 
Reply

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:43 PM.

story-0
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-1
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-3
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-4
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-5
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-6
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE
story-9
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider

Slideshow: Graeme Billington's left-hand-drive Shovelhead is as much about problem-solving as it is about classic Harley form.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2025-12-30 11:27:08


VIEW MORE