Maybe I've just spent too much time on the track in the heat...

Checking plugs is something I do, along with air filters, but where I get the most accurate information is from a data log. There is no way to confuse the facts with them. SO until I data log the 48 (which is totally stock so it's really pointless) I know nothing about the bike, but the ten cents per gallon still don't bother me a bit.

 

Most brands of gas are chemically similar. Most companies put their own "blends" into them, like Shell who puts nitrogen.

This should be common knowledge but I know it's not. The octane rating of fuel surely does matter. If you put 91 in a vehicle rated for 87 you are only wasting your money. If you run 87 in a vehicle spec'd for 91 you actually could have problems.

The octane rating is merely of measure of how much the fuel will compress before it spontaneously ignites, bad juju.

Not trying to be a know it all just trying to help inform.

 

And the spec'd rating is based off the engines compression ratio.

 

I run jet fuel. My bike is vivid black and therefore goes faster and can use jet fuel. I do not recomend this for anyone else though

 

We have the stations around us that "do not" have ethanol in their gas....So I give them my money.

 

I Read this thread and general consensus seems to be to run 91 or better. However...I have tested both mid grade and premium in my 1200N and I run better on 89! My fuel economy is between 2-4 miles better on less than premium. So I save myself a tiny amount of cash and take the 89

 

I run premium because with 87 i sometimes get dieseling on shut down when the motor is hot. This never occurs with 92+ Octane. I've never tried mid grade so i'll try that next fill up. Something you might like to know is unless you have a separate nozel for fuel type more then likely the first half gallon or so of your fuel will be whatever the last person selected. Too bad most stations use the single nozzel pump system.

 

When i first bought my crossbones I ran a tank of 87 in it, just to see how it would run in bone stock form. Ran great when the engine could cruise or get decent cooling. Ran rough when in stop and go traffic. Result of too much heat from factory ECM settings.

After I did a stage 2 setup, I tried another tankful of 87. Ran great and even maintained a healthy idle in stop and go traffic. 87 can be used in EFI if you have mods that let the engine "truly" breathe.

Healthy breathing and exhausting equates to better heat removal from the engine allowing you to run 87 with stock compression ratios of up to 10:1. Then it's time to upgrade fuel octane any time you build a higher compression engine.

If you are going to be "street racing" up the acceleration ramp or blasting from light to light, then go with a higher octane fuel because you are increasing the heat generated and stressing the engine for optimal burn under full load.

You get what you pay for according to how you use the fuel you buy.

 

I run shell with nitrogen and it increased my mpg in my bike and Suv. Some might say hype marketing but when I get extra mileage out of same amount Of gas it's pretty black and white to me. My Suv had a little tick on an initial startup but this Shell stuff cleared that right up.

 

Go to any Sunoco in central Pa and you can get 91 octane its the selction between 89 & 93.