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My 96 Road King calls for 87 and thats what I use. Using higher octane than the manufacturer calls for does no good and could harm the engine. The engine is designed to burn a certain octane fuel and without changes to the engine the octane shouldn't be changed. This is true in all internal combustion engines, to my knowlege. I have replaced pistons on outboard engines that burned 93 instead of 87. They thought they were helping the engine and instead hurt it. This did not happen overnight but over 5 years or so.
Every state has different additive and octane requirements. The oil companies must produce as many as 40 different blends of gas for various regional markets. It is also seasonal. Winter blends, summer blends, etc.. This is one of the biggest reasons why fuel prices are so crazy. Thank you EPA.
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