Premium gas

[1973 Honda XR75]

I get far better gas mileage with a tank of High test. I always ran the 92 in the race bikes, but my daily commute to the shop on Ethel  has been great.  1.85 a gallon here in the Land of Enchantment..  Wish I could find some Blenzall Gold to get the 70's groove on! I know I am the Petty Officer obvious, but that's my job.

[DentonC]

I always go with 93.

[problem_child]

I always run 93 in my bike. 13.5:1 and a gallon of fuel will last me a lot of riding, i'm not that cheap.

 

Cars get 87 even if they call for more... maybe a mix with 93. No way  i'm paying 25% more for 93 that's ridiculous plus drive like a granny so i doubt it makes a difference.

[rm250cy]

What about 100 Oct leaded?

[RMR MOTOSHOP]

I always use 93 in my bikes. And I only buy Mobil gas

[BOAB]

I get far better gas mileage with a tank of High test. I always ran the 92 in the race bikes, but my daily commute to the shop on Ethel  has been great.  1.85 a gallon here in the Land of Enchantment..  Wish I could find some Blenzall Gold to get the 70's groove on! I know I am the Petty Officer obvious, but that's my job.

 

Ethel!?   I haven't heard it called that since I was a teenager. ?

[Piney Woods]

I have had serious problems with the ethanol stuff so have switched to  87 straight gas. Impossible for bike to run better and no storage problems. Hard to find in some areas but it is all I will use now. (CR250--XR400)

Edited December 28, 2015 by YHGEORGE

[DentonC]

I have had serious problems with the ethanol stuff so have switched to  87 straight gas. Impossible for bike to run better and no storage problems. Hard to find in some areas but it is all I will use now. (CR250--XR400)

Yeah I wish I could still find pure gas in my area.

[BOAB]

Yeah I wish I could still find pure gas in my area.

 

Yep, kind of hard to find around here, too.  The only place in my area that sells non E gas is in Durango down the road from the Ford dealer, kind of across from Walmart.  They have the 87 at the pump there, and if you go up the hill they have premium at the office.

[DentonC]

I'm sure it doesn't matter too much especially with newer bikes. Liberty around here only has 5% but their gas is always the cheapest makes me think what else they are cutting it with.

[William1]

Ethanol fuel and non-ethanol fuel will run the same EXCEPT you will be down on power as ethanol fuel has a lower BTU content.

 

Octane (87,91,93, whatever) is a different qualification is a measurement that (simplified) is a indicatior or a fuels readiness to ignite based on heat (compression). Running a higher octane than is called for will in many cases, lower power. Probably not noticable. Some 2S do run better using AV 110 but realize AV fuel is designed for low rpm engines (typically peak rpm is 2,800) but, it is a pure fuel and it has a stable atomization and works very well in cold temperatures.

So...., if your bike specifies 93, use 93. 

 

Ethanol does make a tiny bit less power (not apparent at the butt-dyno) and doubtful most TTers would notice the difference anywhere but their imagination.

The down side to ethanol fuel is may of the non-metalic parts tend to break down over time from ethanol exposure and then drying out (draining the card over the winter for example). The other downside is ethanol fuel is hydroscopic, meaning it wants to suck in moisture. Which can lead to rust in a steel fuel tank and even collect at the bottom of the tank and carb, leaving you stranded until you clear it out.

Ideally, you'd get non-ethanol fuel of the octane specified by your manufacturer. Failing that, add a stabilzer to your fuel. If you are going to use up all the fuel you just bought, 1/2 to 1/4 of the rec. amount is all that is needed. If you are going to buy fuel and have it around for a few months, follow the instructions on the stabilizer. More than four/six months, dump the fuel in your car and refill you can.

For a 2S, only mix up what you will use in a weeks (or days) time. Have two cans, one straight, one for premix, mix a gallon or two from the five gallon 'supply jug (that you put the stabilzer in)

 

Chokey has made some great posts about all of this in the past, do a search on him and take a read.

[SS109]

All we have around here is ethanol so, if you're going to run ethanol gas, run the best you can find. Chevron 91 is all I run. It really helps keep the powervalves clean. Yes, it has 10% ethanol. Nope, never had a problem with mixed fuel that has been around a month. I imagine living in the desert helps with that.

[Piney Woods]

Ethanol fuel and non-ethanol fuel will run the same EXCEPT you will be down on power as ethanol fuel has a lower BTU content.

 

Octane (87,91,93, whatever) is a different qualification is a measurement that (simplified) is a indicatior or a fuels readiness to ignite based on heat (compression). Running a higher octane than is called for will in many cases, lower power. Probably not noticable. Some 2S do run better using AV 110 but realize AV fuel is designed for low rpm engines (typically peak rpm is 2,800) but, it is a pure fuel and it has a stable atomization and works very well in cold temperatures.

So...., if your bike specifies 93, use 93. 

 

Ethanol does make a tiny bit less power (not apparent at the butt-dyno) and doubtful most TTers would notice the difference anywhere but their imagination.

The down side to ethanol fuel is may of the non-metalic parts tend to break down over time from ethanol exposure and then drying out (draining the card over the winter for example). The other downside is ethanol fuel is hydroscopic, meaning it wants to suck in moisture. Which can lead to rust in a steel fuel tank and even collect at the bottom of the tank and carb, leaving you stranded until you clear it out.

Ideally, you'd get non-ethanol fuel of the octane specified by your manufacturer. Failing that, add a stabilzer to your fuel. If you are going to use up all the fuel you just bought, 1/2 to 1/4 of the rec. amount is all that is needed. If you are going to buy fuel and have it around for a few months, follow the instructions on the stabilizer. More than four/six months, dump the fuel in your car and refill you can.

For a 2S, only mix up what you will use in a weeks (or days) time. Have two cans, one straight, one for premix, mix a gallon or two from the five gallon 'supply jug (that you put the stabilzer in)

 

Chokey has made some great posts about all of this in the past, do a search on him and take a read.

My butt dyno does not provide hp readings but I can tell when my bike is running good or bad. I have been on my current 2stk for 15 years and very very familiar with its performance. I can clearly tell the difference in fuels. The pure gas is noticeably crisper. I don't know the reason. Maybe the addition of Startron and a stabilizer affects the performance of the ethanol blended stuff. Whatever the reason I am sticking with the pure gas if available.

Edited December 29, 2015 by YHGEORGE

[nascarnate326]

I ran VP VPR this year and although its expensive...its absolutely worth it. It is just so crisp..I love it. 

[mlatour]

I run a mix of either VP110 or C12 in my YZ125,

 

the greatest advantage I find isn't the higher octane but the fuel's consistency, a feature pump gasoline lacks

 

Race fuel makes fine tuning your jetting much easier and repeatable.

 

Unfortunately it is really expensive in my area, a 5 gallon pail of VP is 125$ so running it 'pure' isn't an option...

Edited December 30, 2015 by mlatour

[nascarnate326]

I run a mix of either VP110 or C12 in my YZ125,

the greatest advantage I find isn't the higher octane but the fuel's consistency, a feature pump gasoline lacks

Race fuel makes fine tuning your jetting much easier and repeatable.

Unfortunately it is really expensive in my area, a 5 gallon pail of VP is 125$ so running it 'pure' isn't an option...

Holy crap. And I thought 68 was expensive!

[BillDirt1]

I get far better gas mileage with a tank of High test. I always ran the 92 in the race bikes, but my daily commute to the shop on Ethel  has been great.  1.85 a gallon here in the Land of Enchantment..  Wish I could find some Blenzall Gold to get the 70's groove on! I know I am the Petty Officer obvious, but that's my job.

I run premium in everything...yeah, weed whip, edger, lawn mower, blower, quad, dirt bike, truck...

[mlatour]

Holy crap. And I thought 68 was expensive!

 

Well if you factor in the current exchange rate, it comes to about 90$ USD

 

91 octane ethanol-free premium pump gasoline is about 1$ per liter / 3.78$ a gallon right now, so about 2.72$ USD per gallon.

I'm located near the Ontario border so these are likely the cheapest gasoline prices in the province of Quebec. (fuel taxes are high here)

Edited December 30, 2015 by mlatour