What fuel do you use?

[slofox]

Just curious - what fuel do you feed your bike? Not interested in brands - just octanes etc...........

[Nasty]

Defiantely try to feed my baby the higher octanes with 95 being most available here, with the 98 when I find a pump. we have proven better fuel economy when using higher octanes.

[The Stranger]

Defiantely try to feed my baby the higher octanes with 95 being most available here, with the 98 when I find a pump. we have proven better fuel economy when using higher octanes.

I find the same thing (better economy) such that it is cheaper to use 98 than 91 in some of my bikes.

[Kiwi Graham]

Nothing but the best for my babies

[Big Dog]

Nothing but the best for my babies

91 for the 'busa.
Cheaper, cleaner and more power. Nuff said.

Highest octane for sale at that servo for the scooter.
Cheaper, cleaner and more power. Nuff said.

Yes you read right.
The two stroke needs the higher octane. The 'busa can take it or leave it beyond the engine runs hotter and gets thirstier.

[slofox]

I use Force 10 myself - equivalent 98 octane, cheaper than 98 at BP, recommended by Suzuki and cleaner burning.
Before anyone starts on about alcohol production at the expense of food production, NZ produces lots of ethanol from whey as a by-product of the dairy industry so we do not have competition with food crops....yet........much of this whey alcohol goes into making gin at present - cut that out and put it in the fuel I say.....

[raftn]

The bike seems to go better on 98, so i try to keep to that.

[BOGAR]

May just be me but when i run good 98 vs good 95 the bike just has that extra bit of up and go and makes me smile just that little bit more.:niceone:

[newby]

So far ive only had 91 in my 250vl....its what the dealer told me to put in, and im only half way through my second tank anyway. If i try a tank of 98 am i likely to cause any damage etc?

[martybabe]

I've just tried some o that v power, no idea what octane or whether It's safe for my fuel injection ? anybody? But the bike goes like stink. How do you measure a difference in performance, dunno, it's more about feel but it really seems to fly. :niceone:

[Big Dog]

So far ive only had 91 in my 250vl....its what the dealer told me to put in, and im only half way through my second tank anyway. If i try a tank of 98 am i likely to cause any damage etc?

Short answer no.
Long answer keep an eye on your operating temperature, distance travelled per litre and the colour of your pipe etc.
Then make and informed decision.
For any meaningful comparo you will need to run at least 5 tanks of each and log your results. This is because only the fifth tank (or there abouts) is accurate.
The other results may be contaminated by the other fuel.

In a vl250 I would not expect to see enough of a performance gain to justify additional expense. You may find it is justified in additional kms.
But I repeat do your research and make an informed decision not just take others words as gospel or the unsubstantiated hearsay and conjecture of this unruly mob....

[PrincessBandit]

Only ever used 91 in the ginny and the bandit. Is it worth trying the dearer stuff just to see if there's a difference?

[BOGAR]

So far ive only had 91 in my 250vl....its what the dealer told me to put in, and im only half way through my second tank anyway. If i try a tank of 98 am i likely to cause any damage etc?

I had a 250 that i used to run 95 but it always had trouble at highway speeds. Put 91 in and never had trouble again. Try it as Big Dog says but you might find no difference.

[Toaster]

With the price of petrol as it is, I'm surprised no-one has had the balls to steal a petrol tanker yet....


.... I guess one would need a rather large shed out in the country to hide it in (and they are probably tracked by satellite).

[DW86]

Shell "V-Power" I use on my rgv. I don't know the diffence just using that as a perfer.

(P.S Once I was pissed off by a stuff at BP so I never went to any BP any more <_< )

[MadDuck]

But, but, but...theres no option in the poll for diesel :D

[Gremlin]

.... I guess one would need a rather large shed out in the country to hide it in (and they are probably tracked by satellite).
well, it IS worth more than gold y'know :dodge:

slofox: your poll isn't multi-choice... you assume we only use 1 fuel, perhaps running only one bike.

I answered for the zx10, I run it on 95, its been dyno'd on that, doesn't need 98, haven't noticed much diff, it costs more, etc. It can't run 91, due to compression, so 95 it is. I run 91 on the hornet, because its happy on it, and its cheaper... would run 91 whenever I can on any bike really.

However, I'm staying as far away from any blend of ethanol that I can... not touching that stuff. Reading some info on it, you'd wonder why you actually run it, when there is a real risk of it doing expensive damage... but anyway... thats another topic that has been debated.

[Buster]

I use 91 on the sv all the time. I tried 98 for a few months and the bike coughs and pops and runs slightly worse around town. I dont notice any performance gains from running higher octane.

[mark247]

I use diesel, it's 30 cents cheaper!

[T bone]

I run 95 in my hornet. Havn't tried anything else yet, will do in the future though

[slofox]

But, but, but...theres no option in the poll for diesel :D

Option 6 is the diesel option - "the black barrel behind the shed....."

[avgas]

Because if you haven't figured it out through my name sake.......i have a thing for nice fuels.....
FYI food got more expensive well before they used it for biofuel......thanks to the fonterra's of this world

[slofox]

slofox: your poll isn't multi-choice... you assume we only use 1 fuel, perhaps running only one bike. .

I debated this but decided, in the interests of simplicity, to leave it at single choice - just choose the one you use most often is my suggestion. You could always elaborate in a post....:whistle:

[slofox]

However, I'm staying as far away from any blend of ethanol that I can... not touching that stuff. Reading some info on it, you'd wonder why you actually run it, when there is a real risk of it doing expensive damage...

Oil company propaganda......Suzuki suggest it in the handbook as the fuel of choice and past experience with alcohol fueled bikes has me believing it will do no harm.

[Big Dog]

Oil company propaganda......Suzuki suggest it in the handbook as the fuel of choice and past experience with alcohol fueled bikes has me believing it will do no harm.

bike companies / bike shops / oil companies / alternative fuel suppliers / Govt
they all have one thing in common, they want your money.
Do your own testing / research as far as practical.
If you are still under warantee do as the manufacturer has been sponsored to say, or your will void it.
Out of warrantee you will just have to trust your instincts and research.

My manual says up to 30% is acceptable.
No manual or other written document from a manufacturer I have ever seen has said it is recommended.

[AllanB]

91 in my Hornet 900 - the Honda book says its fine, the shops says its fine and the bike loves it. I tried a tank of 95 just out of interest - no noticeable difference at all so why waste my $.

[cs363]

FYI for those that seem confused - Shell V-Power is 95 octane and replaces their old Ultra Hi product. According to the PR blurb its developed with Ferrari F1 ....but that must have been a while ago as F1 cars are using biofuel and besides, an F1 car on 95 octane? Hmmm I don't think so Tim! lol
I've used it in the cage and noticed a difference as have most people I've spoken too, whatever the difference is with it, its down to the blend of additives they use in it which are designed to clean combustion chambers etc.

I used to use BP mainly, but have changed to Shell as BP are too keen to put their prices up and tardy on dropping them back - at least at Shell I can use the supermarket vouchers and get Fly Buys so that helps with expenses! :)

Mobil is about the only one I really stay away from as their corporate tactics leave something to be desired (Exxon Valdez anyone? 20 years on and still no compensation, despite posting HUGE profits - try US$16.5 billion for the first quarter this year...) plus they always seem to have those damn annoying Night pay windows :(

[Evo1132]

Have run the R1 on 95 and 98, definitly betta on the 98, especially towards the bottom of the tank, on the 95, I can tell when the reserve light is gunna come on, cos she starts to chugg and carry on.

[TaNkSlApT]

when i put me old homosung back together i only had avgas to put in the tank.
dodgy as fuck but it was by far the quickest it got to the petrol station for an 85/15 mix of 95.

in the kwaka ill only put 98 in if i can and ill treat caltex like the plague.
everything feels slower on their fuel and in my ex's skyline you could noticeably feel it instantly.

[KingJackaL]

91 - my bikes manual says 91, and the Suzuki engineers know better than I :).

[martybabe]

FYI for those that seem confused - Shell V-Power is 95 octane and replaces their old Ultra Hi product. According to the PR blurb its developed with Ferrari F1 ....but that must have been a while ago as F1 cars are using biofuel and besides, an F1 car on 95 octane? Hmmm I don't think so Tim! lol
I've used it in the cage and noticed a difference as have most people I've spoken too, whatever the difference is with it, its down to the blend of additives they use in it which are designed to clean combustion chambers etc.

I used to use BP mainly, but have changed to Shell as BP are too keen to put their prices up and tardy on dropping them back - at least at Shell I can use the supermarket vouchers and get Fly Buys so that helps with expenses! :)

Mobil is about the only one I really stay away from as their corporate tactics leave something to be desired (Exxon Valdez anyone? 20 years on and still no compensation, despite posting HUGE profits - try US$16.5 billion for the first quarter this year...) plus they always seem to have those damn annoying Night pay windows :(

So your saying there's no bio fuel in V power and as far as your concerned it's ok to use in my fuel injected GSX1400. :niceone: oh, bloody nice cbx by the way.

[ynot slow]

Tried 95,then used 91 runs ok,out of curiosity will try 98,(wasn't available in the Naki)now in Palmy.

[cs363]

So your saying there's no bio fuel in V power and as far as your concerned it's ok to use in my fuel injected GSX1400. :niceone: oh, bloody nice cbx by the way.

Well I certainly don't think there is any biofuel element in V Power (see here for more info on its composition: http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=nz-en&FC2=/home/nz-en/html/iwgen/leftnavs/zzz_lhn4_1_1.html&FC3=/nz-en/tailored/shell_for_motorists/fuels/v-power_pkg/tech_spec/tech_spec.html) mind you I don't work for Shell, lol!

I'm reasonably sure (and no doubt someone here will know) that fuel companies have to show on the pump or somewhere close to it if their fuel contains ethanol or any other out of the ordinary components, due to the issues with older vehicles and those that are not designed to use it. Otherwise they'd be opening themselves up for some legal action if things go wrong.
The other thing is that any company selling it will probably make a song and dance about it so they can appear trendy and green......
I guess if you really want to know just send an email to the respective fuel company's customer service contact which should be on their websites.

Personally I wouldn't be too keen on using bioethanol due to the water content (which is why its not encouraged for aviation or marine use) which can cause an engine to stop - not the best on an inherently unstable machine I would think...
More info here: http://www.transport.govt.nz/biofuels-1/

Who else besides Gull are actually offering bioethanol fuel anyway, as a matter of interest?

P.S. Thanks for the compliment -appreciated :)

[roy.nz]

I've just tried some o that v power, no idea what octane or whether It's safe for my fuel injection ? anybody? But the bike goes like stink. How do you measure a difference in performance, dunno, it's more about feel but it really seems to fly. :niceone:

That shell V-Power is just standard 95 in europe and places like that other than here V-Power is 100 which i'd love to use here.But in a 98 fan and if im not feeling to keen on sponsoring BP prices i go get Mobil 97.5 which runs just as well.

[martybabe]

Well I certainly don't think there is any biofuel element in V Power
I'm reasonably sure (and no doubt someone here will know) that fuel companies have to show on the pump or somewhere close to it if their fuel contains ethanol or any other out of the ordinary components, due to the issues with older vehicles and those that are not designed to use it. Otherwise they'd be opening themselves up for some legal action if things go wrong.
:)

Thanks for that, Interesting, seems ok for me to use. I'd be interested if any one else tries it out, I'm convinced my baby runs quicker/better but without on board diagnostics, It's a little hard to prove. :D


That shell V-Power is just standard 95 in europe and places like that other than here V-Power is 100 which i'd love to use here.But in a 98 fan and if i'm not feeling to keen on sponsoring BP prices i go get Mobil 97.5 which runs just as well.

Cheers mate, Ive used 91 through to 98, no noticeable difference, so obviously I go with the cheaper option but that v power does seem to have the edge, is it worth a few cents more? yes I think it is.

[slofox]

No manual or other written document from a manufacturer I have ever seen has said it is recommended.

FYI Big Dog:

Page 3-3 of my SV650S manual says...."To help minimize air pollution, Suzuki recommends that you use oxygenated fuels." (Ethanol blend is an oxygenated fuel).

Page 3-2 OK's up to 10% ethanol.

There is a rider however that "if it don't run right on that fuel then you oughta change....." which kinda covers all bases....:beer:

[dipshit]

FYI Big Dog:

Page 3-3 of my SV650S manual says...."To help minimize air pollution, Suzuki recommends that you use oxygenated fuels."

Can't you read and understand plain English? That doesn't mean "Suzuki suggest it in the handbook as the fuel of choice"

It may be the best choice environmentally... doesn't mean the best choice for performance or longevity for your engine.

[McJim]

I have a low compression engine in a NZ new bike. 91 is the juice for me.

[Gremlin]

Oil company propaganda......Suzuki suggest it in the handbook as the fuel of choice and past experience with alcohol fueled bikes has me believing it will do no harm.
you'd need to read the tread, it was something about ethanol in hyosung as a thread title (don't want to take this OT), but a quick summary.

Its bike dependent, and its not simply a case of how the engine finds the fuel. Ethanol blend fuels soak up water more, if you have some in the tank, it gets dragged through the engine. Ethanol also doesn't like.. mmm rubber lines... from memory (could be something else) and causes them to deteriorate faster.

Basically, depending on bike, you could actually do permanent damage to your bike by running ethanol blend fuels. Now think about who would actually take the responsibility on board for any damage? Hah. Also, even some new models, of bike, even 08, may not be suitable for ethanol... All of this adds up to a fantastic encouragement to simply not touch the shit.

[Rashika]

98 in the Buell, runs far better on that than 95 or 91 (often get pinking when hot on the others)... tho I will use those on occasions when I cant get 98.

AVgas for the racebikes: FXR 150 and RD250LC

[modalx]

mmmmmm.....tetraethyl lead :drool:

[alanzs]

95 in the bike and 91 in the car. Vrooom, vrooom, vrooom....

[slofox]

Can't you read and understand plain English? That doesn't mean "Suzuki suggest it in the handbook as the fuel of choice"

It may be the best choice environmentally... doesn't mean the best choice for performance or longevity for your engine.

OK OK already, interpret it as you will......I take the word recommend to mean just that - it is recommended. I doubt that this word would be used if there was risk of damage, especially since the guarantee is in place....I spent a lot of time with alcohol fueled engines in the past and saw no damage at any time......I stay with my choice. And incidentally, yes, I can and do read and understand English............

[Dino]

Who else besides Gull are actually offering bioethanol fuel anyway, as a matter of interest?

Mobil around Wellington are onto the ethanol mixes now.

.

[Ragingrob]

I put 91 in my vfr cause I'm poor and haven't put anything else in it yet, so I wouldn't know what the performance difference is like. When prices drop and bank balance increases I may start using 96 to see if there's a noticable difference in performance and economy.

[koba]

91 in the VFR, RG, GSX250, GSXR250, Pitbike, KLR600 race engine....

Everything except Str8 jackets A100.
When The A was running (must get of my arse n fix it) It loooved the 98.
Top speed was limited by gentle pinking on 91.


May have somthing to do with it being farked....

[cs363]

OK OK already, interpret it as you will......I take the word recommend to mean just that - it is recommended. I doubt that this word would be used if there was risk of damage, especially since the guarantee is in place....I spent a lot of time with alcohol fueled engines in the past and saw no damage at any time......I stay with my choice. And incidentally, yes, I can and do read and understand English............

When you say 'recommend' I assume (always dangerous, lol) that you are taking that from the page heading in your owners manual, as in 'Fuel, Oil and Coolant Recommendation' or similar. If so, I wouldn't class that as being THE fuel that Suzuki recommends, more one of the fuels they advise you CAN use.
If you look at the attached (from a VX800 manual, but I'd bet this page is fairly standard give or take a few words for Suzuki manuals) you'll see that under the heading of gasoline/Ethanol blends the wording is 'may be used'.
In fact after reading this page a few times what i get from it is that Suzuki would prefer you use unleaded petrol with an octane rating of 91 or higher, though you 'may' use any of the other fuels listed without issue.

Personally I prefer the good old fashioned stuff in preference to Ethanol blends or similar, but more due to the fact that I don't like pseudo green stuff like bioethanol or hybrid cars which seem to exist more to give Hollywood stars and the like a holier than thou attitude over us mere peasant fossil fuel users, while totally ignoring the disastrous effects their supposedly green transport methods/fuels actually have in the real world....but I am digressing :)

At the end of the day, if your manufacturer is ok with it and you like it then go ahead and use it! :)

[bikerboy011]

i always use 98 ay...i think its better for th engine.

[nico]

With the price of petrol as it is, I'm surprised no-one has had the balls to steal a petrol tanker yet....


.... I guess one would need a rather large shed out in the country to hide it in (and they are probably tracked by satellite).


lol no need to steal one when you work at the airport with the good stuff
anyone got a light?:bleh:

[slofox]

When you say 'recommend' I assume (always dangerous, lol) that you are taking that from the page heading in your owners manual, as in 'Fuel, Oil and Coolant Recommendation' or similar. If so, I wouldn't class that as being THE fuel that Suzuki recommends, more one of the fuels they advise you CAN use.
If you look at the attached (from a VX800 manual, but I'd bet this page is fairly standard give or take a few words for Suzuki manuals) you'll see that under the heading of gasoline/Ethanol blends the wording is 'may be used'.
In fact after reading this page a few times what i get from it is that Suzuki would prefer you use unleaded petrol with an octane rating of 91 or higher, though you 'may' use any of the other fuels listed without issue.

Personally I prefer the good old fashioned stuff in preference to Ethanol blends or similar, but more due to the fact that I don't like pseudo green stuff like bioethanol or hybrid cars which seem to exist more to give Hollywood stars and the like a holier than thou attitude over us mere peasant fossil fuel users, while totally ignoring the disastrous effects their supposedly green transport methods/fuels actually have in the real world....but I am digressing :)

At the end of the day, if your manufacturer is ok with it and you like it then go ahead and use it! :)

I think you are probably right in what you say here cs363 - I agree that my useage of "recommend" might have been a little liberal....I was dredging from memory when I put that in the post. After re-reading the page I think your interpretation is more correct.
My support for the ethanol blend comes from experience with alcohol fueled bikes in years gone by, supported by a price advantage. In practice the bike goes like stink on Force 10 and seems quite happy on that diet......

[Toaster]

lol no need to steal one when you work at the airport with the good stuff
anyone got a light?:bleh:

You'll love this avatar then:

[Dakara]

Always ran 91 on my 250's and will do some testing on the ZX6R... hoping it's happy with 95/91 as I'm not a BP/Mobil fan :rolleyes:

[pritch]

Some years ago (not *that* many) the refinery was buying crap petrol and boosting the octane rating with ethanol or similar. There was a sudden rash of problems with seals deteriorating and fuel systems developing leaks.
And there is an inherent risk involved in spraying a hot engine with petrol. :whistle:

I can't remember how it came to pass that we found out about the "new" petrol but it wasn't because the ugly sisters rushed to inform everybody. There sure as Hell were no notices at gas stations...

[cs363]

Some years ago (not *that* many) the refinery was buying crap petrol and boosting the octane rating with ethanol or similar. There was a sudden rash of problems with seals deteriorating and fuel systems developing leaks.
And there is an inherent risk involved in spraying a hot engine with petrol. :whistle:

I can't remember how it came to pass that we found out about the "new" petrol but it wasn't because the ugly sisters rushed to inform everybody. There sure as Hell were no notices at gas stations...

That was when unleaded was introduced, it was just few old shit box cages like old Cortina's etc. It got blown out of proportion by the media (what a surprise!) and was just basically scare mongering.

[Naki Rat]

95 in the Trumpy, except when I'm outside the 'Naki in which case it is a toss up between 98 or Gull 95 'cause neither is available out here in the colonies :(

[Big Dog]

91 in the VFR, RG, GSX250, GSXR250, Pitbike, KLR600 race engine....

Everything except Str8 jackets A100.
When The A was running (must get of my arse n fix it) It loooved the 98.
Top speed was limited by gentle pinking on 91.


May have somthing to do with it being farked....

Ahh, finally somenone mentions why we have alternative octanes.
Yes thats right it has nothing to do with power and everthing to do with how much of it you can burn at what rate before your engine pinks.


The power difference of what you speak comes from the other additives in the fuel.

[Rashika]

geepers and I thought I posted something about pinking way back on post 40... guess I'm just a chick, what would I know? :rolleyes: :dodge:

[Bend-it]

Just curious - what fuel do you feed your bike? Not interested in brands - just octanes etc...........

Do brands make a difference? My dad will only buy his preferred brand (which changes over time, strangely)... but I've never noticed any difference.

Don't the different brands have to be standard?

[Big Dog]

98 in the Buell, runs far better on that than 95 or 91 (often get pinking when hot on the others)... tho I will use those on occasions when I cant get 98.

AVgas for the racebikes: FXR 150 and RD250LC

Apologies Rashika. Not sure why I have not seen your post. Especially as I was looking for somone smart enought to know the real reason for high octane fuels.

Nope was not a sexist thing. Just had not seen the post.
Besides if it was predjudice it would have been the Buell that put me off not the woman thing.

[Rashika]

Apologies Rashika. Not sure why I have not seen your post. Especially as I was looking for somone smart enought to know the real reason for high octane fuels.

Nope was not a sexist thing. Just had not seen the post.
Besides if it was predjudice it would have been the Buell that put me off not the woman thing.

ahh thats ok... ;)
I guess next time just cos it has a Buell in the text doesn't mean its a bad thing eh? And I guess you know no better riding a bus :shutup:

[honda929]

V-power, they add magnesium in it.

[portokiwi]

I use 98 on the bike. I am going to try that Force 10 to see if thats any good.... Has anyone tried it?

[koba]

Do brands make a difference? My dad will only buy his preferred brand (which changes over time, strangely)... but I've never noticed any difference.

Don't the different brands have to be standard?

Fuel blends are changed frequently for atmospheric conditions and the like.
In winter they might add more volitile components to help with cold starting and so on.
That may have somthing to do with it.

[slofox]

I use 98 on the bike. I am going to try that Force 10 to see if thats any good.... Has anyone tried it?

I use it all the time in my SV...seems to like the diet.....goes like stink....hasn't blown up yet.....

[Owl]

I use 95 in the triple. I've tried 98 but, there is no difference other than cost. Manual also recommends 95.

[Mr Triple]

I just use 91 in the Tiger seems to be ok:msn-wink:

[Big Dog]

ahh thats ok... ;)
I guess next time just cos it has a Buell in the text doesn't mean its a bad thing eh? And I guess you know no better riding a bus :shutup:

Know better? No. Just prefer a bike I don't look like I am riding a mini moto.

The only Buell I have sat on was way too small.

[Rashika]

Know better? No. Just prefer a bike I don't look like I am riding a mini moto.

The only Buell I have sat on was way too small.

...probably need to try sitting the 1125 or a Uly then, they are both HUGE: Uly damn tall, and the 1125 damn wide.
I prefer the 'Bolt, just right for me... but I do know some find them too small, just as well we have some many bikes out there huh?

[moT]

fumes off an oily rag