OUCH

**riffer** · 7th July 2005, 21:57

Your bike needs a tune up MDU.

According to the service manual they'll run on anything above 85.

The choke thingamies have been known to stick in these bikes. Could be it's running a touch rich.

**Flyingpony** · 7th July 2005, 22:12

Originally Posted by Slingshot

Why not just half fill it with 91 then top it up with 98...it'll end up at about 96ish and it'll be cheaper than paying for 98.

I don't know if this is a good idea or not though so please don't take my word for it.

Many years ago I mixed 91 & 96 but noticed no difference.

Only trouble I can see now-a-days is you'll need to use two pumps.
A lot of fun at 2am when the pumps are off and you're trying to explain to the sleepy person behind the counter why you need two grades of fuel and hence two pumps.

Not sure why we can't pick and mix fuel at the pump. Couldn't they just telly up the results!

**Pixie** · 7th July 2005, 22:17

Originally Posted by Flyingpony

Many years ago I mixed 91 & 96 but noticed no difference.

Only trouble I can see now-a-days is you'll need to use two pumps.
A lot of fun at 2am when the pumps are off and you're trying to explain to the sleepy person behind the counter why you need two grades of fuel and hence two pumps.

Not sure why we can't pick and mix fuel at the pump. Couldn't they just telly up the results!

Tell them it's a V-twin and the rear cylinder runs a little hot so you put the higher octane in for that.
Why can't you mix them?The time I put deisel in the bandit they charged me for the 12c worth plus the gas.

**blocker** · 7th July 2005, 22:53

Hey, I've got a company BP card to (for the cage

) . Its not all the stations that have converted to 98, probably only half of them have done so.
Both the ones I use in Manukau near work are on 96 still and the one I use in Epsom near home is to. It tends to be the bigger remodelled stations that have the 98.
I don't tend to rate it for the extra 4-5c either. Just find the cruddiest BP you can and it will have 96...

**Patch** · 7th July 2005, 23:08

Try weaning ya bike off 98 and onto 91, rather than a complete change. e.g. 1st tank. 3/4 98 and 1/4 91 2nd tank 1/2 98 and 1/2 91 etc.

I did this to my commie and my quacka with know problems whatsoever. A mate of mine is a chemist at Seaview (or used to be) he said there is fuck all difference between 96 and 91 so don't bother with it (96) Unless your racing you don't need the higher octane.

Try it and see how you go. Sounds like you need to change plugs and leads too.

Happy

**Ghost Lemur** · 7th July 2005, 23:30

Originally Posted by ManDownUnder

Collusion??? price FIXING????

Shush your mouth! That's up there with those ludicrous claims of tobacco causing cancer!

Just ask the PR people - or the lawyers. They'll put you straight!

MDU

Serious it's not like they try hiding it. Hell that's the sole purpose of OPEC, is to "regulate and dictate" the flow of fuel (and therefore the price) by the large producing/controlling nations.

**bungbung** · 8th July 2005, 08:32

Originally Posted by riffer

Your bike needs a tune up MDU.

According to the service manual they'll run on anything above 85.

The choke thingamies have been known to stick in these bikes. Could be it's running a touch rich.

The manual is probably referring to MON, which is not the same as the number on the pump. The system here is closest to RON. The equivalent to 85 MON is 95 RON. This is the minimum standard for "Premium" i.e. 96 gas.

Read more here:

http://www.med.govt.nz/ers/oil_pet/f...l#P1396_141578

**thehollowmen** · 8th July 2005, 10:15

I put the 98 in mine, made her seem gutless on the highway.

I'm going back to 91 and 96

**riffer** · 8th July 2005, 15:49

Originally Posted by bungbung

The manual is probably referring to MON, which is not the same as the number on the pump. The system here is closest to RON. The equivalent to 85 MON is 95 RON. This is the minimum standard for "Premium" i.e. 96 gas.

Read more here:

http://www.med.govt.nz/ers/oil_pet/f...l#P1396_141578

Well I don't know Ola...

Have a look at this page.

How do you read it?

**ManDownUnder** · 8th July 2005, 15:57

Originally Posted by riffer

Well I don't know Ola...

Have a look at this page.

How do you read it?

Thanks Riffer.

I note the (R+M)/2 calc in there which means the (85+95)/2 (=90) is too low... needs 96 (rated) to go ok..

But riffer - you say you'rs runs ok on 91?

Can/could I get mine tweaked to do so, or are we talking about adjusting the compression?
MDU

**MacD** · 8th July 2005, 16:56

Originally Posted by riffer

Well I don't know Ola...

Have a look at this page.

How do you read it?

My reading of the service manual is that the RF900 requires 87 octane by the (R+M)/2 method or 91 octane by the research method.

The MED page states that NZ petrol is rated by the Research Octane Number (RON).

Therefore NZ 91 petrol should be OK for the RF, but is at the lower limit of recommended RON.

If you read a bit further down on the MED page the (R+M)/2 value is also called the Anti-Knock Index (AKI). The AKI of NZ 91 is 86.5, which is borderline for the RF.

Anyhow, when I bought my RF I was told to run it on 95, which I have done until this winter when it began to get a bit hard to start. I'd read elsewhere on this site that 91 is meant to make for easier starting so I swapped over (given that the service manual indicated it was OK). So far so good, I haven't heard any knocking from the engine yet, and it seems to be running a bit better from cold (but that could just be wishful thinking).

I've used the Gull 98 previously and the bike ran well on that too, so I'll give the BP 98 a go as the local one has just started dispensing it.

**bungbung** · 8th July 2005, 17:01

Originally Posted by riffer

Well I don't know Ola...

Have a look at this page.

How do you read it?

You're quite right, 91 should be ok.

**ManDownUnder** · 8th July 2005, 17:03

Originally Posted by MacD

My reading of the service manual is that the RF900 requires 87 octane by the (R+M)/2 method or 91 octane by the research method.

The MED page states that NZ petrol is rated by the Research Octane Number (RON).

Therefore NZ 91 petrol should be OK for the RF, but is at the lower limit of recommended RON.

If you read a bit further down on the MED page the (R+M)/2 value is also called the Anti-Knock Index (AKI). The AKI of NZ 91 is 86.5, which is borderline for the RF.

Anyhow, when I bought my RF I was told to run it on 95, which I have done until this winter when it began to get a bit hard to start. I'd read elsewhere on this site that 91 is meant to make for easier starting so I swapped over (given that the service manual indicated it was OK). So far so good, I haven't heard any knocking from the engine yet, and it seems to be running a bit better from cold (but that could just be wishful thinking).

I've used the Gull 98 previously and the bike ran well on that too, so I'll give the BP 98 a go as the local one has just started dispensing it.

Riffer, MacD - you guys also find your bike runs cold on the standard Thermostat?

**riffer** · 8th July 2005, 17:05

My bikes just about run out of gas and I'll fill it up tomorrow with 96 to see what it runs like.

Could be that as I've always run it on 91 I don't know how well it could run.

It certainly doesn't pink or knock.

However, I have the E-03 model (the 120BHP horsepower US one) so it could be the different advance on it that's making up for it, but I would have thought will the 3° extra advance it would be more likely to pink.

I've heard pinking before - when I derestricted my FZR I first took the baffles out of the airbox - and made it run too lean. You should have heard the "tinkle tinkle" noise under accelearation - scary!

I'll let you know tomorrow if I notice the difference.