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[DICKW]

Does anyone run High Octane (110) fuel in the bikes they own?
Do you run it consistently or occasionally?
Will I have the possibility of damaging the crowns of the pistons or worse?


I managed to get some that stated (110) and put 1.7 gallons into a tank along with 4.3 gallons of (93).

Good? Bad? Why?

Thanks

[Twolanerider]

Not good, bad, nor anything else if the engine is properly tuned.  Mostly irrelevant and perhaps actually a bit self defeating.

The "octane rating" is a number based on a lot of things but most basically the octane / heptane ratio that is used to dampen the self-ignition point of the fuel.  Octane rating has nothing to do with adding more thermal nor any other type of energy to the fuel.  It doesn't make for "better" gas or a better running engine.  Higher octane fuel is merely fuel that detonates later.  That might allow you to run a bit more timing.  But it's not a big deal in a normally tuned street engine.

Running a significantly higher octane fuel in an engine properly tuned for something much lower can actually lower fuel efficiency.  By an amount you'd probably not notice checking from tank full to tank full.  But you're not really helping yourself any by throwing in a gas whose only difference is a higher octane rating.

[harleycharlie1992]

most of the high octane fuel is leaded, which the o2 sensors aren't fond of, so the only damage that can happen is you wipe out an o2 sensor, nothing else at all can happen. I do run it in my 09 sometimes but I mix it 60/40 and roll some dice, say a prayer, and ride. if the o2 goes out, I can change it and clear fault codes, if you have to pay for that stuff, you might consider not using it   

[HUBBARD]

I use TORCO 112, 50/50 split, when available.  Seems to eliminate valve-knock, as opposed to straight 93 octane.  With 11.5:1 compression, it seems better to me.  But what do I know.  Tilley said it couldn't hurt, so I use it when I can get it.  One thing I do know.  I like the smell of it.  MPG's?  Somewhere around 30 I think.  WFO, around 25 MPG.  When she gets on ELVIS, I fill her up.  Later--HUBBARD

[martys]

     Well I Gotta say this thread has made me very curious about the gas I have been putting in my bike.  With the price of High Octane gas here in Canada running about $ 4.60 a US gal I thought I would consult my owners manual to see what the MOCO recommends.  All it says under Fuel Information,  is "use good quality unleaded gasoline, use at least 91 pump octane (95 RON) (whatever that means), and that the octane rating is usually on the pump".  So have I been waisting my money running High Test (98 octane) all these years?   

[RedDevil]

     Well I Gotta say this thread has made me very curious about the gas I have been putting in my bike.  With the price of High Octane gas here in Canada running about $ 4.60 a US gal I thought I would consult my owners manual to see what the MOCO recommends.  All it says under Fuel Information,  is "use good quality unleaded gasoline, use at least 91 pump octane (95 RON) (whatever that means), and that the octane rating is usually on the pump".  So have I been waisting my money running High Test (98 octane) all these years?   

Pretty much.  If you have 91-93 Octane fuel at lower prices up there, why use 98?  Especially, if you running stock compression.  

[dlaws01]

I have run 100 low lead aviation gas ( blue gas ) in two different bikes I've had without any problems.  The only differences I noticed were slightly higher cylinder head temp and approx. 15 degrees higher oil temps.  Fuel economy went down by several miles to the gallon but the bikes ran great and seemed to like it.

[robertg]

Marty

For years I have run premium in bikes. Here in the south premium was and is always 93 octane.
When I was out west with those CVOHarley West Coast crazies the best I could get was 91 octane.
So is Canadian premium 98 octane?
I learn new info everyday here on CVOHarley.
98 octane in Canada, who would have thought?

 

SBB

We can get 94 Octane at some stations in Canada, but it has 10% Ethanol. Non Ethanol is 91 or 92, or that's what they claim. The octane rating is nor regulated by anyone in Canada.

[martys]

Marty

For years I have run premium in bikes. Here in the south premium was and is always 93 octane.
When I was out west with those CVOHarley West Coast crazies the best I could get was 91 octane.
So is Canadian premium 98 octane?
I learn new info everyday here on CVOHarley.
98 octane in Canada, who would have thought?

 

SBB

My Bad Chip ...I ment 94 octane 

[SBB]

My Bad Chip ...I ment 94 octane 

Yes sir!

 

[Twolanerider]

   
use at least 91 pump octane (95 RON) (whatever that means)

Marty, there's more than one way to measure octane.  RON, MON or AKI are the most common measuring systems for octane ratings.  The same fuel will report different numbers with the different methods.  That's why exactly the same fuel will have a three or four point difference in Europe (for example) than it would here.  The fuel there isn't a higher octane than it is here even though the octane number is higher.  They measure using a different method.

  So have I been waisting my money running High Test (98 octane) all these years?   

Unfortunately, yeah.  Unless you've done something like raising compression or advancing timing that might lead to detonation you have no need for a higher octane fuel.  The higher octane fuel isn't doing a damn thing for you. 

[Twolanerider]

I have run 100 low lead aviation gas ( blue gas ) in two different bikes I've had without any problems.  The only differences I noticed were slightly higher cylinder head temp and approx. 15 degrees higher oil temps.  Fuel economy went down by several miles to the gallon but the bikes ran great and seemed to like it.

If the bike's didn't have catalytic converters or o2 sensors the leaded fuel didn't hurt anything.  On a bike with those parts in the emissions and engine management system the leaded fuel should be avoided though.

[bigjohn]

Marty, there's more than one way to measure octane.  RON, MON or AKI are the most common measuring systems for octane ratings.  The same fuel will report different numbers with the different methods.  That's why exactly the same fuel will have a three or four point difference in Europe (for example) than it would here.  The fuel there isn't a higher octane than it is here even though the octane number is higher.  They measure using a different method.

Unfortunately, yeah.  Unless you've done something like raising compression or advancing timing that might lead to detonation you have no need for a higher octane fuel.  The higher octane fuel isn't doing a damn thing for you. 

X 2
Unless your running a track bike why waste any more money at the pump.

[Beak Boater]

I have run 100 low lead aviation gas ( blue gas ) in two different bikes I've had without any problems.  The only differences I noticed were slightly higher cylinder head temp and approx. 15 degrees higher oil temps.  Fuel economy went down by several miles to the gallon but the bikes ran great and seemed to like it.

Interesting......how did you measure you cylinder head temp? I am assuming you were running a digital oil temp. dipstick to measure that. I had an 06 CVO fatboy and ran 100LL Av gas. Never noticed any difference in fuel economy. Never measured temps, but its exhaust smell was alot different.
Dont run it in the 110 because of the O2 sensors. Just curious.