| Author | Message | ||
     Xb9rski |
I've been running premium 91/92 oct gas since day one, and now it seams she's acting up on occasion. Some times when I'm just taking off from a stop, she starts spit'n and spuddering until I get her over 70mph. Is the premium doing more harm than good? She runs great at 80-120 no problems. I will be changing my plugs again this week, it's that time again. Thanks for any input. | ||
| Buellgator |
I run 93 octane here. Nothing but Chevron gas when available. I always heard that the techron stuff in the gas was the best additive out there. | ||
| Buelluk |
Gator, it's a myth, take it from somebody in the gas industry, although Chevron is a good brand, the raw material and additives changes so much from county to county and season to season based on local and EPA regulations , that one tank of Chevron is not quite the same as the next tank. I always use premium in my XB9 whatever station it comes from, it's not worth using anything else for the gas savings 50-75 cents for a frameload. | ||
| Bomber |
XB9 that doesn't sound like gas to me, unless it's a really bad tankful . . . your best bet is to fill up at a station with lots of traffic -- the fuel will be fresher, with the "right" additive package for the time of year, and will likely have less condensation-induced moisture in it as well I histroically try to avoid corn in my fuel, but, these days, living in the mdiwest, that's hard to do ymmv | ||
| Impulse_101 |
It's almost impossible to do. I can't wait to ride west of Milwaukee and find out what real gas does to my engine. I run whatever premium grade is at the pump when I need it. I like Citgo and I avoid Super America like the plauge, but for the most part my carbed Buell powerplant will burn just about anything with little more than a hickup to let you know it's unhappy. JT | ||
| M1combat |
I believe the manual says that 91 is the recommendation | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
Hey ski, did you fill in AZ or CA? I noticed the Ethenol warnings on the pumps here in AZ of late some as high as 15%... | ||
| Xb9rski |
It first started friday night after I filled up in Cali at Chiriaco Summit at the Chevron station. I always try to use Chevron premium, if thats now available, I'll either use Texaco, Mobile or 66, but always premium. Thought maybe bad gas, but did it again at the next station, same as before. Then yesterday when coming back it did it the first 2 tanks then it seamed ok. No lag'n this morning??  | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
How empty do you let it get before you fill it up again? I had that problem and thought it was a bad tank but when I went to the station to refill, I noticed they had put on 15% ethanol stickers. I went to another station that didn't list any ethanol but not sure if that was the cause or not. I remember the manual saying something about it but my manual isn't handy so I can't just look it up again. | ||
| Outrider |
Sounds like you got a dose of either water or contaminants off the bottom of the tank. Often it takes more than one refill to flush the water through although a good gas dryer will help. It took two full tanks of good gas and a bottle of drier to correct the problems incurred with one water laden tank of gas I picked up in So Cal in my old Concourse. Big Empty Tank = Lotsa Water. Additionally, last year the BWB'ers were posting warnings about buying gas at pumps that had only one hose for all three grades. The theory was that you received a high percentage in your small tank of whatever octane fuel the last person pumped. Apparently, quite a few experienced detonation from the lower octane. | ||
| Xb9rski |
Guess I'll just stick with speeds above 70 mph so I don't notice it.  | ||
| Charlieboy6649 |
Here's a consideration for you all as well. Notice that the pumps are more and more often being rigged with one hose? I ALWAYS find a gas station with three separate hoses regardless of brand. Believe it or not, up to a half gallon of regular gas can be lurking in that hose from the last fill up. You'd be surprised what a half gallon of 82-85 oct gas will do to your 91 oct rating you think you just bought at close to $3 a gal...! Lowers it significantly. Take it for what you will. | ||
| Xb9er |
Charlie, just let a couple of your riding buddies pump their gas first, then fill up. The manual says 91 Octane (RON) or higher. What you really want to avoid is gasolines containing METHANOL. That's the bad alcohol additive. ETHANOL is OK up to 10%. I use Sunoco Ultra 93 as my first choice, (or is it 94?) if there's a station where I happen to be. Otherwise, any recognizable brand with an octane of 91 and no methanol works until I get back home and fill up at the local Sunoco. Mike. | ||
| Bomber |
tough to find pumps with more than one hose (at least around here -- Chicago/Milwaukee-ish) . . . also, I seem to remember that mixing two grades of gas can result in higher octane (sometimes known as "race mixing" . . . . . even saw a sign advising against it in Michigan last summer) anyone got any data on this? | ||
| Charlieboy6649 |
Actually the opposite should true Bomber. If you mix fuel of higher and lower grades, you end up with lowered octane. Even lower than the median of the two grades not higher than the highest grade added. Fuzzy math I guess. It all has to do with the ratio of octane to heptane. Octane compresses well, heptane poorly. If you put two grades together you change the overall ratio of the fuel. You are right in the sense that just a little high octane fuel added to lower octane fuel increases the overall octane rating of the two fuels. | ||
| M1combat |
Just for the record... If you pull into a gas station and there's a truck filling the tanks. LEAVE! It stirs up the tank. | ||
| Glitch |
I remember back in my air cooled VW days we used to mix leaded gas with HO gas to raise to octane rating. Could that be what you're talking about? As this was some years ago I can't remember exactly what the formula was...ahh the 80's, I'm sure I had fun if the stories are true... | ||
| Fst_tyms |
I like trick 101 from a pump. Only a couple places I know of to get it though. Expensive too. I mostly use premium 91 in CA | ||
| Bads1 |
If you pull into a gas station and theres a truck filling the tanks.Leave!It stirs up the tank???? Thats not true.As well as you can get up to a 1/2 gallon of fuel from single hose pumps.Have you guys ever seen the inside of a pump and how they work???I have and infact helped my brother quite a few times change the three,huge filters that are inside them at his Mobil station and his Sin Clair station.And there is not any way possible you could get a 1/2 gal. of fuel left in the hose.When we change those filters we maybe get a coffee can full combined out of all three filters and those things are about 12 inch round and 20 inch tall. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
Mid grade is made from approximately a 60/40 mix of low/high grade fuel. That may vary from local to local depending on blends and what grade the high test is but that is how midgrade is made. | ||
| Glitch |
"Tanks" Dana for relieving my paranoia. It's always nice to get first hand info. | ||
| Honu |
I have oftened wondered about the Gas pump configuration also. 1. Is there one pump that takes suction to three different tanks ie... reg/med/premium? 2. Bads1- you mentioned the amount in the filters, what about the amount in the pump and hose upto the nozzle? This could be significant if there is one pump inside that station. 3. Would hate paying premium price for reg.  | ||
| Yeahcmon |
If your from the great white north, find a 76 station near central PA. They have 100 octane at the pump!!!!! | ||
| Aesquire |
On one fateful night, I ran out of gas in Olean N.Y.. All the gas stations were closed & I drained the hoses on all the pumps ( except kerosene & Diesel ) in 3 gas stations. I pushed the bike from station to station, clear across town. I got just enough to reach the next town. These were the old pumps, not even close to a 1/2 gallon in each hose. I know they are even more frugal now. | ||
| Charlieboy6649 |
OK guys, you got me already. I said up to, not that theres a half gallon in every hose. Regardless, my point is, with three separate hoses, you don't have to worry about the problem. And it doesn't take much 85 oct gas to fuck up your 91 rating your paying for, that was my point. | ||
| Fireboltgeo |
The question is: Which pump gas is best? Answer: Anything with 92 octane or better and under $2.00 a gal.  | ||
| Awprior |
$2.09 in Flint Michigan for 93. I couldn't find 92. Not cheap, but the Buell gets much better mileage than the pickup. I think that'll sit in the parking lot at school until I roll home at the end of June. | ||
| 2k4xb12 |
I recently had a problem with gas that I got from a Shell station. It's a high volume station, so there wouldn't be a problem with stale gas (and the station is only a couple years old, so the tanks are in good shape), but I think they filled the 91 tank with 87... I've always run 91 in my XB12, and never had a pinging problem, but I did with this one tank full of gas. Next fill was from a different station, and had no problems even though filling from a one-hose pump. Incidentally, I also try to find stations with individual hoses for each grade, but if I have to use a single hose pump, I try to find a pump that was last used with 91 (you can tell because the display still shows the per gallon price). That way there's no worry about low-grade residual. | ||
| Jasonblue |
I usually run 93 here in Houston, around 1.90. I was in O'Rieley's the other day and noticed a couple different brands of octane enhancer. I read the bottle, supposed to increase the octane rating of your fuel. One bottle treats 16-20 gallons. Anyone ever try the stuff? | ||
| Bomber |
Jason tried it in my Goat (67 w/68 455) . .. . it allowed the poor old beast to run on pump gas . . . . . . or what passed for fuel in those days (mid-80s) . . . . shouldn't need it in an-internally stock bike btw, 2.19 per gallon in northern Chicago Suburbs this Saturday (sigh) | ||
| 2k4xb12 |
I thought I read in the manual to NOT use any octane boost because it could damage the O2 sensor... | ||
| Jocke |
I've got screaming noice from the fuel pump when I turn the key. This happens every time the bike (XB9R -03) have been standing still for a day or more. I've been thinking about putting some two stroke oil in the tank to lubricate the gas pump. Could it work? Anyone else had this problem? | ||
| Darthane |
That's just the pump priming itself - not a problem. Some of them are more noisy than others, some have had the sound get better, worse, etc. | ||
| 2k4xb12 |
I kinda like the sound of the pump priming -- most bystanders get a wierd look on their faces when they hear that sound for a few seconds, the clunk of the starter engaging, and then the rumble of the twin...  edited by 2k4xb12 on April 20, 2004 | ||
| Hootowl |
Like the sound of an unlicensed nuclear accelerator... OK, switch me on and back into the corner of the elevator. |
