| Author | Message | ||
     Buellerxt |
I run premium in my Uly since the book calls for 91 octane but I'm wondering what the effects would be if I couldn't get premium. Is there a sensor that adjusts things and compensates, protecting the engine, like on a lot of newer bikes and cars? Thanks. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Mike- I just realized my reply to your PM didn't go through! Sorry about that. No, there is no knock sensor on any of the XB's, not even the 2008-up with their more sophisticated ECM. I usually run 93 octane but I have run 89 octane with no issues on one occasion. I also ran 87 octane for one entire weekend but I used octane booster with that. If you don't want to carry a bottle of octane booster, I understand you can buy octane booster in conveniently sized for motorcycles "ketchup" packets. If you think you're going somewhere that won't have premium gas, you could throw a few of those in your tank bag or pocket. | ||
| Froggy |
No Buell has a knock sensor. Be careful with octane boost, many contain lead and will damage the O2 sensor. I've ran 87 before without issue, just no hard acceleration or it will ping. | ||
| Desert_bird |
Ears are the knock sensor. 93? 91!? Them be some taken care of bikes. I run 87 virtually all the time, 89 on occasion and if I'm feeling really generous - that's with 10% plant-fuel in pumps these days. She runs fine. Will ping on occasion if I'm really on it in stop and go traffic, but I just loosen the grip on the throttle. | ||
| Buellerxt |
Much appreciated guys. Thanks. | ||
| Phelan |
I always run ethanol free 91 whenever possible, which has been the case for all but 3 tanks in the Uly (local route). But it has 10.5:1 compression instead of the stock 10:1. | ||
| Etennuly |
I spend special efforts to get the good non alcohol gas in premium if I can when I know there is a chance the bike will sit for a time unused. It will not gum up the injectors and such. If I am on a trip running tank to tank and it is not too hot out I run what ever regular I find. I too do the manual knock sensor. If it rattles a bit.....run it so that it doesn't. Wait a minute. That means that some of us use our brains as sensors. Wholly crap! I thought that was beaten out of us by computers!  I am impressed Froggy!!!you can do it too!!  | ||
| Buellerxt |
Froggy, Etennuly, and I'm not speaking for him, just surmising, is a frugal guy and I know he likes the high mpg's.  87 octane and 'no hard acceleration' seem like natural Froggyisms. | ||
| Froggy |
I run 93 so that way I can make sure the front tire has less miles on it than the rear | ||
| Sagehawk |
Good one Froggy! You so amaze me with those grasshopper moments! speaking of sensors since the brain was mentioned, and not to thread jack, does any buell actually take its temp readings from the oil or was that a erroneous post from another thread? I can explain that one later. Buellerxt: how has back surgery turned out and are you available in the next millenia to get out and about? Trying to get zane, buewulf, you and myself together in one place at the same time. Just an inquiring mind randomly thinking on a thursday night. | ||
| Froggy |
No oil temperature, only rear cylinder head temperature, and air intake temperature. | ||
| Etennuly |
The cool thing about the Frog.....frugality.....he puts $6000 worth of equipment on his bikes so that he can monitor his hyper-mile riding to save money on gas.  My father-in-law one time spent $4500 on an over drive unit for his motorhome. It helped by one and a half miles per gallon. It went from six and a half mpg to nearly eight on long trips, short trips were the same. Over the three year period he owned the motorhome he cut his fuel expense by about $850. The overdrive gears made the motorhome's 460 gas engine lug on up grades so it would spark knock in spite of sensors, so he had to get it out of overdrive up long hills or it was ping-rattle-ping-ping. | ||
| Froggy |
Hey that is $6k total, not per bike, when spread across 6 bikes it ends up being $1k each. My truck has achieved a 50% fuel economy improvement since modding that, and I'm not even done,  | ||
| Argentcorvid |
up until last year i filled up with 89 octane pretty regularly, as that was the highest that was available in the boonies. There's 91/92 available at home, but not in the little towns around here. Last year though, the pipline/distributor for the entire state decided to stop carrying 89 in any form, and changed to only 87 with/without ethanol. If you read the label on some bottles of octane booster, a full bottle only adds like 3 octane numbers. so, if you're stuck with 87, you're still short of what the manual wants. Many don't even tell you how much octane they add anymore. | ||
| Sagehawk |
THanks froggy! |
