[2Wheeltours]

I usually run 110 at the track and 93 on the street.

[protocall]

i use 87 only.
trinc has it right. i went through this with my WRX. i had to use 93 octane to avoid engine knock. the higher octanes don't combust early under higher pressure like lower octanes do which can cause the engine to "knock" or "ping". but if the engine is designed to use the lower octane, using a higher octane won't lead to higher engine performance.

[Mojoe]

I tried the high octane gas in my stock kat...no diff from the 87. But with the new 200hp v&h engine I think I might be running the high octane stuff. Have to wait and see how it goes.

[Range]

in my new Triumph...87...the cheap stuff.

ONLY go higher if you get Knock (pre-ignition)

you are wasting your money if you spend on anything higher then 89...Gas companies LOVE you!

Higher octane doesn't burn "cleaner" either....actually has the opposite effect...tends to foul plugs easier due to incomplete combustion.

[WildKat]

used to run Turbo Blue in my yamaha now and then.. wow, talk about a difference. Although being an 81 maxim, would explain alot

[katana91]

i use the 93 Shell V-Power since ive got the 813kit and ignition advancer

[DooD]

I'm a mid-grade user...depending on the gas station, that's an 89-91 rating. Or, if gas is really cheap that day...I'll go with the 93-94 stuff.....why not? Added protection for the same price!

[The CyberPoet]

Sinclare stations here have 93 octane with a 10% ethanol mix in it. Thats what I run in all my toys

Good for you! At least the alcohol content -- good for the economy, for the world's petroleum supply and in general. Just be sure not to use it as the last couple tanks before you park off for the winter, as the alcohol content will induce rust in the tank & carbs (hygroscopic). The 93 octane portion is wasted though...

...maybe Cyber will see this post, I know he can give you a good run down on octane...

No need to -- Tim (Trinc) did a great job

I USED to run 87 , last year or so been running 89 . My Kat has had some engine work done (Wiseco pistons and overbore, 5* advance) and I was worried about damaging it with low-octane gas . I didn't ever notice any problems with the cheap stuff then , but to be on the safe side I've been running the 89 since I heard I COULD damage it with the cheap stuff . SO I imagine you guys with stock Kats should be just fine with the cheap stuff .

The WiseCo engine overbore kits raise the compression significantly (different overbore kit sizes dictates the compression rise -- 13:1 on the 771cc and 12:1 on the 813cc kit). At 13:1 you need to run the premium stuff at most altitudes; at 12:1 you should be able to get away with 89 - 91 octane at most altitudes. The higher the altitude, the lower the ambient air pressure, thus the lower the final compression ratio compared to the sea level standard the kit's compression ratio is quoted as being at.
Note that no Wiseco kit for the Kats should use 87 octane at or close to sea level. If you have any doubts about which fuel octane to use with a wiseco overbore kit, call their tech line at 1-440-951-6600.

A final word on octane:
The big deal for a stock or near-stock Kat (i.e. one that has no compression mods and does not have significant carbon nor sulfated ash build-up) about premium fuels isn't the octane rating -- it the fact that many firms bundle better detergents into the premium gas than into their cheap gas, and those detergents may help clean up your engine. Use of a fuel-system cleaner, such as Techron, on a semi-regular basis, will make this benefit neglible. The engine is designed to run at 87 octane happily at sea level (and even lower octane levels as altitudes increase greatly); anything higher than that and you're spending money on marketing and detergents, not on octane that you can use.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[chriskatana]

87

[escahoe]

89

[SweetLou]

Anyone know if the old 89 Gixxer 1127 engines need a higher octane?

[The CyberPoet]

Anyone know if the old 89 Gixxer 1127 engines need a higher octane?

What's the compression ratio?

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Froggy]

Have always used 91 (supreme).

This is from the Suzuki Owners manual:

Use unleded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 or higher (Research method).
Unleded gasoline can extend spark plug life and exhaust components life.
(for Canada) Your motorcycle requires regular unleaded gasoline with a minimum pump octane rating of 87.

On the rare occasions I have used Regular (87) my fuel mileage decreased. I usually average 4.5 liters/100 km and burned 5.5 liters/100 km when using regular. Sorry, don't know the miles/gallon!

[The CyberPoet]

Use unleded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 or higher (Research method)

The RON measurement is used outside the USA (I know it's common in Germany and all of Europe that I've been to -- don't know about Canada), while the (RON+MON)/2 = Pump Octane Number ([R+M]/2=PON) formula is used in the USA. 91 RON is usually "low grade" in countries where RON is the displayed standard; 87 is the traditional PON number for low grade and normally represents a RON value of 91 combined with a lower MON value of 83... In rawest terms, RON 91 = PON 87 for our practical purposes.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Yellow]

I run regular 95 RON, the cheapest you can get here. I burn 6-6.5 liter/100 km, quite crappy actually...