[IndyGunner]

highest octane possible. and pour at least 1/2 tank of octane boosters in there too.

[scottynoface]

[The CyberPoet]

I have had my Kat for a year now and she only runs on high octane. I due this because the gas here in NC has ethanol in it. It works for her and so long as she is happy so am I...lol.

I suspected high octane fuels often have more ethanol than low octane fuels. Why?
Because alcohol is very high in octane and more is expensive to buy compared to gasoline...

KNOW THIS:
you are far better off buying high quality brand-name low-octane fuel, than buying low-quality no-name high-octane fuel.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[KrAzE]

I run my bike on draino and crumpled up tinfoil. VRoom

[Psycho1]

I usually try to run premium from Chevron, Shell or Texaco in my Kat, but only because the head has been shaved to bump the compression up. It runs ok on regular as long as it's not too hot outside, but on overly warm to hot days, or in stop and go traffic, I notice it runs a lot hotter (to the point thaat it has boiled the gas out of the fuel bowls when stopped for a smoke break), idle goes up 500-1k rpm, and it developes a stumble in the low to mid range. Running high quality premium eliminates most of the temp related problems for me. My '86 Yamaha Fazer has slightly higher compression than a stock Kat, and it runs fine anytime anywhere on regular unleaded.

[Rangerx52]

I suspected high octane fuels often have more ethanol than low octane fuels. Why?
Because alcohol is very high in octane and more is expensive to buy compared to gasoline...

KNOW THIS:
you are far better off buying high quality brand-name low-octane fuel, than buying low-quality no-name high-octane fuel.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

Amen.

There are not different grades of gasoline. its all the exact same (from any given manufacturer). The octane shifts are made by adding extra crap to boost its rating.

So you guys that are under the impression that the fuel could even be a better quality than the lower octanes because of less gunk- you're wrong.
sorry, you're just wrong. You are adding MORE gunk from MORE additives. The premiere octane additive used to be tetraethyl lead (which is still used in aircraft sometimes i hear), which did a dandy job in raising octane, but happily destroyed catalytic converters while it did so. If you really want something added to your gas to clean everything up- go to an auto parts store and find an additive you trust, or a cleaner like seafoam. DOnt be lazy about cleaning- it seems as logical to me as the concept of adding toothpaste to all your meals so you dont have to brush your teeth.

If your kat runs better on higher octane, its because you have made modifications that now require you to use it- or your kat was suffering from predetonation and you failed to make the adjustments to compensate for it. Albeit it does solve the problem of predet, but its a method that sticks a bandaid on a problem to make it go away instead of fixing it.

[LAsunbird86]

If this is the case, I guess the stealership doesn't know how to tune a set of carbs.

:/

[H-2 CHARLIE]

My car gets alot more miles to a tank with low octane gas because it burns at a lower rate .....same applaies to the bike motors ....i always use high test in my bikes due to the cleaning additievs dont want to fool around with that ...one time i used reg. Test in the kat and it felt like it reved slower and was flat in take offs ,,i spend the extra buck per tank for the bikes

[Rangerx52]

they would if they gave a crap about you after you left the lot. My mother was in vehicle sales for years. Most disgusting, judgemental, racist coldhearted lying piles of human waste i've ever had the misfortune to know. You may think this could have been limited to one dealership perhaps, and maybe my view is skewed? hell no, she worked at 15+ dealerships until she became so sick of the people there that she quit the business altogether.

When you walk onto the lot and get out of your vehicle, they look at you through the glass and make a series of judgements
1.race (yes, this is a big one) certain ethnicities are labelled at price grinding, others as never willing to actually buy, and others as sheep
2.your current vehicle. if its nice, you're clearly not there to buy a new one, so why would they want to help you

the rule of thumb for a dealership, is this: If you get off your bike, and noone walks outside to meet you, you're just an inconvenience or something to kill some time.

The suzuki dealerships here don't stock anything for my katana, will not order anything, and their mechanics refuse to touch anything older than 12 years. Doesnt sound like someone who cares about my vehicle.

[GSXF 600 Guy]

In the owners manual it says 87 octane is recommended.

All others is at owners discretion. I stick with 87 & make sure everything mechanicly is up to snuff every 6 months. Carbs cleaned, tank flushed & filter changed. Oil every 2000 Miles, brakes every year.. Bike may be 2 different colors, but it runs 100% with NO issues!!!!

As it says in my Signature.... If you think routine maint is expensive... Try ignorance!!!