Quote:


the Speedchannel just had a test concerning fuel octane......they ran a Porsche on a dyno.......with 94 octane then 89 octane......the car lost 5 hp and 10 ftlbs of torque with the cheap stuff........thats reason enough for me...



Gibson:
That is not a valid comparison to our carburated, non-computer controlled bikes. Any modern car now has a computer to control timing, spark and air/fuel ratios. They are sophisticated enough to recognize low grade fuel and dial back the timing to compensate. Our old-school machines don't have this gee-whiz gadgetry (hence, my attraction!).

I agree with Dinqua from what I've read recently that high octane fuel in a low compression engine isn't necessarily the best way to go. My bike runs fantastic on mid-grade with no sign of any pinging. If we could advance our timing, that might be assisted with high octane gas, but currently that is not possible to the every-day joe.

If you have been buying RFG fuel in the winter months, I'm betting the higher grade fuel is probably a good thing to compensate for the winter additives. Plus with Stabil in my tank, I usually add one tank of high-test to clean it out. I read in this month's Motorcyclist that adding a tank of high test out of the winter storage time is a good thing, makes sense to me.

Al