Shell Gas

[Cormanus]

My last carb bike enjoyed non-ethanol gas immensely and in hot weather I'd run high test which seemed to make it run smoother. With the CB my seat of the pants dyno has not been able to feel any difference no matter what I put in the fuel tank so I stick to what the owners manual recommends.
During a recent trip along the NC coast most stations sold non-ethanol gas (boat engines prefer it?) so I tried several tanks in a row for the fun of it with no discernible difference in performance or smoothness.

I've used higher octane fuel couple of times and can feel no difference whatever. For me, running 91 or higher in a motor designed to run on 87 is a waste of money. There are nearby sources of non-ethanol fuel but I only use them in my carb motors since fuel injected motors seem little affected by ethanol and it's about the same price as premium.

I’m with 4 Paws and redbirds on running the recommended octane fuel—91 in Australia. The only difference I feel is in my wallet and why not use it if Honda recommends it?

But I avoid ethanol, and the only reason is that other motorcyclists, who I assume know what they’re talking about, say ethanol in the tank, so is there any reason not to run it?

[zbillster_imp]

I have a Shell rewards card (gives me a couple cents off and automatically emails me a receipt) and opt for Shell if I have a choice on the road.

Ferrari recommends Shell-branded gasoline for its vehicles, and since I had a Vespa, I figured if it's good enough for one Italian manufacturer, it's probably good for another.

Small-displacement engines tend to be more sensitive to lower quality gasoline. I'm in a 10% ethanol area, so after each fillup on the Honda or Vespa, I put half a shot glass of Seafoam fuel treatment to counter its effects. It makes a noticeable difference in cold starts and smoothness, and I haven't had to clean the Vespa's carburetor yet.

Ethanol does nasty things to small engines (when I bought the Vespa, its fuel lines split in two after turning into gummy bear material ... I used heavy rubber hoses to replace it) and gunks up jets and such.

Jay Leno did a nice segment on this. Sometimes I do a "Home Depot tuneup" ... buy a can of 100-octane VP 4-cycle fuel at Home Depot in the lawnmower department, run the tank dry, then pour that in and ride 5 or 10 miles to the gas station. The Vespa takes off like a rocket with the VP:
https://youtu.be/DL_8SkZjEPc

[cookiemech]

I wouldn't think octane would make any difference whatsoever on this bike unless the ECU is flashed and ign advanced. Very low CR, very mild tune.

Agree 100%. I think there is a "placebo effect" when people run high octane gas in an engine designed for the lowest octane.

I have bikes that specify three different octane levels. The Harleys require the highest (93 pump octane here). I don't know about my newer ones, but the 2007 and 2009 Harleys I had would ping slightly on 93 octane if the throttles were rapped open on a warm day. So they really needed all the octane they could get. The newer ones I have use actual knock sensors, so I think they adjust timing and fuel to prevent pinging.

My two old BMWs specify mid-grade (89 octane here). I can run my K75RT (the winter bike) on regular (87 octane here) when it's cold, say 50°F or lower. Warm weather, it pings occasionally on 87 octane. The K75 is a warm-weather rain bike, and will ping in hot weather on 87 octane.

The two Japanese bikes (KLR 650 and the Honda) specify the lowest octane (generally 87 octane here). They run just fine and never ping under any weather conditions.

If a bike does not ping, yet runs better with different gasoline, then something other than octane is making the difference.

[KiowaEagle_imp]

I have a Shell rewards card (gives me a couple cents off and automatically emails me a receipt) and opt for Shell if I have a choice on the road.

Ferrari recommends Shell-branded gasoline for its vehicles, and since I had a Vespa, I figured if it's good enough for one Italian manufacturer, it's probably good for another.

Small-displacement engines tend to be more sensitive to lower quality gasoline. I'm in a 10% ethanol area, so after each fillup on the Honda or Vespa, I put half a shot glass of Seafoam fuel treatment to counter its effects. It makes a noticeable difference in cold starts and smoothness, and I haven't had to clean the Vespa's carburetor yet.

Ethanol does nasty things to small engines (when I bought the Vespa, its fuel lines split in two after turning into gummy bear material ... I used heavy rubber hoses to replace it) and gunks up jets and such.

Jay Leno did a nice segment on this. Sometimes I do a "Home Depot tuneup" ... buy a can of 100-octane VP 4-cycle fuel at Home Depot in the lawnmower department, run the tank dry, then pour that in and ride 5 or 10 miles to the gas station. The Vespa takes off like a rocket with the VP:
https://youtu.be/DL_8SkZjEPc

Seafoam is the shizzle

[Roper_imp]

Being at a higher altitude, all the regular octane gas here is 85 with 10% ethanol. I can get 88 without ethanol for 15 cents more at Maverick, so that's what I run. About once a month, I run a tank of high octane top tier detergent gas through. Probably doesn't do anything, but it makes me feel better.

[glenncal1_imp]

Just to be clear, I am not saying the bike had more power, but it runs very smoothly on the Shell gas. I haven't checked mileage either so can't comment on that. I always run 91 octane (the highest that you can get in Colorado at regular gas stations) and usually put a shot of Seafoam in if I don't think I will be using the gas up right away. And always use seafoam in my CB350. I have never had a fuel related problem that way.

[Houtman_imp]

Alcohol is for people , not for engines ……..