Fuel Octane?

[Nappi185_imp]

I will apologize in advance and use the "new guy" excuse if this is a topic that has been beaten to death, but I didn't see it anywhere after scanning the other threads. Just picked up my bike last week and my dealer was a little nebulous about what octane level I should be using on my new 2017. Can you folks tell me what level you use and why? Perhaps I should read my manual too

[emptysea]

87 is fine. 10% ethanol is fine. 15% ethanol is not fine.

[the Ferret]

87 and up to 10% ethanol, Why? because that's what Honda specs for this bike.

[chync_imp]

Personally I use non-ethanol gas whenever I can but typically the lowest octane.


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[LongRanger_imp]

Ferret, if you were tanking up with Regular during your trip out here, you were using 85 octane. No big deal.

[the Ferret]

Yea I saw that, and like you said, no big deal, the bike compensated just fine. I had never seen 85 Octane before that I recall.

[Cormanus]

We rate fuel differently in Australia and 91 RON is the lowest. That's the fuel Honda recommended for the 2010 and 2011 bikes. Up to 10% ethanol is also said to be just fine.

[flynrider]

Yea I saw that, and like you said, no big deal, the bike compensated just fine. I had never seen 85 Octane before that I recall.

That's pretty typical for high altitude areas. Due to the thinner air, the engine can't make as much power and is therefore less prone to detonation. I've run my bike just fine on 85 at high elevations.

The only problem is when you fill up with 85 octane at high altitude, then ride to a low altitude. I once filled up in Heber, AZ (elev. 6,600) with 85 octane, then rode to Phoenix (elev. 1,100). I had a definite knocking on acceleration when I got to Phoenix. Also didn't help that it was about 110 degrees out (which exacerbates the problem).

[COCB1100_imp]

Where I am 87+ octane is mid grade and above. I always wonder why given the extremely low compression on these motors, they require anything more than the lowest octane or "regular" (85 where I am). But there's really no point in second guessing anything Honda does or suggests. Perhaps because it's air cooled and they want to err on the side of being conservative given the wide temp range of operation?


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[Northrider_imp]

Where I live the top grade is only 20 cents more a gallon... that is 80 cents more than the cheep stuff if the bike is completely empty? What is the problem with this?