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Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 1:39 pm
by WhiteNoise
Most important, Keep it fresh, your petrol. Sitting petrol looks like shellac and smells off. Just Bad.
You want a full nose of "man that smells like they just filled the tanks!" Ahhh
But Wait! do not buy when the tanker just filled them, sediments are afloat and they're mixing like stirfry. Let em rest. Go back later or find another station....not while it's raining. Avoid moisture. Keep your tanks topped off whenever possible. A ounce or two of seafoam, or sta-bil won't hurt either. Up to you.

Geez, my Pan American Airline Uncle Engineer taught me all this stuff. RIP, I'm living yer words at the station. Catch ya later

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 8:45 am
by Mel46
Though it doesn't seem too make that much difference, I run regular most of the time and then once in a while, to clean out the gunk that may be building up in the engine, I add a tank of hight test. The recommendation is regular, lead free, bottom line gas...but from a respected gas station. The scooter does not run well on water, which is what you might get from some of those cheaper than dirt discount gas stations. There are plenty of name brand gas stations out there. Just go with regular from one of them and you should be fine.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 3:42 pm
by honkerman
Mel46 wrote:Though it doesn't seem too make that much difference, I run regular most of the time and then once in a while, to clean out the gunk that may be building up in the engine, I add a tank of hight test. The recommendation is regular, lead free, bottom line gas...but from a respected gas station. The scooter does not run well on water, which is what you might get from some of those cheaper than dirt discount gas stations. There are plenty of name brand gas stations out there. Just go with regular from one of them and you should be fine.
I'm a little ocd about this myself. I try to fill up at the same station every time. Not a make or break thing, but it's just what I do.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 4:45 pm
by homie
In case it hasn't been mentioned, I didn't read or follow this thread... Get fuel from the highest traffic station in town.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 1:29 am
by you you
homie wrote:In case it hasn't been mentioned, I didn't read or follow this thread... Get fuel from the highest traffic station in town.

Why?

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:18 am
by honkerman
you you wrote:
homie wrote:In case it hasn't been mentioned, I didn't read or follow this thread... Get fuel from the highest traffic station in town.

Why?
At a station that sells more fuel, The fuel has to be replaced more often and is therefore presumeably kept fresh. This hopefully reduces the amount of time Ethanol fuel has to soak up water.

Heh, saw a tank off a Suzuki Bandit the other day that was completely rusted out inside thanks to the hygroscopic properties of ethanol and no stabilizer in he fuel. Looked like wreckage from a sunken ship. Crazy stuff.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:36 am
by homie
Yes Honky, I don't know that the little Honda engine will notice but the twins burn the highest octane fuel from the freshest pit I can draw from... or I can feel it. My favorite is Shell 93 octane from a very busy intersection for the Buell and I use the recommended 87 octane for the PCX because that's what she was built to burn... and the precious does it so well :)

always listening


Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:47 am
by Fugu
I dont understand why Americans have such ''poor'' quality. Or have i mistaken something?
In Europe, I cant find anything below 95 Octane. And almost none with Ethanol.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 10:08 am
by homie
Fugu wrote:I dont understand why Americans have such ''poor'' quality. Or have i mistaken something?
In Europe, I cant find anything below 95 Octane. And almost none with Ethanol.
Well sometime back we decided to put the farmers in the business of corn for fuel playing havoc with engines and politics. This is a mistake and causes more problems than fixes. New engines are adapting but not older ones very well. All part of the bigger picture of removing old cars and trucks and unfortunately beautiful V-twins off the streets IMO.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 10:15 am
by Mel46
Using ethanol in the United States helps us move away from being so dependent on foreign oil, especially OPEC oil. Most of us would be really happy if we could find a way to just not use their oil at all. We are supporting terrorists when we buy their oil. Think about the 9/11 terrorists. The majority of them were Saudi citizens. Those people seem to be angry all the time. If we found an alternative to oil and the world moved away from oil, they would be angry because of that too.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 12:55 pm
by homie
Mel46 wrote:Using ethanol in the United States helps us move away from being so dependent on foreign oil, especially OPEC oil. Most of us would be really happy if we could find a way to just not use their oil at all. We are supporting terrorists when we buy their oil. Think about the 9/11 terrorists. The majority of them were Saudi citizens. Those people seem to be angry all the time. If we found an alternative to oil and the world moved away from oil, they would be angry because of that too.
Mel they are not angry at all! I sure hope someday we come together and understand whats really in the minds of those doing the suicide/killing. So happy are those to please their deity they will leave children to be orphans and send their spouses to prison for 50 years. This is how happy the are, gloriously arriving at their destination at all costs only to find out the translation of virgins is actually grapes. That's right, 72 grapes when in reality not even a hand full of grapes just hell.... i'm good with that :roll:

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 2:00 pm
by you you
Incredible.....

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 4:02 pm
by iceman
Fugu wrote:I dont understand why Americans have such ''poor'' quality. Or have i mistaken something?
In Europe, I cant find anything below 95 Octane. And almost none with Ethanol.
I read somewhere that in europe, most petrol sold can legally contain up to %10 ethanol without it being stated as an ingredient.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 4:15 pm
by Jge64
These are different octane blends, rated with the same method, the US method.

EU ratings are 95/98, which are equivalent to US ratings of 91/93.

So, EU 95 octane = US 91 octane and EU 98 octane = US 93 octane.


Top performance with EU 98 octane = 93 US octane.
Small loss in performance with EU 95 octane = 91 US octane.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 5:16 pm
by Pat Anderson
dkazzed wrote:
In WA State, I believe the only place to get ethanol free is at the marina stations.
Actually, all the Whatcom Farmers Co-op stores sell a mid-grade that is ethanol free. That is where we fuel the scoots and our boat. There are also quite a few other places, but they can be hard to find. There is an iPhone app (probably available for Android as well, but we are iPhone folks) called Pure Gas that uses the GPS to find stations near you (if there are any) that sell ethanol free gas. And some Washington State marinas only sell ethanol gas, e.g., Friday Harbor on San Juan Island and Hilton Harbor (right across from the entrance to Squalicum Marina) in Bellingham.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 6:37 pm
by honkerman
Fugu wrote:I dont understand why Americans have such ''poor'' quality. Or have i mistaken something?
In Europe, I cant find anything below 95 Octane. And almost none with Ethanol.
It's the same exact quality. It's just a different rating system. Europe uses a different rating system from the US. Google Octane rating systems. It's all out there to be read.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 11:23 pm
by davepen
I use 87 octane with a little SeaFoam.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:00 am
by Fugu
That explains a lot :-)
Thanks for the answers! There is actually no difference at all then on the Octane then.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:47 am
by you you
Fugu wrote:That explains a lot :-)
Thanks for the answers! There is actually no difference at all then on the Octane then.

No, there's a difference between octanes but it doesn't make any real difference to the PCXs running.

Re: Should I just stick with premium fuel?

Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 6:55 am
by Fugu
you you wrote:
Fugu wrote:That explains a lot :-)
Thanks for the answers! There is actually no difference at all then on the Octane then.

No, there's a difference between octanes but it doesn't make any real difference to the PCXs running.
I've heard that story a thousand times now.
bla bla bla. I see different people, saying different things about Normal or Premium Gas.
Personally I only use the Premium gas, because I can feel the difference. Deal with it. 8)