Best gas for an older bike?

Zoodles95

Zoodles95

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Hi,

I had trouble getting the old girl going this year. New starter clutch, air filter, plugs, oil change, and a choke cable and it starts right up now.


I was wondering if switching to a high octane fuel with no ethanol might work better in this bike. I filled up the tank before the winter and put stabilizer in. I have to wonder though if the ethanol in the fuel might account for why the carbs might be a little plugged up after the winter.

Which fuels do not have ethanol?
 
Shell V power claims to have no ethanol.
 
It will run fine on 87.
 
Ethanol has been causing problems, ie making them swell, with the rubber parts in petcocks and carbs.
 
was ethanol there in the 19XXs when this bike was launched??? no???

Then the answer is quite clear,isn't it?
 
For what it is worth on my Ninja500...

Petro 87 = bike ran, but did not know better.
Petro 91 = felt an improvement.
Shell 91 (no ethenol) = Holy moly! Better sound; smoother, better power.
 
Bagman said:
For what it is worth on my Ninja500...

Petro 87 = bike ran, but did not know better.
Petro 91 = felt an improvement.
Shell 91 (no ethenol) = Holy moly! Better sound; smoother, better power.
Click to expand...

Cool! Shell 91 it is. Will see how the old girl likes a non-ethanol blend.
 
Most bikes won't have any issues running with gas that contains ethanol as long as you use the appropriate octane recommendation which will usually be 87. If you find that it runs better on the Shell 91 that doesn't contain ethanol then by all means keep using that.

Where ethanol will be detrimental are cases where the gas sits for a while. Ethanol has a short shelf life and will start gumming up way before regular gas will. As a result, don't use gas that contains ethanol if that tank will sit around for anything longer than a few weeks. If you have a jerry can of gas for your lawn mower, snow blower or whatever... fill it up with the non-ethanol gas and use stabilizer. At the end of the season, run non-ethanol for the last couple of tank fulls and use stabilizer... especially if you don't drain your carbs.
 
Ed In Mississauga said:
Most bikes won't have any issues running with gas that contains ethanol as long as you use the appropriate octane recommendation which will usually be 87. If you find that it runs better on the Shell 91 that doesn't contain ethanol then by all means keep using that.

Where ethanol will be detrimental are cases where the gas sits for a while. Ethanol has a short shelf life and will start gumming up way before regular gas will. As a result, don't use gas that contains ethanol if that tank will sit around for anything longer than a few weeks. If you have a jerry can of gas for your lawn mower, snow blower or whatever... fill it up with the non-ethanol gas and use stabilizer. At the end of the season, run non-ethanol for the last couple of tank fulls and use stabilizer... especially if you don't drain your carbs.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the feedback. :)

With this in mind I will be going non-ethanol from now on; so Shell V-Power 91. Sometimes I ride it a fair bit and do some commuting. Other times though it can sit for quite a while if we get a lot of rain etc.

Going ethanol free from now on...
 
Ethanol in fuel is one of the biggest scams ever. More octanes, however, will give you nothing. Unfortunately the only fuels that claim to have no ethanol in them are 91 octane. As long as you don't let the fuel sit in the bike it shouldn't gunk though, ethanol or not. Use stabilizer if it sits.
 
RetroGrouch said:
It will run fine on 87.
Click to expand...

I believe the question was primarily about the lack of ethanol. It just so happens that ethanol-free gas is only available in the 91 at most Shell's and some Husky stations. My bike and my old 944 run better on it. Neither require high octane.
 
Zoodles95 said:


I was wondering if switching to a high octane fuel with no ethanol might work better in this bike. I filled up the tank before the winter and put stabilizer in. I have to wonder though if the ethanol in the fuel might account for why the carbs might be a little plugged up after the winter.

Which fuels do not have ethanol?
Click to expand...

What a beautiful ride!
My 2003 Virago owners manual said to use 87 octane but to put Shell 91 in for storage as it has no ethanol.
Think I'm going to see how my mileage goes with the 91. My last few tanks with "summer" gas haven't been
that great.

There's plenty of debate as to whether the higher octane will benefit your bike at all, however there's no argument that
methanol blends provide poorer economy than ethanol free gas.
 
Octane is specified per engine compression. A Ural which is a 750cc twin has a 8.6 ratio. Mine is a 250cc single and has a 9.2 ratio. Both specify 87. It would probably be worse for the Ural engine to go to 91 and it would probably be better for it with less than 87.

My bike doesn't have a knock sensor like cars do. Even though it has EFI it can't adjust for me putting the wrong gas in and I then risk a certain amount of engine damage due to delayed firing.

Lower octane is more explosive.
 
Agreed on the premium shell 91. My go to for my '69 CB350. Of the many vintage bike mechanics I've met on my travels and enthusiasts, the common thread is no ethanol Shell. It's just a tad more per fill.
 
kellen said:
run what the manual says. anything more is a waste
Click to expand...

That would be ideal, except that he can't find early eighties regular fuel. Pump gas has changed a lot since that manual was written.
Modern fuel, with ethanol as an oxidizing agent, has less BTUs of energy.
With injected bikes it isn't really a problem, the ECU just richens it up.
With a carbed bike the answer is to step up one or two main jet sizes.

There is NOTHING wrong with ethanol as a fuel. It does not eat gaskets or seals.

Gas doesn't explode. There is a flame front that starts at the ignition source (hopefully the plug) and works out from there.
Octane slows down that flame front.
If you have a properly designed combustion chamber regular fuel will work well up to about 10.5 - 11 to 1 compression easily , or up to 12 to 1 if you really try.
The OP's bike has a semi-hemi head (one of the best designs) and about 10/1 compression, so it will run just fine on regular gas... and will make maximum power (on regular gas) with no more than 33 degrees of advance.
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