My 2014 Owner's Manual, page 136, states "86 or above"
I'm finding it fascinating that there are other Owner's Manuals stating differently.
Here is a snap from my manual - not something downloaded off the 'net.
If your Manual states different than mine, please post a pic and the year of your bike. This could be very interesting.
Cheers,
Steve
They are there, my friend!Originally Posted by opas ride
Last edited by 53driver; 10-25-2018 at 10:05 AM. Reason: Include Opas' quote
My girls:
Isleen - 2014 F6BD
Saorla - 1995 FLSTN Heritage Special
"Politeness, n: The most acceptable hypocrisy."
Ambrose Bierce
I run Chevron 91 almost exclusively. I don't much care what our manuals say as my piece of mind is preserved by running higher grades of fuel. I stick with Chevron for consistency/quality.
My manual for a 15 is the same as Steve's, 86. The myth: Higher octane rating equals higher grade of gas. Most people who know more than me agree that is not true but is still appears to be a belief of many.
91 'above' 86
So, you're good!
Cheers,
Steve
My girls:
Isleen - 2014 F6BD
Saorla - 1995 FLSTN Heritage Special
"Politeness, n: The most acceptable hypocrisy."
Ambrose Bierce
Well I guess the answers provided to my original question is......
Maybe a better way to ask the question is... Is it worth the extra 30 - 60 cents a gallon? Seems YES only if you have a performance issue (knocking, pinging) or if it makes you FEEL better.
Honestly it may not matter on most newer fuel injected vehicles, however my personal experience has been better performance with higher octane ratings on my older vehicles. I'm more brand specific for the same reason as I've had issues with many of the off brand fuels. Mostly your paying for the additives at this point. If I remember correctly most fuels are mixed from the same base gas, only a few suppliers own the whole chain. Amaco was one of them. I've gotten the best/most consistent performance from Chevron and Conoco. Conoco's are few and far between on the West Cost so Chevron is my station of choice. The extra price is worth it to me for the piece of mind it brings. Just my .02...or .25 if I'm at the pump
Well, if you use 91, enjoy. I'll keep the $$ difference and use it to pay for more accessories until my bike looks like Pee Wee Herman's.
Former Ride:
2013 F6B Standard, black; sold 7/2019
Latest Addition:
2016 Gold Wing Level 3, red; SCT transmission stuck in manual mode
2019 Miles:
7,900 as of 10/6
Its not what you think.....this mornings price at my local store: $2.93 for 87 octane unleaded and $3.47 for 91 octane ethanol free premium. If you do the math and use a 6 gallon fill up, it will cost you $17.58 for regular and $20.82 for premium. If I get 41 mpg on unleaded, I'll get a 246 mile ride for my 6 gallons. For the same 6 gallons, I'll get 264 miles at 44 mpg for the premium. Break it down to the per mile fuel cost and it costs me $0.1399 per mile for unleaded and $0.1268 per mile for premium so.....Its cheaper for me to run the premium, get better mileage and what I perceive as better performance.
Yes that ethanol free fuel is better. Much more per gallon than mix in this part of the world but better. I run it in lawnmower, chain saw, generator and boat.
When it comes to mileage, what matters is how much energy is in the fuel you use. Here are a few numbers:
Diesel #2: 129,500 BTU/gal
Regular gasoline: 114,100 BTU/gal
E10 gasoline: 111,836 BTU/gal
E85 ethanol: 81,800 BTU/gal
Pure ethanol: 76,100 BTU/gal
The numbers say that ethanol free regular (87 octane) gasoline has about 2% more energy than an E10 blend. So you should see roughly a 2% improvement in mileage by switching from E10 to pure gasoline. That's less than 1 MPG in my case, and given the normal variations in my mileage I haven't really noticed a difference.
BTW, 91 octane premium actually has slightly less energy content than 87.
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