Is only 87 pump octane really okay?

Like Johnnycheese said 87 octane.
With the stock compression my bike had a higher top speed with the 87 octane and the spark plugs showed no evidence of detnation
Now with the 13 to 1 JE pistons you have to use 92 octane
 
This thread has gotten my full attention now, what I'm looking for is a conclusive factual determination of octane ratings effect on the performance of the "HAYABUSA".

I've been feeding my bikes a diet of 93 since I can remember. Of course I'm willing to switch, who wouldnt? I use this $hit in my truck as well and I could save hundreds by downgrading.

So if you dont mind could I hear from a petroleum distillates expert?
 
This is interesting. I have a friend that bought his Busa about 3 weeks before I bought mine. He was using 87 octane and I was running 92. During a run to one of the Laker's playoff game we were comparing gas mileage. He was getting about 34 - 36 overall. I was averaging 40 - 44. He switched from 87 to 92 and began to see an immediate change. We both are now averaging between 40 - 44 miles per gallons with just about the same driving patterns.

I have my Busa serviced by a different dealer than the one I purchased from. Both dealers recommend 92 octane in the Busa.

JC, I've been following your knowledgable advice since joining the boards. Are you sure on this one?
 
Thanks for all the feedback. When I "down" graded to a 50/50 mix of 92 and 87 octane, I could not detect any drop in performance or other degradation whatsoever. In California we have MTBE (oxygenated) gas and all pumps dispense gas rated by R+M/2 method. I use Chevron because it has Techrolene which I heard is one of the better additives. R/L SL1 is also often tauted as "good stuff". Everything you guys are saying, I've heard on car boards too. My concern with the Busa using 87 "pump" octane, is the absence of a knock sensor. But the experts have spoken, and I tend to agree. I think I will drop the octane gradually, just to be sure there is no real harm. Thanks again to all who responded.


[This message has been edited by Dennis D. (edited 23 July 2000).]
 
Why go through the trouble of mixing both 87 and 92 at the pump? I know here in Michigan if you went 50/50 it might save you about .50 I don't see were it is worth screwing with it. Come on everyone here has $11k bikes and most have $2-10k in mods so why are we to cheap to pay an extra $1.00 to fill our tank with the proper fuel. I can see in my truck were I'm buying 30 gallons of gas and not 4 like in my bike...I'm not trying to offend anyone just my own .02
 
It may be in my head, but Shell 87 octane seems to run the very best in my busa. If I'm getting chevron I buy 92 octane, and that seems to give me the best power for there gas. I would suggest try two tanks of each type of gas consecutively and see what your busa likes the best.
 
i was running straight cam 2 thinking i was increasing horsepower so i drained it today , of course there was 5 gallons in it and of course my lines were like glued on anyway i put 89 sunoco in it and it felt just as strong but i still cant seem t0o get 2nd gear roll on wheelies any help?
 
If you had access to a dyno with an exhaust gas anylizer and started making back to back runs,while increasing the octane number every run,[and not changing anything else] you would soon get to the point where horsepower loss would start occuring. You would also notice that your air fuel ratio would constantly begin to get richer and richer as the octane number got higher by using the exhaust gas anylizer. Our busas are designed to run efficiently on a certain octane fuel,[I guess 87 to aprox.92 or 93 octane]which would be what is available at all the pumps everywhere. Once you get past that efficient octane number the mixture just gets richer and richer, and that is where the performance loss comes from. Race gas certainly wont hurt the engine but numbers in the 100's would certainly hurt performance. You could lose performance even from 93 octane depending on the state of tune your bike is in. If you have an airbox mod and your bike runs a little lean, but you really dont notice it because it runs stronger than stock anyway,you would feel performance gains by going to a higher octane fuel,because the air /fuel ratio would get a little closer to where it needs to be. But if you kept going up in octane[say to 115 octane Klotz racing fuel for instance]you would go past that ideal ratio again and start running rich.[losing horspower] Ask any good tuner on these boards and they will tell you one of the easiest ways to lose power is to be too rich on your fuel/air. In states where there is a lot of high elevation,[Wyoming,Montana]most of the gas available is 85,87 and 91 octane. In states with elevations nearer to sea level most of the pumps are 87,91,92 or93 octane. You can see why Suzuki chose 87, because you can usually always get that fuel rating. Like JC said,[in 3 sentences]87 is good enough GENERALLY speaking. If you dont have the compression to squeeze higher octane fuels tighter,and the timing to light it off,it wont burn properly. Or wont burn completly may be a better way of putting it. The higher the octane number, the more resistance to detonation there is.[the harder it is to ignite] Sorry for the long post,JC said it in 3 or 4 sentences,but I thought it might shed some light on the subject.
 
Dont throw yourself on the ground Long Shot, you were just trying to put the best fuel possible in your bike,right? Nothing wrong with that! One good thing about running that 94 octane is it sure wont detonate or"ping" as some say. It also has good cleaning agents. You may lose a little performance but you probably would need a need a dyno to see it. I'm talking about a small amount of power here. Besides, like JC said, all bikes are different.
 
Busa2,try going down a tooth on the front sprocket. It'll help your roll ons and move the wheel back just a little making it a little easier too launch also. Or you could go up 2 teeth in the rear,SHORTENING your wheelbase slightly and that should give you your 2nd gear roll on wheelies. However that will make it harder to launch. Divide your rear sprocket teeth,[say 40] by your front sprocket teeth[say 17]. This gives you a 2.35 to one final drive ratio. Now for the 16 tooth. 40 divided by 16 is 2.50 to 1. Now for the 42 tooth. 42 divided by 17 is 2.47 to 1. And 42 divided by 16 is 2.62 to 1. You have all those choices by switching 1 or 2 sprockets. 2.35's, 2.47's, 2.50's, or 2.62's. Thats a lot of choice for a little money. Bet the car guys wish that it was that easy or cheap. Just imagine if you went to 4.11's like the old muscle cars. Be a real handfull wouldn't it? All that acceleration with 2.35's, absolutly amazing.
 
Isn't 11.0:1 compression ratio a little high for 87 octane gas?? I thought just about anything over 11-12 you had to run race fuel?
 
Busa2,you may want to ask JC or someone in the know if those sprockets require more or less chain links. Hopefuly the stock one will cover those combinations.
 
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