Premium Gas

I read somewhere that a result of the 'retuning' of the motor, besides a more cruiser-ish torque curve, is that it should only need regular gas. Among other changes, they dropped compression from 10.8:1 to 10.0:1.

Good

Thats good news. There are so many awesome cars and bikes that take premium and I can't deal with $4 a gallon.

regular gas would be great. gas aint getting any cheaper!

That's not all

During my last trip out west (5,000 miles in 10 days) premium was not always available. We had to carry octane boost in bottles. Regular is the most available option where ever you go.

good thing those octane booster bottles are small

cheeken said:

regular gas would be great. gas aint getting any cheaper!

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It would be but something has me thinking it could be using premium, even if it does we're still far better off than fueling up our cars which cost far more.

The only Hondas ever built that I can think of that use Premium fuel are CBR's.

Valkyrie

I had a '98 Valkyrie with a 4 degree advance on it so I ran premium. Not sure if it needed it but made me feel better. My wife's Acura takes premium and it burns me up I have to use it. Wont buy another car taking premium hate to have a cyce that needs it. If it holds 5 gallons and get 40 mpg I'll be happy...

And don't even get me started on the possibility of having to put E15 fuel in my bike(s) in the future OR worst!

The ST1300 is supposed to use premium fuel but some riders report having no problem with using regular.
found the reference finally, or should I say I was on the web page before but didn't notice until today.
ON the world.honda.com site (click on that) on the page for engine details one of the bullet points states that the lower compression enables using regular fuel.

An altered compression ratio that allows the use of regular gasoline.

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Lots of other useful/interesting information on the CTX1300 on that site.
I like that better than being possibly forced to use premium. Most stations here in Iowa are being forced to use e10 for regular AND sometimes also for premium. Any that do carry regular without ethanol have to blend a lower octane with premium which raises the price. I've used e10 for many years, over 25 years now, with no significant drop in mpg and no fuel related issues what-so-ever so that is fine with me.

E15 is like putting sugar in your tank.My new four wheeler CLEARLY states NOT to use it.

Now regarding the use of regular verses high test fuels, all new vehicles use ECM's,fuel injection,and sensors to monitor and adjust timing advance,throttle control,and fuel/air mixtures,accordingly.One of those sensors is called a knock sensor.It's purpose is to retard the timing,usually in 4* increments,if and when it senses detonation,preventing a hole in a piston.And because of that sensor,you can get away with using regular where high test may be called for.However,economy,as well as performance,will be some what reduced,but not really noticeable by the operator of the vehicle.The new motorcycles also use a system similar to that which is why you can get away with using a lower grade of fuel where high test may be recommended. Dave!!!

Just to make a further comment on this subject,[if it's OK to do so] and I'm NOT tellin anyone what to do or what not to do,but I have been runnin high test in the last four machines I've owned [regular was recommended] and find that they all ran stronger and smoother,not to mention a small gain in MPG.And when ya stop and think about it,we're talking 10-15 cents more per gallon between reg and high test,or approximately 50 cents more on a fill up.That's pennies,not dollars.And if your machine does perform better,then it's well worth it.If not,just go back to whatever you were using.You be the judge.Trial and error is how we learn and how I discovered this.
Dave!!!

And I forgot to mention that the Shell high test,again discovered by trial and error,is what I've been using. Dave!!!

Shell is in the list of high-detergent gasolines (I think BP is another one in the US), which some car manufacturers recommend, especially with direct injection engines. I always run Shell premium in my car. I try to get to Shell on the bike if possible, always mid-grade regardless of the brand.

I have read in the past that to use premium in an engine designed to use regular will result in carbon build up on pistons due to improper ignition of fuel. Before long the engine will not run right on regular.

I always use what the owners manual says, maybe modern fuel inj engines will allow you to use premium but I use my bike daily year round and 50 cent to a dollar extra per fill up is lots of $ in a year, I know I'm a bit of a tight wad.

soggybottom said:

I have read in the past that to use premium in an engine designed to use regular will result in carbon build up on pistons due to improper ignition of fuel. Before long the engine will not run right on regular.

I always use what the owners manual says, maybe modern fuel inj engines will allow you to use premium but I use my bike daily year round and 50 cent to a dollar extra per fill up is lots of $ in a year, I know I'm a bit of a tight wad.

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I agree -- when it comes to octane rating, that's the one thing I always go with what the manufacturer recommends.

I always use the fuel that the manual says partly because it should be best for the bike, but even more so because I'm afraid if something goes wrong the warranty will be void if I am using fuel that I shouldn't be.

When ya pull the plugs,they will tell ya if the motor is running good,bad,or indifferent,and it doesn't really make any difference whether you're using regular,high test,or rocket fuel.lol Carbon build up is caused from an ignition problem,a bad valve,a bad ring,a bad piston,a problem with the carb or injector,bad fuel,or short hop driving.The short hop driving, or lack of use, is probably the biggest contributor when it comes to carbon build up cause the motor just doesn't get up to temperature.And to help keep this problem at a minimum,fuel additives such as,fuel injector cleaner,Sea Foam,or Startron should be added on a regular basis.I do it on ALL my vehicles and equipment,as well as the fleet I maintained for over 35 years.So there's some food for thought for you guys. Dave!!!

I should start adding something for my cars since at least one usually ends up sitting for long periods of time and when I do take the car it's not a long trip (too busy riding the bike everywhere).

I used to add MMO to the fuel in my GW years ago, and even in my Burgman 650 on occasion.