Fuel Question!!!!

So what are the benefits of using 93 in my KZ rather than 87? I've read on here that it has something to do with burning instead of igniting and something about less compression or something or another. Basically why should or should I not run 93 octane. Thanks :blink:

See how it runs on 87. If it runs good and doesn't ping, you're golden. Mine never ran right on 87, so I usually went up a shade but many bikes run OK on 87.

I have read that higher octane gas burns slower (which is why it is less prone to ping) but if you don't need it, then it doesn't add anything. It doesn't contain more "energy" or anything like that.

What does the Owner's Manual say?
Mine says to use 87 or higher, so I use 87 & the bike runs fine (81 650-CSR).
The octane rating doesn't indicate quality - it's just a designation of a fuel's resistance to pre-detonation or pre-igniton. If you go to a Chevron station, all of their grades of fuel have the same detergents & additives, such as techron, so there'd be nothing special about their 93 octane fuel from a quality standpoint compared to their 87.

Higher compression can lead to detonation (think of fuel exploding rather than burning). Detonation can and will damage engines - such as burning holes in the tops of pistons. Higher octane slows the burning process and reduces detonation. If an engine running on 87 octane doesn't have a detonation problem, which usually can be detected by the "ping" or "engine knock" sound, than higher octane won't really offer an advantage. I have always used 93 octane in my KZ650, but it has a 9.5:1 compression ratio. Some later models had lower compression. I could probably get away with 89 octane, but 33 years of habit is hard to break. Ed

What about Race fuel like the 110 Octane that Sonoco sells? Will that hurt anything to mix with some regular?

If the bike engine is stock 8.5/8.7:1 than there is absolutely no advantage at all. It will not run better, faster, cooler, more efficiently or anything else. If the bike seems to detonate than you need to clean out your combustion chambers and not try to circumvent the problem by higher octane gas. if you have aftermarket high compression pistons 10.5:1 and up than you will have to run premium to prevent detonation. The power output is set by the compression of the engine. This given compression requires a given octane of fuel. By putting too low of an octane fuel, you can damage the engine. Putting higher octane fuel will not produce additional benefits.
www.wanderings.net/notebook/Main/IsHighOctaneGasWorthTheMoney

silly addenum, but mine...race gas is usually of a slightly thinner viscosity. thus mixing changes not only changes octane, but jetting... 2nd. with fuel prices being what they are, 87 octane probly sells at 3-4 times the rate of "Hi-Test". If your' bike is happy w/87 octane, use it, and in abundance. (90+% of carb probs are from setting.)by processing large amounts of gas on a regular basis, deposits are fewer, and componants are self-cleaning. Makes Jack a happier guy to. G

I've been running 87 in my 650 for 30 years with no problem, it's what the factory calls for. Plus, with 92 being a slower burning fuel you can possibly have a slight decrease in performance at a higher cost.