Anyone tried lower octane ratings (mid 85, 86 range)? Decreased performace, engine knocking?

The octane requirements of the bike (or any engine really) will depend on many factors...engine loading, intake air temperature, ambient air pressure, etc. The recommended octane is 87. I suspect if you were at high altitude and cool temps, you might be able to get by with a point or two less. But at sea level, on a hot day, you might need a point or two more.

87 pump octane (RON+MON/2) is the minimum recommended for the Versys, as well as the lowest available in Canada and USA. I guess Mexico and a few other areas may have sub-standard gasoline. I'll just stick to 91...
Air is in fact denser at low altitudes (I'm at 750' asl) yielding higher cylinder combustion pressures which requires higher octane to prevent pre-ignition. Cold air is also denser, but a colder intake air-fuel charge temperature actually lowers knock tendency by lowering peak combustion temperature. Higher engine operating temperatures and long-term carbon buildup does increase knock tendency.

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/autos/gasoline-faq/part3/section-1.html

Not true, at higher altitudes 86 octane is sold. How do I know? That is what I put into my vehicles every time I get gas! 3500' here

86 octane in New Mexico? Where exactly are you, Terranos. Are you using 86 octane in the Versys? 87 is the minimum requirement, and 3500' aint that high...

West Texas - all I have ever seen is 86 octane out here. I am pretty sure there is some formula around that correlates the octane vs altitude. If you head east down to dallas, all they have is 87 octane.

I will be in L.A and will likely stick to octane above 90. Thanks for the replys.

87 octane is mid-grade in colorado

In & around San Antonio, its usually 87, 89, 90 or 91

In & around San Antonio, its usually 87, 89, 90 or 91

Whats all this fuel rating, we only have two, regular and premium, I test mine by striking a match if it fires up I`ll use it,,, :eek::eek: :D:D

Well, yo - welcome to the left side of the pond. I guess we just have a need to be different and make things complicated! :)

Most stations have at least 3 grades - 87, 89, and 91 are pretty common, but then some stations - notably British Petroleum or BP have a 'super premium' that can run 92. Some other stations sometimes have a 93 octane. But if you venture into the rocky mountain states (high altitude) you can sometimes find that 'regular' is 85 or 86 octane, mid grade is 2 points higher, and premium is two points higher again. Then we're starting to see a lot of stations with E85 which is 85% Ethanol / 15% gasoline - comes out of the pump about 105 octane (Yay!!). On top of that, it seems as though every state likes to get into the act and specifies a special blend of additives they like, leading to dozens of 'boutique' fuels that are only usable in one small area. It's a wonder it works at all, but we somehow manage.

one more reason why i sold my bmw r1150rt to buy the versys, the RT compression ratio was around 11 1/2 it had to have 93 octane or it knocked, i had to carry booster with me on my trip out west, cause all i could fine usually was 87 grade, easier on the wallet for me now

I live on the right coast:p at 30 ft elevation. 87 works great.
I used to mess around with different octane fuel with my KZ the only effect using a higher rating had was to empty my wallet quicker.

Dan

Not true, at higher altitudes 86 octane is sold. How do I know? That is what I put into my vehicles every time I get gas! 3500' here

I'm a fuel hauler here in southeast New Mexico. Yes the 86 octane gas is available at most stations around here. I pay the extra penny and go to Shell or Exxon to get the 87 octane. It's amazing what a points difference can make. My bike, Freestyle, and Suburban all run like crap on the 86 but really good on the 87.
While the 86 is available I wouldn't use it in anything but my lawn mower or weed whacker as it's really a nasty fuel. Don't go cheap when it comes to your baby. Give her what she wants and she'll treat you right.

I hate to dredge up an old thread but does anyone else run 92/93 octane?

I've been running Shell V-Power since I bought my bike for all except 2 tanks of gas and I've been able to manage 50 mpg usually, sometimes 54 mpg when I wasn't cruising I-85 @ 70 mph here in AL.

My question is, with a 10.6:1 compression ratio, am I hurting the bike by running 93 octane?

(I certainly don't *feel* like I am as the exhaust always seems free of any carbon residue and she always seems to have a lot of power on tap running the V-Power)

I found that the ignition timing wasn't advanced enough to run optimally on 94 pump octane/98 RON. Combustion was extended in the exhaust causing it to be louder and a bit rough, even though torque and response was already substantially improved... It could be harder on your exhaust valves and create excessive after burn, harming the catalyst.
I advanced the ignition timing by 5 degrees and it's running even stronger and as quiet and smooth as before. Fuel mileage is also improved.
http://forums.kawasakiversys.com/showthread.php?t=559&highlight=ignition+timing

6.13 Can higher octane fuels give me more power?

On modern engines with sophisticated engine management systems, the engine
can operate efficiently on fuels of a wider range of octane rating, but there
remains an optimum octane for the engine under specific driving conditions.
Older cars without such systems are more restricted in their choice of fuel,
as the engine can not automatically adjust to accommodate lower octane fuel.
Because knock is so destructive, owners of older cars must use fuel that will
not knock under the most demanding conditions they encounter, and must
continue to use that fuel, even if they only occasionally require the octane.

If you are already using the proper octane fuel, you will not obtain more
power from higher octane fuels. The engine will be already operating at
optimum settings, and a higher octane should have no effect on the management
system. Your driveability and fuel economy will remain the same. The higher
octane fuel costs more, so you are just throwing money away. If you are
already using a fuel with an octane rating slightly below the optimum, then
using a higher octane fuel will cause the engine management system to move to
the optimum settings, possibly resulting in both increased power and improved
fuel economy. You may be able to change octanes between seasons ( reduce
octane in winter ) to obtain the most cost-effective fuel without loss of
driveability.

Once you have identified the fuel that keeps the engine at optimum settings,
there is no advantage in moving to an even higher octane fuel. The
manufacturer's recommendation is conservative, so you may be able to
carefully reduce the fuel octane. The penalty for getting it badly wrong,
and not realising that you have, could be expensive engine damage.

from here: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/autos/gasoline-faq/part3/
and a similar things can be found a million other places.

West Texas - all I have ever seen is 86 octane out here. I am pretty sure there is some formula around that correlates the octane vs altitude.

That's pretty standard for high elevation. In most places in NM, CO, UT, etc. you'll find regular is rated at 86 octane. As the elevation increases, the mixture leans out and your detonation propensity decreases. My Versys runs fine at high elevations on 86 octane.

BTW, I am not sure where the assumptions about Mexico and other countries comes from, but they have just as good a gas as we do, sometimes better. I have ridden and driven all over Mexico, and many places central and south America and never had a problem with pump gas.

Gustavo

I've been using 90 octane only because mohawk gas here in my town 90 octane is their regular

Well, I just got to thinking:

I've been running 93 octane for 4400 miles before my wreck, and the whole time I ran 93 octane I never once had any driveability or idling problems problems using 93.

What I'm wondering is the defining line between low and high compression. I was under the impression that that line was somewhere around 9.0:1 and higher, because I have seen a few performance cars, such as the Corvette and Viper, that run compression ratios around that figure.

What I'm wondering is the defining line between low and high compression. I was under the impression that that line was somewhere around 9.0:1 and higher, because I have seen a few performance cars, such as the Corvette and Viper, that run compression ratios around that figure.

In the old days (and maybe among some car enthusiasts) that was a good rule of thumb, but technology has moved on. The answer is really - it depends. ;)

It depends mostly on combustion chamber design, ignition timing, valve overlap, etc. which are what determines whether a particular engine will work (or not) with a certain fuel grade. For example, my V-Strom has a compression ratio of 11.3:1 and by all accounts it works much better with the Suzuki recommended regular unleaded (87 octane R+M/2) than any higher grade fuel. Suzuki even recommends regular for GSX-R's that have compression ratio over 12:1. The Versys has a lower compression ratio than GSX-Rs, 10.6:1 and also works well on regular. OTOH, BMW recommends premium fuel for engines with lower compression ratio, and by what I've seen, they really need it or they ping like crazy.

Honda makes several car engines with compression ratio of 10.5-11:1 that run well on the recommended regular fuel. BMW has a similar compression ratio in the inline 6 but requires premium in their cars too.

Gustavo

Hmmm....must have something to do with the ignition timing as well as the camshaft profile. Once I'm back on the bike I'll have to dump some regular in the tank and see how she reacts.

It'll be interesting to see if you feel any loss in low end torque and fuel mileage, now that you're used to 93 pump (97 RON) gas. I'm at 750' asl and I did notice a substantial grunt and power improvement with the 94 (98 RON) over my usual 91 (95 RON), and advancing ignition timing by 5 degrees made it run very strong, smoothly and quiet again, with better fuel mileage. The V runs exceptionally well now with vacuum hose mod, full exhaust system, removed sub-throttle + PAIR valves, airbox mod + filter, etc, without any need for a PCIII.
I will try it with 91 (95 RON) again soon when I run out of the 94, still with timing advanced 5 degrees...

It'll be interesting to see if you feel any loss in low end torque and fuel mileage, now that you're used to 93 pump (97 RON) gas. I'm at 750' asl and I did notice a substantial grunt and power improvement with the 94 (98 RON) over my usual 91 (95 RON), and advancing ignition timing by 5 degrees made it run very strong, smoothly and quiet again, with better fuel mileage. The V runs exceptionally well now with vacuum hose mod, full exhaust system, removed sub-throttle + PAIR valves, airbox mod + filter, etc, without any need for a PCIII.
I will try it with 91 (95 RON) again soon when I run out of the 94, still with timing advanced 5 degrees...

I'll let you know in about a month. Arm still not out of the cast yet :D

I run nothing but 93 octane in my bike which is sold here where I live. Once in awhile I also throw in some STP Octane Booster when I want to ride hard. When you're going 65 or 70 and gas it you see a big difference in performance. It makes the bike run like a real hot rod with the 93 octane, almost like you're on a different bike.

I run nothing but 93 octane in my bike which is sold here where I live. Once in awhile I also throw in some STP Octane Booster when I want to ride hard. When you're going 65 or 70 and gas it you see a big difference in performance. It makes the bike run like a real hot rod with the 93 octane, almost like you're on a different bike.

Higher octanes don't what you describe.

High octane gas detonates at a higher temperature than lower octane gasolines. It doesn't increase performance. All you're doing is spending more money at the pumps than is necessary (ETA: unless your engine knocks with a lower octane fuel).

Book calls for regular so that's what I put in it. No pinging. Even run my Dakar on regular with no pinging for the last 6 yrs. Runs better on Reg than Premium that the book calls for.

I've tried 87 octane and 93 octane. I saw no difference in performance, no difference in gas mileage. If I could truly see a difference by running 93 I would buy it all the time, but I didn't so I use 87.
.
.
.

Higher octanes don't what you describe.

High octane gas detonates at a higher temperature than lower octane gasolines. It doesn't increase performance. All you're doing is spending more money at the pumps than is necessary (ETA: unless your engine knocks with a lower octane fuel).
Correct and if you run higher octane than is required you increase the amount of carbon you deposit on top of your pistons and increase cold start problems due to the higher ignition point of the higher octane gas.Run regular ,thats what the engine is designed for.And higher octane does NOT improve the performance of an engine,engine modifications do that.

Something else to consider: Fuel mixtures vary considerably from region to region, even from one city to another. Octane ratings are one thing, but if your fuel contains different additives that affect combustion efficiency, then the number on the pump means very little.

We have a minimum 87 octane available to us here in Memphis, but all grades here contain 10% ethanol and that sucks, I have not been able to get more than 45mpg because of this crap additive. Friggin' lewzer democrats.

Something else to consider: Fuel mixtures vary considerably from region to region, even from one city to another. Octane ratings are one thing, but if your fuel contains different additives that affect combustion efficiency, then the number on the pump means very little.


Good point, danomar... 87 pump octane (91 RON) is a minimum requirement. If pinging occurs, switch brands or to a higher posted octane.

It'll be interesting to see if you feel any loss in low end torque and fuel mileage, now that you're used to 93 pump (97 RON) gas. I'm at 750' asl and I did notice a substantial grunt and power improvement with the 94 (98 RON) over my usual 91 (95 RON), and advancing ignition timing by 5 degrees made it run very strong, smoothly and quiet again, with better fuel mileage. The V runs exceptionally well now with vacuum hose mod, full exhaust system, removed sub-throttle + PAIR valves, airbox mod + filter, etc, without any need for a PCIII.
I will try it with 91 (95 RON) again soon when I run out of the 94, still with timing advanced 5 degrees...

invader,
First tank of 87 octane gas I'm seeing no degrade in performance. If anything, my fuel economy seems like it's gone.....up?!?

Crazy stuff. Sooner or later I'll run the bike out to redline to make sure there's no problems, but even with spirited riding the V has shown me no hiccups running 87....yet. I'll let you guys know in a couple of tanks how it's doing.

I have almost 12,000 miles on my bike now and have ran 93 octane in it from the very first fill up. Here where I live in PA gas is now down to $2.99 a gallon and $3.19 for premium. I live at the last exit in PA before going into NY and everybody stops here for gas. As soon as you go into NY gas goes up 30 cents a gallon.

I'll tell you what on a cold morning after filling up with ULTRA 94 I FELT A HUGE DIFFERENCE the bike ran much faster and had a heck more pep.

See, what I found odd is that the first 4400 miles, the bike ran okay with 93 octane, but now, 4400 miles later, I start putting in 87 octane and I'm not seeing a decrease in performance and an increase in fuel economy.

This is almost as bad as an oil thread,i run what they reccomend9(87oct),anything else is wasting money,and carboning the tops of your pistons.

Octane ratings are the resistance to combustion. Let me say that again, my friends. Octane ratings are the fuel's RESISTANCE to combustion. As you go up in octane rating, the fuel gets more difficult to combust, allowing it to be used in high compression situations where it may otherwise pre-ignite.

On cars and bike with electronic ignition and knock (pre-ignition) sensors, you could possible find increased performance from higher octane fuel. If the fuel you are using is causing pre-ignition, or knocking/detonation, the knock sensor notices this and pulls timing out (retards) to delay the spark and attempt to prevent the pre-ignition. This takes power away. In this example, if you used a higher octane fuel that did not pre-ignite, the computer would not retard the timing, allowing the combustion to occur at the proper time, increasing power over the lower rated and detonation inducing octane.

That being said, how can one tell if their knock sensor is actively retarding their timing? Well...you can't. What you can do it run the minimum fuel recommended by the manufacturer to prevent pre-ignition. That is 87 in our case. I've run them all and not noticed a bit of difference between any of them.

I hate to dredge up an old thread but does anyone else run 92/93 octane?

I've been running Shell V-Power since I bought my bike for all except 2 tanks of gas and I've been able to manage 50 mpg usually, sometimes 54 mpg when I wasn't cruising I-85 @ 70 mph here in AL.

My question is, with a 10.6:1 compression ratio, am I hurting the bike by running 93 octane?

(I certainly don't *feel* like I am as the exhaust always seems free of any carbon residue and she always seems to have a lot of power on tap running the V-Power)

You'll NEVER hurt your engine by running gasoline of a higher octane rating:) THAN IT REQUIRES. What you WILL do is deplete your wallet of $!!!:confused:

Ed

You'll NEVER hurt your engine by running gasoline of a higher octane rating:) THAN IT REQUIRES. What you WILL do is deplete your wallet of $!!!:confused:

Ed

Ed,

Look up a few posts:

See, what I found odd is that the first 4400 miles, the bike ran okay with 93 octane, but now, 4400 miles later, I start putting in 87 octane and I'm not seeing a decrease in performance and an increase in fuel economy.

I appreciate the extra info, but I've managed to figure out I don't need 93 octane.

that what it says in the manual but i noticed on the sticker under the tank it says the minimum is 91????

that what it says in the manual but i noticed on the sticker under the tank it says the minimum is 91????

91 octane, or RON 91?

RON 91 is the European equivalent of 87 octane gasoline.

The most power and performance will come from 87 octane or Regular gas for the Versys... its a waste of hard earned money to burn anything else.. same for most cars.

Indeed.

First tank of gasoline netted 209 miles out of 4.3 gallons, netting roughly 49-ish mpg running 87 octane. Not too shabby imho, especially since I was being a little heavy-handed.

The fuel that allows your motor to run ON THE VERGE of detonation is theoretically the "best" fuel, and will make the most power. I've found that on my particular V, using it the way that I do, it will occasionally knock under a quick burst of throttle {as if trying to pass}, on 87 octane {E-10} fuels.....but only in 6th gear. Going to 89 solved the problem. It is true that excess octane will not give you more power, but it does offer a more complete burn. The higher the octane the slower the burn, hence LESS carbon deposit buildup. Lower octanes with quicker flash points typically leave residue due the incomplete burn. However....in this day and age, all fuels are not created equal. E-10 fuels that we are subjected to here in the Northeast can vary from 8% to an OMG 18%! The more Ethanol introduced into the gasoline creates a less energy efficient product....and a leaner running engine, which leads to detonation and perhaps engine damaging pre-ignition. If you hear a mild ping under hard acceleration, that's actually ok....anything more substantial requires more octane. An earlier post stated that even the same brands of fuel are formulated differently, which is true. As you near the center of any hub, the more the fuel is "modified" to create less emmissions. Try the fuel, listen to your engine {it will talk to you!!!}, and act accordingly. :)

I have 12,000 miles on my bike and have put nothing in it but 93 octane from day 1. I also never buy gas from Sunoco anymore because it contains up to 10% ethanol where I live. I buy my gas at Valero and it seems to run better. I don't get the popping noise nearly at all on deceleration.

Just gonna throw this out there. I have live in Colorado Springs, actually a bit north of that, where altitude varies from about 5200 feet, to about 7200 feet where I normally ride. I have used 87 (mid-grade here) and 91 (premium, although there are a few places you can get 93). From what I can tell, no difference at all, NONE. Well, there is the minor wallet lightening effect, but really, 15 cents a gallon between 87 and 91, 4 gallons, who is really that fukken cheap? If I noticed a difference I would use 91, but even in mileage, not difference at all, I get a solid 52-55 mpg nearly all the time, no matter what. In fact, when I had my Dakota R/T, some performance shops advised against higher than 87 octane (recommended) as it would burn hotter and slightly increase wear on the engine. Good rule of thumb I've always heard, if it doesn't knock, you're good!!! As far as what seems to be what comp ratio is the division, cars it seems to be about 10.5 to 1, bikes, more like 11 or 11.5 to 1. Don't know why, but that is what I've seen according to manufacturers recommendations.
Ha, ha this is just like the motor oil and chain lube argument!!!
Aus,
Erik!!!

I can tell the stations here have just switched over to winter gas... mileage is down... buggers.

The higher the octane the slower the burn, hence LESS carbon deposit buildup. Lower octanes with quicker flash points typically leave residue due the incomplete burn.

I'm not trying to be harsh, but this is simply FALSE. The additives in fuel that regulate ignition point and thus octane are exlclusive of those that determine burn speed.

I had an e-mail from a chemical engineer at VP fuels (they make very high-quality racing fuels) confirming this; however, I have long since left that job and didn't forward that e-mail to myself. If you'd like to see for yourself, e-mail them.

To summarize, no matter the octane, passenger car fuels burn at the same speed. Octane merely controls the pont at which they will ignite. Also, pre-ignition is related to temperature (higher temps increase the risk), altitude (lower altitudes and subsequent increases in oxygen % increase the risk) and engine load (high loads as in low RPMs with large applications of throttle increase the risk).

:badidea: If you run an octane rating to high you stand a chance of carboning up your cylinders, too low and you get knocking, keep in mind knocking is when the piston is slamming against the cylinder wall. Very bad.If it calls for 87, run it on 87. The people at Kawasaki know what they are doing.

dnr.louisiana.gov/sec/execdiv/techasmt/ecep/tran

Hey Hack.....
Visit this web-page for another look see. Your VP tech is correct when dealing with "race" fuels, we are talking about pump fuels that we buy for our bikes. Race fuels are riddled with performace enhancing chemicals that alter burn rates, flash points, and are designed for higher compression engines. I ran this stuff in my Hi-perf Merc as well as Cam 2, and Av 100LL fuels, depending on the heads of choice that day.....

Wow, This is internet learning curve. Thank you for who ever mentioned the ethanol effect. This type of fuel has started to show up here and ive been told within 12 mo all gas sold in Vermont and elsewhere will have at least 10 % and some states much more. We should pay attention to the amount of ethanol in our fuel and use more octane accordingly.

dnr.louisiana.gov/sec/execdiv/techasmt/ecep/tran

Hey Hack.....
Visit this web-page for another look see......

Now, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so I'll need a little help finding something on that site to refute the Chemical Engineer at VP Fuels. BTW, his comments were in response to my question about street fuels.

I just tried it too, but for some reason it didn't go to that site....I copied the blurb and pasted it.......from a Tech school....there are many more like this, but this was as good as any..


FUEL OCTANE SELECTION




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


GOAL:
To assist students in becoming wiser consumers of gasoline and enable them to select the proper octaned gasoline resulting in an energy savings as well as a monetary savings.

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

1. Realize that proper fuel octane selection can change MPG.

2. Recognize the economic benefit from proper fuel octane selection.

3. Understand that it takes more raw crude to refine higher octane fuels.

LESSON/INFORMATION:
Fuel octane requirements for gasoline engines vary with the compression ratio of the engine; diesel cetane requirements also vary with the compression ratio. Engine compression ratio is the relative volume of a cylinder from the bottom most position of the piston's stroke to the top most position of the piston's stroke. The higher an engine's compression ratio, the greater the amount of heat generated in the cylinder during the compression stroke.

Posted octane numbers on gasoline pumps are a result of testing fuel performance under laboratory and actual operating conditions. The higher the octane rating on fuel the less volatile (evaporative qualities) and the slower the fuel burns. Higher octane fuel contains more POTENTIAL energy but requires the higher heat generated by higher compression ratio engines to properly condition the fuel to RELEASE that higher potential energy. In the refining process, fewer gallons of higher octane fuels are yielded from a barrel of raw crude.

If fuel octane is too low for a given compression ratio, the fuel prematurely and spontaneously ignites too early and the fuel charge EXPLODES rather than BURNS resulting in incomplete combustion. The net effect is a loss in power and possible engine damage. The operator hears an audible "knock" or "ping", referred to as detonation. Detonation may vary from a faint noise on light acceleration to a constant, deep hammering noise while driving at a constant speed. Improper timing adjustments, vacuum leaks, or excessively lean fuel mixtures may also cause detonation.

I'm on my 3rd tank of 87 octane and the fuel economy, as well as the power, seems to be down on both counts. No knocking, no pinging, but power and economy has decreased. Running 93 octane I was hovering around 50mpg; 87 octane seems to have reduced the amount of economy I'm getting. First tank of 87 netted 48 mpg, second tank netted 47 mpg. No real change in riding style, just a change in fuel economy.

The higher the octane rating on fuel the less volatile (evaporative qualities) and the slower the fuel burns.

I don't doubt it would show up, because it has become one of those fallacies that become fact when everybody here's about it.

I'll e-mail my source at VP Fuels for some specific information.

Well, I suppose that the theory can be misconstrued. "Slower burn" should be identified as "temperature controlled" burn rate....not time. Bottom line is that we should all be using the fuel that allows our motors to run on the verge of detonation. Excess octanes will only drain your wallet.......

Fair enough, I can live with that.

Fair enough, I can live with that.

Whew! I was starting to get a complex.....:thumb:

I'm on my 3rd tank of 87 octane and the fuel economy, as well as the power, seems to be down on both counts. No knocking, no pinging, but power and economy has decreased. Running 93 octane I was hovering around 50mpg; 87 octane seems to have reduced the amount of economy I'm getting. First tank of 87 netted 48 mpg, second tank netted 47 mpg. No real change in riding style, just a change in fuel economy.


I'm not trying to pick on you, but the key word in your post is "seems". How do you measure the fuel you use and how accurate are your calculations? Do you ride the EXACT same route every time? at the same speed? how about temperature? humidity? For any such comparison to be meaningful, you'd have to do back to back comparisons on the same bike, on a closed course on the same day and even then the difference in ambient temperature, engine temperature and other environmental changes are likely to be just as capable of producing small differences in mileage and performance as the octane rating.

Sorry, but I don't believe that you will see any benefit to running 93 Octane vs. 87 Octane on a stock Versys. I tried 93 and my power and mileage "seemed" the same to me. It's a waste of money as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not trying to pick on you, but the key word in your post is "seems". How do you measure the fuel you use and how accurate are your calculations? Do you ride the EXACT same route every time? at the same speed? how about temperature? humidity? For any such comparison to be meaningful, you'd have to do back to back comparisons on the same bike, on a closed course on the same day and even then the difference in ambient temperature, engine temperature and other environmental changes are likely to be just as capable of producing small differences in mileage and performance as the octane rating.

Sorry, but I don't believe that you will see any benefit to running 93 Octane vs. 87 Octane on a stock Versys. I tried 93 and my power and mileage "seemed" the same to me. It's a waste of money as far as I'm concerned.

The only caviat would be that all fuels are not created equal. As stated in earlier posts, E-10 fuels {if that is what he is using} can vary from 10% Ethanol to a whopping 18%. E-10 fuels are less energy efficient than MTBE fuels and lessens as more ethanol is introduced. Maybe he was experiencing this phenomenon???

The only caviat would be that all fuels are not created equal. As stated in earlier posts, E-10 fuels {if that is what he is using} can vary from 10% Ethanol to a whopping 18%. E-10 fuels are less energy efficient than MTBE fuels and lessens as more ethanol is introduced. Maybe he was experiencing this phenomenon???

Yep, good point.

Cheers,
Dave