[Croomrider]

93 will be great. That's all I use!

Mike

 

[SgtStedenko]

Octane rating denotes the ability to resist detonation (fuel exploding from compression pressure). The fuel burn should always be started with a spark from the ignition system rather than heat from high compression, which is how diesels work. Too low of an Octane rating can cause engine damage. It is also a urban legend that high octane fuel burns slower, it does not.

If you are interested in Ethanol free gas, here is a website that lists gas stations that sell pure gas. Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

 

[inroads]

I use unleaded [email protected] 89 octane.I don't use hi-test 92 or 93 octane for fear of it being old.

 

[pbnut]

I use unleaded [email protected] 89 octane.I don't use hi-test 92 or 93 octane for fear of it being old.

The mid grade isn't any different/older/better than the regular or premium. The mid grade is just a mixture of the regular and premium mixed at the pump. Why would they go to the trouble of refining a third grade when they could refine two and mix them to create a middleman.

That said, I've run a tank of the mid grade with no discernible difference other than a cheaper fill-up.

 

[Tripleblaze]

I use unleaded [email protected] 89 octane.I don't use hi-test 92 or 93 octane for fear of it being old.

I believe more people use high octane than you are estimating. Almost every vehicle I have owned has required or recommended high octane and that's what I have always used where recommended without issue. Take into account all of the high performance engines that recommend high octane fuel as well as all of the people that use it in cars that don't need it because they think it's good for their engine.

 

[weaponzero]

Perfect, thanks guys. To the layman the fuel sticker says you must run a minimum of 91 octane. It should really say that you should run only 91 octane. But I'm glad I asked. and really very glad we have this forum. I was planning on putting a gallon of this fire into my ZUMA125 and see what it would do! but since it's unnecessary, i'll save my money.

THANKS GUYS...
About the fact that I was stalling later on the same day. I remember showing a motocross buddy the bike and I now remember him twisting the clutch adjuster wheel on the lever. I assume that lever there changes the feel of the clutch; if i'm correct that could easily explain the stalling??

Does anyone know what it was set on from the factory? (1, I think.)

The reason that it says 91 octane MINIMUM is because depending on the state you're in you can vary anywhere from 91-94 octane for your "premium" fuel. California people only have access to 91 octane but here in PA the gas stations have 87, 89, and 93. That doesn't mean running 100+ octane will do anything good for you and at that point you can cause more harm than good unless the engine is retuned for it.

 

[weaponzero]

I use unleaded [email protected] 89 octane.I don't use hi-test 92 or 93 octane for fear of it being old.

There's a reason the owners' manual specifically states not to use anything lower than 91 octane =P

 

[tjkamper]

High Octane fuel is a common misconception among many people. Octane rating refers to the resistance to ignite under compression. So if your engine is not having pre-ignition problems (pinging/knocking), you will receive no benefit from a higher Octane Rating. The engine was designed to run on 91 octane if you somehow changed the compression ratio, then you might need a higher octane, but in the vast majority of cases, you are just throwing your money away on the super high octane fuel, and any performance benefit you may perceive would be purely psychological. You will actually have the best overall usability, longevity and performance from your engine with the lowest octane rating your engine can take without pinging. So stick with whatever your local standard is, typically 91 or 93 depending on the state/elevation/ethanol content. Now the level of detergents in the different grades, is another story, but if you are putting in premium, I'm sure what ever brand of gas you are using you will have plenty of injector/valve carbon burning additives in there, and then you can always do a flush of carbon deposits when the engine gets older.

 

[DreamFZ]

^^^^ This guy knows what he's talking about!

 

[Grishbok]

High Octane fuel is a common misconception among many people. Octane rating refers to the resistance to ignite under compression. So if your engine is not having pre-ignition problems (pinging/knocking), you will receive no benefit from a higher Octane Rating. The engine was designed to run on 91 octane if you somehow changed the compression ratio, then you might need a higher octane, but in the vast majority of cases, you are just throwing your money away on the super high octane fuel, and any performance benefit you may perceive would be purely psychological. You will actually have the best overall usability, longevity and performance from your engine with the lowest octane rating your engine can take without pinging. So stick with whatever your local standard is, typically 91 or 93 depending on the state/elevation/ethanol content. Now the level of detergents in the different grades, is another story, but if you are putting in premium, I'm sure what ever brand of gas you are using you will have plenty of injector/valve carbon burning additives in there, and then you can always do a flush of carbon deposits when the engine gets older.

Im super late to the party but... what you said is spot on with one exception.

Modern fuel injected engines usually have an ECU are capable of dynamically advancing or retarding engine timing. If 93 octane is used, the ECU can utilize its measurements to advance timing to utilize it. And if 91 is used, it can pull timing.

I do not know if this is the same on the motorcycles, it seems like fuel injection on bikes is still rather primitive.

 

[edgyver]

snip
THANKS GUYS...
About the fact that I was stalling later on the same day. I remember showing a motocross buddy the bike and I now remember him twisting the clutch adjuster wheel on the lever. I assume that lever there changes the feel of the clutch; if i'm correct that could easily explain the stalling?? Does anyone know what it was set on from the factory? (1, I think.)

A numbered wheel at the pivot point is for reach only (brake side on a FZ-09). The clutch lever does not have one of these.
The wheel there is for actuation adjustment. As the original cable breaks in and stretches a bit, there will be too much free play in the lever. That can make shifting more troublesome. Having too little free play can put the clutch in a condition where the plates are not quite all the way together even with the lever released. = Very fast wear on the clutch!!

Here's a neat trick I learned from a mechanic friend:
Get an ordinary quarter and put it edgewise between where the clutch lever stops against the perch. Adjust the lever free play with the aluminum wheel until the lever will just *barely* hold the quarter in place. If you touch the lever at all, the quarter should fall out. If it "grips" the quarter tightly, there isn't enough free play.

 

[bobby walnuts]

I do not know if this is the same on the motorcycles, it seems like fuel injection on bikes is still rather primitive.

the 09 doesn't have a knock sensor, so it won't be able to sense detonation. there are a handful of other bikes that do have them though.

 

[tjkamper]

Im super late to the party but... what you said is spot on with one exception.

Modern fuel injected engines usually have an ECU are capable of dynamically advancing or retarding engine timing. If 93 octane is used, the ECU can utilize its measurements to advance timing to utilize it. And if 91 is used, it can pull timing.

I do not know if this is the same on the motorcycles, it seems like fuel injection on bikes is still rather primitive.

You need a knock sensor for that and I don't think the 09 has one. Even then the benefit is usually minimal and typically works to maintain function going down in octane rating, not necessarily going up. Dropping 101 octane won't magically give you 5 hp. In a bone stock motor.

 

[effzed0niner]

Ah, the ol' octane debate. I'm happy to say that the information thus far has been accurate. As stated by others, the net is full of clowns who think the higher the octane rating the hight the HP... I just had my bike on the dyno last week and the exhaust manufacturer (Brocks Performance) made all of my pulls using Shell 89 octane fuel. It is said that they typically have the cleanest fuel and most consistant fuel. Most consistant meaning that the octane rating is accurate to the actual formulated results. I've always ran 93 in the bike since 91 isn't available in cincinnati. However, the compression is so low that 89 SHOULD be more than sufficient to ward off pre-ignition. An other thing that will yield higher HP from race fuel is advancing the timing. I am planning a trip back to Brocks after an ECU flash to have a race gas MAP for the PCV using VP fuels MR12. It is not a typical race fuel in that the octane rating is low, but the fuel is highly oxygenated. It is said to yield upwards of 8-10 whp. But in short, a otherwise stock bike using stock mapping is hindered by a higher octane rating. Bump compression, add boost or timing, and now that high dollar snake oil becomes needed. Otherwise, save the dough for bike mods...

 

[E_wreck86]

A numbered wheel at the pivot point is for reach only (brake side on a FZ-09). The clutch lever does not have one of these.
The wheel there is for actuation adjustment. As the original cable breaks in and stretches a bit, there will be too much free play in the lever. That can make shifting more troublesome. Having too little free play can put the clutch in a condition where the plates are not quite all the way together even with the lever released. = Very fast wear on the clutch!!

Here's a neat trick I learned from a mechanic friend:
Get an ordinary quarter and put it edgewise between where the clutch lever stops against the perch. Adjust the lever free play with the aluminum wheel until the lever will just *barely* hold the quarter in place. If you touch the lever at all, the quarter should fall out. If it "grips" the quarter tightly, there isn't enough free play.
View attachment 7016

Here's a cool video I found on the clutch lever adjustment.

 

[ridethepiggy]

Dave,

It's a bit concerning that your website doesn't exist:

Lubriflux

And there's hardly any information online for the product.

Sounds like snake oil to me.

 

[MNJohn]

Here's a cool video I found on the clutch lever adjustment.

Is that the old Miro Machines commercial guy talking in that vid? lol

 

[wigster]

Hi all, I know this is an old thread, but I'm going to try resurrecting it.
I've just cracked the 1000 mile mark, and thought I'd try a few tank fulls of the higher octane fuel.
Now, having read through this thread, I'm really quite surprised to see how low the octane ratings are in the States. In the uk, we have standard (95 Ron), and premium (97 at bp, and 98 at Shell). I'm not sure about the ethanol content, but think it might be up to 10%.
Reading through the manual, it only says to use premium, but then doesn't say what Ron rating. The sticker that used to be on the tank said to use 95 minimum. It also says the compression ratio is 11.5:1, is that the same as the States ?
I should add that I've always been sceptical about the claims for the higher octane stuff, but my son has been using the higher grade in his ybr125 (injected, not carb), and is quite adamant that he gets an extra 20-30 miles per tank full.

 

[RickyNY]

Wigster my manual on page 4-16 says: "Your Yamaha engine has been designed to use premium unleaded gasoline with a pump octane number [(R+M)/2] of 91 or higher, or a research octane number of 95 or higher." Maybe that's where your 95 comes in place?

 

[Dpak]

I think it's 2 different standards. Canada has higher numbers than the US the highest I have seen is 93.
Sonoco stations still carry cam2 but I don't know if there are any left where I live or what the octane # is.