Lets talk gasoklline

Just curious, what octane rating are you guys out there running on the street?
I run 87 on the Duc.
Has anyone actually noticed a performance diff going from 87 to 91 or vice-versa?

Dam,
I thought you have to run 93 on the DUC,
I have a 2002 748S, I have been running 93 ever since.
is that ok or not, or should I step down to 87

The short answer is ... Don't use a higher fuel grade than recommended, you'll make LESS power.

Read your owner's manual and find out what Ducati says your bike's octane requirements are. For example, in a 916 I run regular grade fuel. Ducati recommends either Plus (which is better if it doesn't ping) or Premium grade in a 998.

Pay attention to the rating system specified in the manual. For motorcycles manufactured outside the US like Ducatis, the owners handbook will specify the minimum fuel octane requirement as either 92 RON (US Regular), 95 RON (US Plus), or 98 RON (US Premium.)

The (R+M/2) octane rating system is different in the US. When this system is used, 87 is called Regular, 89 is called Plus and 92 is called Premium.

The bottom line is ... for best performance use a fuel rated as close to the manufacturer’s MINIMUM recommended rating as possible. If it pings, try a different brand or use the next higher grade.

I was using 92 and the bike would run crappy at 3-4000 but ok at 6-7000. I switched to 89 on the advice of my speedzilla bretheren and the bike runs much better. I haven't tried 87.

yes it's true ,, regular pump gas works better that the good stuff ,, but ... i was putting 100 oct 76 race in the 748s and it just screamed all across the band .. but i did the same thing to the 749s ,,, poofff ran like total crap , except above 7500 rpm , so i stick o the mid grade pump stuff , more fun for the buck too

Great, Now I have to go back to my manual.
I hope it's the cheaper gas, more for the buc

Wikket, I run 93 in my 748S too. Let me know how you like the change if you drop down to a lower grade.

VP 110 worked the best in my 748. It worked even better than C12 . Not sure if it just liked the lead or what.

ST2 --87grade per mechanics at BCM.
97 748 Trackbike --92 grade.
BTW: from what I understand 89 octane is just a marketing gimmick..mix of 87 and 92!!
If the bike dosen't knock on 87 then use it..if it knocks run 92!!

Out of curiosity, I put some 110 in while near a local speedway. I also noted a 'seat of the pants dyno' gain.....might be my head making it up though, but it felt like it screamed.

I usually use Sunoco 94 in it.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Saginaw748 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Out of curiosity, I put some 110 in while near a local speedway. I also noted a 'seat of the pants dyno' gain.....might be my head making it up though, but it felt like it screamed.

I usually use Sunoco 94 in it.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Weird, huh? It's not an octane "thing", cause C12 is 114. I've also tried 100 octane VP, and it did no better than pump gas.

VP110 just makes the bike pull harder everywhere.

Advice I heard everywhere (for street anyway) is lowest octane that will avoid pinging. Otherwise higher octane burns too slow and causes buildup.

I always thought that a higher octane fuel burned faster and gave you better power and burned cleaner than lower octane fuel . So would you get more power from a lower octane fuel?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 900CR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


VP110 just makes the bike pull harder everywhere. </TD></TR></TABLE>

And if you were using a GP shifter it would have been twice as good

(I couldn't help it)

db,
I'ved used 87 since I got the bike. Got it in Italy and all they had was 87. Been using it since then. Did try a full tank of 93 once and didn't really notice any change other than lower mileage.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by section8superbike &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

And if you were using a GP shifter it would have been twice as good

(I couldn't help it)</TD></TR></TABLE>

bmw recomend premium unleaded (95ish in our system) in all their bikes, and we've had people say they get better mileage with it. the twins do ping on the std fuel, even with the good fuel on some models. and they're not overly high comp.

i remember a 900ss owner years ago saying his went better the higher the octane he used.

i use the base unleaded in mine. i tuned my 851 to suit it and it's great. it did make a couple more hp on the dyno, but that's just a number finding exercise i think. i didn't notice it ran any better, but it certainly didn't run any worse.

the premium unleadeds we get out here are now turning into denser fuels - shell optimax was the first - and it can cause problems with bikes that are on the edge of being too rich, especially carb bikes.

the fastest burning fuels you can buy at the pump are the lowest octane, but they are also the least controlled. high octane race fuels bring the burn control you need for a fast burn in a high comp engine, that's what they designed for. they would burn faster than the highest octane pump gas i'd expect. why some work better than others i don't know.

they'd probably work better in a big bore engine where the flame front has further to travel and is more likely to get pre ignition at the chamber edges. altho the better chambers with more/better squish areas help reduce this.

Brad.. I think the Duc motors like the lead. I dunno why, but they do.

Hey ducboy748S,
I finally tested from 93 to 87 unleaded on my 2002 748S, the bike seems to run pretty smooth with 87, I haven't really notice any major difference yet. I will let you know in the future.

On rare occasion I have tried the 100+ race gas and couldn't tell any increase in performance, but the the motor seemed to run smoother.