How far will a tank take you?

[billday]

Some of the local stations offer pure petrol, but only in regular grade. I'm tempted to see if the K will tolerate that well.
Maybe they could add a warning light for the knock sensor?

Our motors run fine on regular octane gas, and I think they really appreciate an ethanol free diet. If I could get that where I live, that's all I'd give my K.

[Martin]

When I first got my Brick I was told to replace the fuel pump damper and hoses as they could be turning to Vegemite. I bought a damper as a precaution and when pulling it I found no deterioration but replaced it anyway. It now resides as an unneeded so far backup. A mates four bricks all had  damper meltdowns and pump failures. I still have my original cleaned and stored and working pump even though I'm now running a Chinese pump as an ongoing experiment. The only difference between my Brick which has higher K's is that it has never run on ethanol fuel, and his have until I warned him, but the damage had already been done mainly by previous owners. Mine has also never been allowed to sit and is used at least 3-4 times a week.
Regards Martin.

[John Lang]

I filled up with regular (85 octane) and have noticed no complaint from the engine. I just replaced my fuel pump damper and mesh filter for ones said to be ethanol resistant. (www.tills.de). Regular is $0.25 per liter cheaper than super so a saving of $5 per tank-up would quickly pay for the replacement parts. I may do this. Heresy, I know. The original damper was a bit deteriorated after 160,000 km; the old mesh was fine. The bike has always used only ethanol-free gas.

I also bought new fuel hoses to replace the originals. The old hoses still look fine but as I have new ones I'll put them on.

The tank took 18.1 liters after travelling 392 km. That's 21.6 km per liter. So the remaining 2.9 liters in the tank would have taken me another 63 km, a total of 455 km or 284 miles -- assuming all of the tank's contents is usable and I don't turn or accelerate when there is only a liter or two remaining.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

The main reason for high octane premium fuel is to prevent pre-ignition when large throttle openings are used.  I drive fairly sedately but briskly, almost never using more than half throttle. 

My engines run very happily on 87 octane.  The only reason I use the premium 91 octane stuff is to avoid leaving my bikes sitting for extended periods(over the winter) with ethanol in the tank.  That is a recipe for disaster.

[daveson]

Down here the options are 91, 95 or 98 octane.

Premium, 98 is the most expensive. I use 91 because I go cheap. Can't even get ethanol blend  (10%) unless I go to the next town.

I have a vague memory that the calculations might be done a bit different in the USA.

[John Lang]

Chris Harris has a new video showing what happens when you store a bike with corn ethanol in the tank.

[Scott]

Yeah, i saw that too, and in their infinite wisdom, Washington DC is mulling over allowing even more ethanol in the US fuel supply.  Thank you special interests, and thank you also to the "corn" senators that reside in their pocket.  scott.