Topic: Absolute best fuel for 76 CB550F

[Lakelife31]

Is there such a thing? Should I add octane boosters or even go for chevron 94 octane or is 91 ok. Not expecting performance benefits. Is this a stupid question?

[BomberMann650]

These bikes operate on hot saké 

[Lakelife31]

These bikes operate on hot saké 

Haha, so It won't make any difference at all? 87 vs 94 octane. Especially while I try to get it running smooth with idle issues? It's certainly a lot cheaper for me, but it seems hard to grasp. I do trust the opinions expressed here more than my own intuition, so if you guys say so.

[TwoTired]

Regular 87 octane is the modern gas equivalent rating to what Honda stipulated in the owners manual using a different rating system for the day.

Cheers,

[calj737]

Higher octane fuels require higher compression motors than your stock bike. Good, clean, non-ethanol is best for your bike. Additives help with the occasional tank to keep any fuel gunk from accumulating.

[ekpent]

 Little like an oil thread but your bike may run better and cleaner on the 87 octane.

[b52bombardier1]

Yes, avoid the ethanol stuff and it's only about 70 to 80 cents a gallon more expensive but worth every penny. Somebody will sell it close to you and I'd call the boat marina and bulk fuel distribution folks - they will know. You can  also Google for the Web site that lists the locations across the nation.

As Cal pointed out, run a good additive. The no ethanol fuel around here is unbranded so I have no idea what it has for detergents and cleansers. So I add a little Chevron Techron to the tank.

Rick

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

[becken]

https://www.pure-gas.org/

http://www.toptiergas.com/

[Stev-o]

... non-ethanol is best for your bike.

There is finally 1 gas station offering this in my area, but at $4.45, seems like a ripoff to me.  Wouldnt be bad if I only had 1 bike....

[flybox1]

... non-ethanol is best for your bike.

There is finally 1 gas station offering this in my area, but at $4.45, seems like a ripoff to me.  Wouldnt be bad if I only had 1 bike....

Never buy gas at the lake. 

+1
E-free at the nearest station here is ~$2.80 IIRC

[Don R]

 If you can avoid alcohol do that but if you need to buy some, it will burn fine, just be sure to use it up and flush it through before any storage periods. I like race gas or airplane gas for storage.

[Stev-o]

... non-ethanol is best for your bike.

There is finally 1 gas station offering this in my area, but at $4.45, seems like a ripoff to me.  Wouldnt be bad if I only had 1 bike....

Never buy gas at the lake. 

Then how do you suggest I fill my boat?! 
[it "lives" in a slip at a dock on the lake]

The non ethanol fuel is not directly on the lake but about a mile away. The fuel at marinas in this area all have ethenol too.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Gasoline usually works fine. You can put high octane gasoline in it if you just unnecessarily wish to blow 60 more cents per gallon.

[Geeto67]

so here are my thoughts:

These bikes were made to run on regular old 87, and to be honest it's like 1970's 87 which aside from octane rating was worse than today's modern highly refined detergent fuels. Even better monitoring of gas station tanks has improved the fuel quality than it was 40 years ago. So putting in anything higher octane is kind of a waste.

That being said, In the hottest of the summer months I will run mid-grade or super in my 750. why? to stave off detonation. I used to ride into manhattan a lot with it (I don't anymore since moving to ohio) and that meant getting caught in a lot of traffic jams and running at higher temperatures. Running 93 in it usually bought me an extra 45 minutes in traffic before I would start to see detonation. Once I heard the rocks in coffee can sound I would shut down but 45 min was usually the difference between making the bridge and cooling down and not making the bridge and having to wait it out.

If you don't ride in a high traffic city environment, I wouldn't worry about it.

That being said, I noticed that my modern German cars were recommending that I not buy sport market gasoline in their manuals (I think they specifically state to use BP fuel). I read a little into it and apparently Chevron, Exon, Shell, BP, etc...all adhere to a voluntary Top Tier Detergent performance standard that places like speedway or UDF do not. the modern detergent gasoline is great at removing deposits from both cheap gas and old gas (to a limit) so it isn't a bad thing to run a high quality fuel through it every other to every third tank. I used to run Mobil gas through my 750 in NY religiously, now I alternate between spot market and shell (having lived in the gulf I am still mad at BP). To put this in perspective my 750 has not needed a carb rebuild since 2002 and I don't even winterize the bike with stabil or anything, and where she used to get used everyday she sits for weeks at a time now. Still clean as a whistle inside after a few tanks of shell.

so to answer your question, the best gas is name brand gasoline.

[Bankerdanny]

Gasoline usually works fine. You can put high octane gasoline in it if you just unnecessarily wish to blow 60 more cents per gallon.

I popped the extra funds for the "premium" 88 octane stuff they sell in Colorado over the 85 octane regular.

[Keith]

I use ethanol free hogh test in my cb750, and in all my equipment, including mowers. I don't trust 87 octane on hot days or long inclines. Try a touch of nitro-propane for a little kick!

[BobbyR]

The truth is, you can't get the gas they were designed for. Leaded regular with additives like phosphorus. So we do the best with what we can get.

[Dracon]

There's a little mom-and-pop, hole in the wall, two pump gas station about a half mile from my house. I used to drive by and wonder why anyone would pay their prices per gallon when a big twice daily station was just up the road with much cheaper gas. Then one day I saw the sign that said ethanol free gas and I've been shopping there ever since...

[jonda500]

In Australia the premium gas (the most expensive one) gives the best mileage, so much better than regular gas that it is actually cheaper in the long run to fill up with premium. I was told it has better additives too so it will better protect the valve seats and keep everything cleaner... even my lawnmower gets fed premium!
John

[Deltarider]

Higher octane fuels require higher compression motors

Actually it's the other way around.

The truth is, you can't get the gas they were designed for. Leaded regular with additives like phosphorus. So we do the best with what we can get.

This ^.
I favor designer fuels like Shell's V-power or BP Ultimate. They clean well.
In normal use there's no need to be afraid of fuels containing ethanol. You may want to read this.

[ekpent]

  Checked a BP that is out in the country by me that sells ethanol free. Not too many around Kazoo. Its at $3.61 a gallon.  I have never seen anybody ever buying it the times I have gone by there. Wonder how old the stuff is in that tank ?  Did see on the pump where somebody bought one gallon,I know the weedwacker and landscape guys like it to save their fuel lines and small equipment.

[calj737]

Higher octane fuels require higher compression motors

Actually it's the other way around.

Perhaps you might read what Engineers have to say about your incorrect assertion...
https://www.carthrottle.com/post/engineering-explained-high-vs-low-octane-petrol/

[Deltarider]

Thank you. I've read more than enough documents on this in my own language and I will not be engaged in a debate with people that don't know the difference between detonation and combustion. The statement you made

Higher octane fuels require higher compression motors

is misleading and since it is now on the internet, it will probably stay there, floating around like the plastic soup in the ocean.

[Mr.D]

Not sure it's possible to get non-ethanol "regular" gas in Canada. I think there are only a few choices for non-ethanol and they are all 93+ octane. So is it better to go for the regular (87) with ethanol or the 93+ premium gas without ethanol?

[PeWe]

I have old good fuel from 1990 in a K6 tank. It feels a little bit thicker :-) No ethanol in that! My carbs however, that had same fuel in for 20 years have red slimy residues.

My car drink less fuel with higher octane 98 than 95 RON. It has a recommendation of 98 on the inside on the tank fill hatch. It has a turbo and will reduce boost with lower octane. My car has improved program with higher boost.

My bike need higher octane too since it has higher CR I want to use. It will work with lower octane if I retard the ignition and say goodbye to the power.

A std CBxxx will probably work fine on all octanes, even the low octanes in East Europe. Octane cant be too high, but too low.
One good thing here, no 10% ethanol fuel (95/98 E10), max 5% (95/98 E5)