[ianr]

This is probably an Australian specific question, but can anybody tell me the difference between Optimax, Vortex, Ultimate etc?

When I bought the bike 3 years ago the dealer told me to use Optimax, and I generally do, because apart from anything else the local servo sells it and my wife always has spare discount vouchers. When I'm away on a trip I tend to use whatever I can get - premium for preference but sometimes it's been standard ULP and I've never noticed much difference, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there is something because I normally use 5 - 5.5 l/100Km but on Vortex it seems to go up over 6.

Should I bother with premium at all? The handbook doesn't offer any guidance.


Ian

 

[Belly]

You will get better fuel economy with higher octaine fuel. However the cost has to be considered.

I use only ULP in my FJR and have no problems. In fact that was one of my questions before I purchased the bike. Will it run ok on ULP. I can see no advantage on using higher octain in the FJR it dose not need it so why pay the extra for 98 ron.

Belly

 

[stevew]

When I picked up my bike I was told by the mechanic to preferably use premium. unleaded. He was also adamant that I should avoid Shell fuel unless nothing else was available! His suggestion was Mobil, BP, Caltex,Other brands, Shell in that order. He said that they had noticed that the bikes running Shell fuel regularly seemed to suffer from more fuel related problems. They regularly service around 30 fJR's there, so I just went with what he said. My friends have also been simarly advised when buying other brands of bikes. I always use the premium unleaded. I don't do a lot of riding, so the extra expense doesn't worry me too much.

 

[david1300]

Regular unleaded for me. Works fine - no problems. I use Mobil mostly because there is a busy servo near us that has a cardpay option (pay by card at the pump), otherwise just find a busy servo. I also avoid Shell - hangover from my karting days when Optimax caused problems.

 

[ocfjr]

Quite odd. All US FJRs state to use regular low octane fuel. I have used premium as a comparison, but never noted any difference in mileage. Don't know if Aus fuels are mixed differently.

One of the benefits for me of the FJR was that it didn't require premium fuel, which is unavailable in some places I ride. (Rural areas in the US often only have unleaded regular, diesel and propane, no mid-grade or premium gasoline.)

 

[gainsi]

May as well add my 10 cents worth. I've read in various publications including the RACV Auto that Optimax has various detergents etc that work well in cars, but can cause problems in fuel-injected bikes due to the smaller diameter of the injectors. Also, if any water gets into the fuel tank, it mixes with the fuel to form a white goo that blocks the injectors & the system then requires a total flush.
I use Pemium Unleaded (with 4ml/L of Redex) & regularly get 19-20.5km/L on longer trips. BP Prem U/L, Mobil 8000 & then any of the 95 Octane fuels are fine IMHO.

 

[designeraccd]

fuel.......

When I had my '03 FJR I put over 6K miles on her using nothing but quality (name brand) regular gas per Yamaha's printed recomendation in the owners manual. She ran fine and got decent mileage; as a matter of fact her mileage was several mog above what my ST1300 got....burning premium. DFO

 

[shuswaper]

It seems the myth continues!!! Burning Premium (regardless of brand) is a complete waste of your hard earned dollars. There is no power advantage and no fuel saving advantage. The FJR does not have a high compression engine and that is why the manufacturer calls for regular fuel. Believe it or not, higher octane essentially means, a greater resistance to burn (and not higher volitility, like some think). That is why an engine that is pinging, performs better with Premium...the preignition is eliminated because the fuel is harder to explode. It`s just that easy... :!:

 

[twowheelnut]

So what you're all saying is that I should stay with the gas and forget about increasing the mileage by putting in diesel, eh?

(Like FJRForum.com, Joos really needs to add a Never-Ending Pointless Recurring Threads section... :roll

 

[Craigo]

Na use 25/25/50 mix Diesel/kero n premium !!! Pings a bit, smokes like hell but is cheap to run.

 

[ianr]

Thanks for the comments people - it looks like fuel is like tyres, everybody has a different opinion.

I must say I'm surprised at the adverse comments about Optimax, I've done the best part of 20,000 K on it without any sign of a problem.

Ian

 

[mikeo]

My experience is that you should use as low as octane as you can. Try regular. If it pings go to mid-grade and so on. Using higher octane when not needed just wastes money and causes carbon build up. They did a test with 1 liter and 600cc sportbikes on a dyno. They 1 liter bikes showed NO improvement with higher octane. The 600cc bikes did a little because they are 12:1 compression or higher.

 

[Finnfjr]

I´ve used mostly Shell regular (95 Oct) for ~80 tkm. Seems to be working so far

Finnfjr

 

[woody]

Shuswaper & Mikeo have got it.
It's the higher compression motors that will benefit from the SUL fuels and when they do the main increase is Torque not BHP which would give slightly better fuel economy.

I use Low Sulphur UL mainly or normal UL as the 5 pence a litre difference for Super is not worth it.

 

[lenz]

Shuswaper & Mikeo have got it.
It's the higher compression motors that will benefit from the SUL fuels and when they do the main increase is Torque not BHP which would give slightly better fuel economy.

Totally agree with Woody. High comp engines show the most benefit of raised octane. There is also the possibility of a lack of sensitivity of the fuel management system to changes in fuel octane. Knock sensors and management systems that continually adjust ignition timing to suit specific MAPs and emission standards can squeeze more power out of the fuel depending on compression etc.

This subject has been ploughed pretty comprehensively in the past. My take on it all is try whats available, crunch the numbers and go with whatever small differences you can pick between comparative octane rated fuels.

Cheers
Lenz