Burninator Posted March 30, 2007 #1 Posted March 30, 2007 I am a new owner of a 1986 Venture Royale. What is the minimum fuel octane rating that I should use?
utadventure Posted March 30, 2007 #2 Posted March 30, 2007 I've had my '86 for a year and a half now. I have always used the mid-grade fuel (87 octane, I believe) and have good power, no knocking or pinging and 36 - 38 mpg. I've never sync'd the carbs but wonder if it would improve the mpg a little.
GeorgeS Posted March 30, 2007 #3 Posted March 30, 2007 I have always used Regular, gas, wherever I was. Never a problem. Except, in Calif. the gas there causes a small hesitation when accelerating at high speed. ( I think its the ethenol they ad to the fuel in calif. ) Not a big problem, but I always notice it when I run down to calif. I have never noticed any Pinging from this engine.
hipshot Posted March 30, 2007 #4 Posted March 30, 2007 george, on the inside left body panel(side cover) there is a sticker that says 91 octane min. at least there is one on my '86. just jt
Black Owl Posted March 31, 2007 #5 Posted March 31, 2007 george, on the inside left body panel(side cover) there is a sticker that says 91 octane min. at least there is one on my '86. just jt That label sure confuses a lot of folks. What the label says is research octaine 91 min. Research octaine 91 is regular grade 87.
Skid Posted March 31, 2007 #6 Posted March 31, 2007 I always use the regular at 87 octane and don't have any problems. I mostly ride two up and get from 45 mpg and up...
hipshot Posted March 31, 2007 #7 Posted March 31, 2007 That label sure confuses a lot of folks. What the label says is research octaine 91 min. Research octaine 91 is regular grade 87. thank you for clarifying that for me/us, Mr. owl! i have wondered how they got such good mileage on 87 octane! i wonder how they would perform on 91 octane!!!!! lol just jt
concours Posted April 1, 2007 #8 Posted April 1, 2007 thank you for clarifying that for me/us, Mr. owl! i have wondered how they got such good mileage on 87 octane! i wonder how they would perform on 91 octane!!!!! lol just jt Remember, octane rating is the measure of a fuels burn rate and thus resistance to detonation. It is NOT a measure a fuel's energy content like many beleive. Modern automobiles have knock sensors which retard timing with low octane fuel and allow more advance when running premium. THESE vehicles MAY under certain circumstances exhibit power increase from the additional ADVANCE. Our bikes are not that smart (my snowmobile has a knock sensor though) and therefore you'll see no performance increase with premium. Loaded heavy/lugging longevity will be improved by resistance to detonation. The premium fuels typically have a better detergent blended into them. I choose to run premium for that reason only, seeing how I use a relatively small volume of fuel.
Guest Tom E Posted April 1, 2007 #9 Posted April 1, 2007 I wish we hadn't lost all our historical data with the crash. There was a real good series of posts about gas octain in it. Most espoused the use of just plain regular. I am not a big power conosour, so I don't notice power differences when I change from one octain to another, so I just go with the regular.
Venturous Randy Posted April 2, 2007 #11 Posted April 2, 2007 For the first six to eight years with my 83, I always ran at least mid grade and sometimes premium. I then dropped beck to reg 87 and felt no difference. But, if I am going to be pulling the 400+ pound camper thru the mountains, I will at least run mid grade or better. If you think about it, it averages out to about .40 to .50 cents per fill up to upgrade. RandyA
Guest Popeye Posted April 14, 2007 #12 Posted April 14, 2007 I always use the regular at 87 octane and don't have any problems. I mostly ride two up and get from 45 mpg and up... Mine is an 86, 34k miles & recent tune up [i was told] & I can't get 30 mpg. No diff between 87-91 octane in performance or mpg. Maybe I need plugs, wires, sync, diaphrams, cleanining, adjusting, air filter, since it seems I'm paying for it anyway in wasted gas. !0k miles / yr is a lot of gas & I'm very sure we'll see $3./gal this season. Any other ideas for better MPG ?
Guest Popeye Posted April 14, 2007 #13 Posted April 14, 2007 I always use the regular at 87 octane and don't have any problems. I mostly ride two up and get from 45 mpg and up... Mine is an 86, 34k miles & recent tune up [i was told] & I can't get 30 mpg. No diff between 87-91 octane in performance or mpg. Maybe I need plugs, wires, sync, diaphrams, cleanining, adjusting, air filter, since it seems I'm paying for it anyway in wasted gas. !0k miles / yr is a lot of gas & I'm very sure we'll see $3./gal this season. Any other ideas for better MPG ?
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