Intruder VS800 (01) fuel

[hawker]

The manual says regular, the parts guy says mid-grade. The service manager says minimum 93 oct (high test). Started running lousy after a fill-up with mid grade and mgr. says that's the problem.

My understanding is that the higher octanes burn slower which is why you use them in higher compression engines. That does not make them more powerful or better than regular grade gas in a vehicle designed for regular. In fact the reverse would be true.

So what's the concensus? I've only had a bike for a little over a month.

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[Texas Jay]

I just bought a new 2004 VS 800 last week. The owner's manual still says the bike "requires" 87 octane (regular) gas.

I guess I'll start with 87. If it doesn't run smoothly, I'll go to 89. And then I'll try 93. Hopefully the 87 octane will work fine.

That may not have answered your question.

[DrBob]

I have over 30,000 miles on my 800 Intruder, and have never put anything but the the cheep stuff in it. Every now and then I'll get a bad tank of gas and it will run like crap, but it is usually because of water/ junk in the undergound tanks and has nothing to do with the octane.

[axel_2078]

The manual says regular, the parts guy says mid-grade. The service manager says minimum 93 oct (high test). Started running lousy after a fill-up with mid grade and mgr. says that's the problem.

My understanding is that the higher octanes burn slower which is why you use them in higher compression engines. That does not make them more powerful or better than regular grade gas in a vehicle designed for regular. In fact the reverse would be true.

So what's the concensus? I've only had a bike for a little over a month.

You are correct with your statement about high compression engines and premium gas. If you don't have a high compression engine, you don't need higher octane gas and it can actually decrease performance over time. Normally, the owner's manual recommendation is what is best to use. You may ocasionally get a bad tank of gas from time to time, but even the same octane grades can have different qualities, so don't let that throw you. If 87 octane at gas station A is making your bike run like crap, try the 87 at gas station B or C. When I had my Ninja 500, the carbureators got clogged everytime I filled it with BP gas. I've seen people go round and round about this same issue several times in the sportbike forum and it always comes down to the same thing....use what your owner's manual recommends.

[hawker]

Serv. Mgr. just called and said they confirmed it was bad gas. He continued that here in FL we somehow seemed to be blessed with this problem frequently, and he believes that the 93 oct. will in the long run tend to 'mask' this problem somewhat.

I think the advice to try different brands to find one that seems to work on the recommended 87 oct. is the first plan of attack. Fortunately this is the only occasion I can think of that having such a small tank will be helpful.

Will report back on my results. Thanks guys.