Regular or Premium gasoline?

I have been running regular (87 RON) in my Swing. Mileage isn't great, although the bike is new. Maybe it's because all our regular has ethanol added. Premium (91 RON) in our province has no ethanol. I will try premium next tank. Comments?

I will bet your MPG will go up 7-12 mpg.
That seams to be what I get.On reg.with ethanol I get 48-58
On no ethanol high test I seam to get 55-66 mpg.

model28a wrote:

I will bet your MPG will go up 7-12 mpg.
That seams to be what I get.On reg.with ethanol I get 48-58
On no ethanol high test I seam to get 55-66 mpg.

If that's the case I'm in!

You are lucky to have asses to no ethanol at a regular station.
Hear I can only get it at one or two place's and not convenient.

Regular is just fine, but pay more if you want to. Tried both on many bikes and cars but i just can't seem to see the big difference.

MPG's are so much of a variable conrolled primarily by the rider - and only slightly by the bike and the type of gasoline. That said there are some considerations re: gasoline.

My observation (subjective and applicable to me and my style of riding) is that ethanol has a negative effect on MPG's. Being able to buy ethanol free gasoline is a plus.

My opinion (subjective) is that higher octane has some effect on your MPG, but it is miniscule as it is proportional to the weight of the cash you lost buying more expensive fuel (if paying with cash). If you used a debit card the MPG advantage is not greater and you cash is still gone.

I've gotten high mpg and I've gotten low mpg all on the same bike, same roads, same gas, and same rider. The true variable is the rider. I tend to twist my wrist sometimes and that causes lower mpg's. I do not think that higher octane will yield an 8-12 mpg increase - all things being equal.

I think Dale is right on the money. The ultimate experts, Click and Clack of Car Talk fame, say that it is a complete waste of money to use premium fuels in your vehicle if the engine is not specifically designed to burn premium fuel. I've tried it a couple of times, and I did not get any better mileage, and could not tell any difference in the way it ran. But hey, if you have money to burn, it won't hurt anything.

thomphoto wrote:

But hey, if you have money to burn, it won't hurt anything.

For the amount I ride the price makes no difference to me. I know that in 2 stroke outboard motors ethanol does give problems. I'm still no fan of ethanol enhanced gasoline.

If it makes your mind think so I say its worth it.

I was comparing Non ethanol hightest to ethanol regular because that is what was asked.I do get much better mpg with non ethanol regular than any gasoline with ethanol in it.I use regular non ethanol gasoline when I can get it.I use it because I get I get better gas mileage and it is NOT in my mind.If someone else sees no deference and wants to mock my mind or my habits of burning my money[I'm a skinflint] well they have problem.I was jest trying to help a friend by telling my experience with non ethanol gasoline.If you have the chance to try I see no reason not to.Well you may waste .25 or .30 cents If you see no difference.
"My observation (subjective and applicable to me and my style of riding)
is that ethanol has a negative effect on MPG's. Being able to buy
ethanol free gasoline is a plus."
Dale
I agree with what you say.I also tend to twist a lot also.And I have got as low as 40-41 when using gas with ethanol,but even with a lot of twist I do not believe I have got as low as 49 mpg ever using regular Non ethanol gasoline.

Roger

I'm not poking fun at you or trying to belittle you. My apologies if that is the way my post seemed.

I'm pretty tight with my dollars too, although I don't hunt for the cheapest gas. I am also pretty obsessive about recording the fuel consumption of our bikes. I have records documenting every fuel fill going back to May of 2006, (broken out by quarter). The most dramatic swings in fuel consumption - for my wife and I - have nothing to do with fuel type purchased. The swings in mileage have all had to do with style of riding - from touring on country back roads (best), to urban communting (ok), to bombing down the interstate or highspeed roads (bad). The worst was an extremely cold night (24 degrees) with a head wind (no snow).

Based on data collected by me about our bikes (wife's and mine), ethanol has a negative effect on mpg. It is a negligible effect and I have not done a controlled evaluation, so this is subjective data. I get good enough mileage with the SilverWing using 87 octane gasoline that I have never considered using 92 octane. I follow Click and Clacks advice on that one, our bikes are built to use 86 octane (per the owner's manual).

Haven't used the premium but have used ethanol and non ethanol gas, the gas without ethanol wins hands down and driving style makes a whale of a difference probably more so than fuel. Hot and cold weather also make a difference but thats just my 2cents worth.
This is all non scientific has nothing to do with this web site so blame me and no one else if you don't like my comments
Craig

jdeereanton wrote:

The worst was an extremely cold night (24 degrees) with a head wind (no snow).

My lowest was also a cold day (30s) riding with my son up Cycle World Motorcycle show in Fort Worth with a head wind both going and coming. The mileage was so low and sudden that I was worried something was wrong ... but after the trip the next tank was back to normal winter MPGs.