ToddC
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What Keith said........!!!! T
Premium Fuel Only (?)
- Thread starter Aladinbama
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John OoSTerhuis
Life Is Good!
Yes, of course. That’s what Mother Honda designed the bike for and what’s spec’d in the Owner’s Manual. Just calling it “premium” or “high test” doesn’t make it better... use the octane number spec’d: 87. Using 89 or 91 is a waste of money, your ST1100 doesn’t require the additional retardant additive(s). IMNSHO
Also, if you’re running temporarily at higher elevations and your pump choices are 85, 87, and 89, use the 85 just like the locals. Caveat: if you do experience genuine pinging, go up a grade for a tankful and check your engine over when you get a chance.
John
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Actually, you need less octane on the highway, at higher altitudes, and/or at lower temperatures (less difference with liquid/cooled engines).
If you do a search on this forum, I believe that there is a link to the owner's manual in electronic format.
aniwack
Site Supporter
I run 87 ethanol-free. Runs better than 93.
It's all been said really, you pays your money..........
It is worth remembering though that all fuel isn't the same, someone already mentioned preferred brands. But you don't just pay for the fuel, different brands and usually higher octane variants have better engine detergents in the mix. Will you go any quicker with expensive high octane fuel, hell no, you'd have trouble spotting it on a dyno, check at what RPM max power is produced, how often will you ride in that zone and notice the 0.01% power increase. How often will you enjoy the cleaner fuel system and be prepared to pay for it. That's the question.
Whatever you decide will be OK, it's just what helps you sleep at night.
Upt'North.
It is worth remembering though that all fuel isn't the same, someone already mentioned preferred brands. But you don't just pay for the fuel, different brands and usually higher octane variants have better engine detergents in the mix. Will you go any quicker with expensive high octane fuel, hell no, you'd have trouble spotting it on a dyno, check at what RPM max power is produced, how often will you ride in that zone and notice the 0.01% power increase. How often will you enjoy the cleaner fuel system and be prepared to pay for it. That's the question.
Whatever you decide will be OK, it's just what helps you sleep at night.
Upt'North.
Top Tier pump labeled fuel whenever I can get it (almost always) and almost always 87 octane with the mandated ethanol blend. Runs fine/smooth with no pinging. My best mileage mpg (low 50's) and distance tanks (350+ miles)have been on 87 octane gas. Generally (not always) ridden pretty conservatively and on the occasions when it's ridden with passenger I schedule a fill up/top off with 91 non-ethanol as there is more of a chance of low(er) rpm take offs, accelerations, and cruising around. I've never had it complain, even on some San Francisco type hills/grades when fully loaded with passenger required a fair amount of grunt to launch smoothly from those uphill stops.
Always 91 non-ethanol before storage with StarTron additive.
Yep, the owner's manual specs 91 octane (US rating system). They have to account for the worst case scenarios.
Always 91 non-ethanol before storage with StarTron additive.
Yep, the owner's manual specs 91 octane (US rating system). They have to account for the worst case scenarios.
CYYJ
Michael
HI John:
In principle, I agree with you - Honda specifies 87 octane for the ST 1100, and the motorcycle runs quite well on 87.
I have, however, found that if I am going to spend a day riding twisty back roads (implies a lot of shifting and a lot of acceleration), it improves my experience if I can fill the tank with the highest octane fuel available. Not to overcome engine shortcomings, but to minimize the effect of "rider shortcomings" - in other words, if I find myself one gear too high and am accelerating, or if I am accelerating hard up a hill, the higher octane fuel delays the onset of knock or pinging that would otherwise happen.
Filling the ST 1100 up with high-octane fuel is a "by exception" practice of mine. I don't do it very often, only when I think I will be doing a lot of uphill riding and a lot of hard acceleration. Maybe a few times a year.
As for the 1300, I fill it with high-octane all the time, because that is what the spec is. I know it will run on lower octane fuel, but I don't think it runs to its best potential on low octane fuel.
Michael
I have used both regular and mid level but notice no difference except price.
On my 2000 ST1100 I have used almost all different brands of fuel. Did not seem to make much difference. I usually buy from whoever is cheapest and have never had the carbuerators apart after 19 years. 87 octane all the way.
John OoSTerhuis
Life Is Good!
Interesting. That’s never happened to me in 190K miles; however, the ST does tell me that I need to downshift... so I do.
John
I've owned both bikes, and on the 1300 I never noticed excess engine heat (live in PNW); dash was just fine 99.9% of the time; I did all services myself with no trouble. I found the 1300 a pleasure to work with - easy access to the "daily" stuff, and tupperware was very easy to remove when something more involved was required. I definitely preferred the power and overall looks of the 1300...
RobbieAG
Robert
I always ran 87 octane in my 1100 when I had it. That's what Honda calls for and it would be a waste of money to put anything higher/more expensive in it. I've run only 93 octane in my 1300 - again because that's what Honda calls for and I'm afraid if I run lower, it'll throw the code some have experienced. That's something I'd like to avoid. I don't mind paying more if there's a good reason to do so. I see it as preventative maintenance.
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A bike with carbs will knock with fuel with too low an octane under certain circumstances, while a bike with EFI will electronically compensate for knocking by reducing power, usually without being noticeable, so you should use premium when specified.
Giday I bought my 2016 st1300p in 2019 I run her on 95oct sometimes 98 I haven't run her on 91 yet I might try it tomorrow. She takes notice with 98 and I return around 45mpg on 98 n she tows a pig trailer 2 up when needed and can still hit the Ton easily. Not bad for a $5.000 ride.. She is used to transport blood and Covid samples to pathology here in QLD Australia.. I can't think of a better bike to use.
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My ST1300 appears to run best with the highest MPG on ethanol free premium but it also appears to run ok on regular with ethanol. The computer adjusts the ignition to stop the engine from knocking so it really should not matter which fuel we use. I don’t know about the ST1100.
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Mine definitely runs better on 98RON (=94PON) - but it doesn't need it. I used to give it a treat every now and then, but not recently with the fuel price hike.
95RON with E10 is the default fuel in the UK. 98 & 99 RON are also available. They are labelled E5, even if fuel companies claim that they have no ethanol.
My 2006 1300 used to pink a lot - especially when hot, especially under load - but I could hear it just tinkling away at motorway speeds. Higher octane fuel and 10w40 oil and about 40,000 miles of running in time and it went away. The E10 fuel that was common in continental europe at the time was terrible. The handbooks says that light pinging under load (eg uphill) is normal.
The 2008 and later models seem to be tuned differently. Much more usable power at low revs in first gear (I had to slip the clutch on tight uphill hairpin bends in order to be able to get round with my A6). My 2009 model has never pinked or had problems on tight uphill bends. It just drives around them. E10 is now common in the UK, and the A9 runs fine.
95RON with E10 is the default fuel in the UK. 98 & 99 RON are also available. They are labelled E5, even if fuel companies claim that they have no ethanol.
My 2006 1300 used to pink a lot - especially when hot, especially under load - but I could hear it just tinkling away at motorway speeds. Higher octane fuel and 10w40 oil and about 40,000 miles of running in time and it went away. The E10 fuel that was common in continental europe at the time was terrible. The handbooks says that light pinging under load (eg uphill) is normal.
The 2008 and later models seem to be tuned differently. Much more usable power at low revs in first gear (I had to slip the clutch on tight uphill hairpin bends in order to be able to get round with my A6). My 2009 model has never pinked or had problems on tight uphill bends. It just drives around them. E10 is now common in the UK, and the A9 runs fine.
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I use Costco premium because its one of the few fuels around Edmonton without ethanol. Most of us northerners store our bikes for 6 month shots and blended gas doesn't store well. Also found over the years that regular gas went sour after a long winter rest and it was better to suck it out and refuel in the spring. Pure gas has eliminated that spring chore for me.
Bmacleod
Site Supporter
I agree with some others that as long as your bike runs fine on ethanol-free regular, you should see no difference running premium. However, if the regular has ethanol, you will likely notice a difference between the 2. My bike runs noticeably better, with better mileage on premium, which is ethanol-free at most retailers here in Canada than on regular, with ethanol. I have been running regular fuel with ethanol this year as an experiment to see if I can justify it and I have decided I'm going back to premium. To me, it's worth the extra couple of dollars a tank to get ethanol free, plus we're halfway through the year and I need to make sure the ethanol is out of the system before I put the bike away for winter. 