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Main Area => General GS500 Discussion => Topic started by: tristantumble on July 20, 2007, 03:13:37 PM

Title: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: tristantumble on July 20, 2007, 03:13:37 PM
i was reading the wiki page, and it says the gs 500 takes 84 octange fuel. i have a 2004, and the previouse owner told me to put 92 octane fuel....wich is it? does it matter?
And also the wiki claims the tank holds 5.3 gallons of fuel, wich i think is 19 L, but when fill up the gas tank the l thing stops around 7L, and i run out of fuel after about 100km. Could someone shed some light on this...(sorry if its dumb).

Thanks!
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: dgyver on July 20, 2007, 03:18:01 PM
The minimum octane which does not knock is all that is needed, which is typically 87.
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: mach1 on July 20, 2007, 03:41:20 PM
I would say 89. I use 87 and I have a knock when Im at a red light.
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: dgyver on July 20, 2007, 03:48:18 PM
Knocking from too low of octane occurs under a load.
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: frankieG on July 20, 2007, 03:59:59 PM
suzuki recommends regular gas
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: mach1 on July 20, 2007, 04:01:42 PM
I have only hear it under a load when I have my shield up, but inly a few times. Hey frankie their is no such thing as regular gas, my tbird called for regular gas but that was 91 octane so what is regular. Thats why they put them into numbers 87,89,91,101. You ask a pilot was type of gas he puts in his airplane and he can easily say the regular stuff, I'll bet he is not using 87 :thumb:.
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: frankieG on July 20, 2007, 04:08:35 PM
regular unleaded is 87 oc
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: mach1 on July 20, 2007, 04:13:51 PM
Not in riverside on station I know of has regular as 89 mid as 91 and high as 100. every stare, country and station is different.
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: ohgood on July 20, 2007, 04:27:04 PM
Please don't enrich the oil tycoons anymore by paying extra.

That is all.
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: tristantumble on July 20, 2007, 04:32:41 PM
so 87 will do then? also how many Litres does the tank hold?
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: Nikolas on July 20, 2007, 04:53:05 PM
Quote from: mach1 on July 20, 2007, 04:01:42 PM
I have only hear it under a load when I have my shield up, but inly a few times. Hey frankie their is no such thing as regular gas, my tbird called for regular gas but that was 91 octane so what is regular. Thats why they put them into numbers 87,89,91,101. You ask a pilot was type of gas he puts in his airplane and he can easily say the regular stuff, I'll bet he is not using 87 :thumb:.

Most airplanes can safely run on 80 octane, though 100LL is about all that easily available.

Also one thing to keep in mind is that there's RON and MON octane ratings, where in the US we average the two.  The OP is talking about liters so I'm guessing he's not located here and maybe whereever he's at uses a different measurement.
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: Egaeus on July 20, 2007, 06:51:06 PM
It is 87 octane (R+M)/2.  For what that means, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating.
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: ben2go on July 20, 2007, 10:58:45 PM
I use Amoco/BP clear it's 93 octane.I use it cause it seems to help the spark plugs last longer. :dunno_white: Any thing that keeps your engine from having knock or ping while under load is acceptable.
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: The Antibody on July 21, 2007, 06:00:02 AM
You should be getting much more than 100K  It does hold 5.3 Gallons About 20 Liters. A bit less I think? (don't crusify me please)

You are filling it up to the top right? You should be getting more like 320k per tank full.
 
  -Anti
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: tristantumble on July 21, 2007, 06:37:01 AM
ok so do you keep filling up past whent he nosel starts to click? how full can the tank be....fill it up to the point just before its about to burst out?
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: The Antibody on July 21, 2007, 07:15:20 AM
Fill right up to the bottom of the throat.

  -Anti  8)
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: gsJack on July 21, 2007, 07:25:19 AM
1 US gal = 3.7854 liters x 5.3 gal = 20.06 liters.  It's a 20 liter tank on 01 and later GSs.

I fill to about 1" from the top of the filler tube with the bike on side stand.  In the summer like now, I hit reserve at 220 miles or so and if I get gas at about 240 miles it takes about 4 gal.  Very consistant 60 mpg in summer for everyday use.

240 miles x 1.6093 = 386 km approx between fillups.

I use 87 octane reg gas using 15W-40 or 10W-40 oil without any pinging.  All 4 Hondas and 2 GS500s I've had took higher octane gas to prevent pinging in the summer under load when I used 15W-50 or 20W-50 oil .

I ran 15W-50 Mobil 1 syn in the 97 GS for first 50k of 80k miles and needed higher octane in summer as I did with the old Hondas with 20W-50 oil to prevent pinging.  No pinging with 87 octane with the 15W-40 oil and none with the 02 GS for over 50k miles now with the 15W-40 Delvac or Rotells truck oils.  Took me 20 years to learn that lesson.   :laugh: :laugh:
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: tristantumble on July 21, 2007, 02:20:25 PM
so i just filled  up my tank, been riding on the reserve, so there couldn't of been much left. I was only able to put 11L in, and it was pretty much up to the rim..what gives...this thread claims i should of been able to get close to 20L in there.

Is there something wrong with my bike? perhaps the the fuel feed mistakingly gives out to soon when there is still gas left, and makes me switch to reserve too soon? how else could i explain only getting 11L in.

thanks.
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: The Antibody on July 21, 2007, 03:22:50 PM
Hmmm... did it visually look like you were nearly empty before you filled?

  -Anti  8)
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: tristantumble on July 21, 2007, 03:31:53 PM
to be honest i didnt look, but i ran out of gas the day before, i went about 5km's on reserve...... any toughts?
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: Zack on July 23, 2007, 12:49:33 PM
Quote from: frankieG on July 20, 2007, 04:08:35 PM
regular unleaded is 87 oc

+1
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: PuddleJumper on July 23, 2007, 02:24:44 PM
Sounds to me like the inlet tube for the gas line is taller than normal.

A fairly common thing I would think.
I fill up with the bike on the center stand. After the fuel gets to the bottom of the filler tube, I fill the tube up 3 times and let it settle.

I usually get 3.7 to 3.8 U.S. gals in, giving me around 52-54 MPG.
Hope this helps.

BeSafe
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: drowningbird808 on July 23, 2007, 02:26:08 PM
where the hell do u get 84
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: Nikolas on July 23, 2007, 04:33:48 PM
Quote from: drowningbird808 on July 23, 2007, 02:26:08 PM
where the hell do u get 84

At higher altitudes the air is less dense so you need less octane.  I've seen it through Colorado and the high deserts of Nevada and Utah being sold as 'regular'.
Title: Re: high octange fuel needed?
Post by: Mk1inCali on July 23, 2007, 09:24:55 PM
Whenever I'm on a roadtrip with my '00, I fill it up with a sloshing motion (rocking bike back and forward, or left/right) to get more fuel into the tank passed the filler neck.  The reason they have the filler neck in there at all is just so you don't fill it up to the top with cold (underground tanks are cooler than liquid would be at the surface) fuel, then let it sit in the hot sun and have all that fuel expand and run out your drain vent.  If you are riding/burning off the fuel to 3/4 of a tank or less, you've got nothing to worry about, filling it up passed the filler neck "limit".