I assume unleaded right?

A stock GS runs very well on the regular stuff.  If you have a modification like an ignition advancer, higher grade fuel may be in order.  The GS is an older-type engine, so it's not pushed to its limits in regards to combustion.

The unleaded with the shortest queue unless you like hanging out on Shell's or whoever's forecourt.

Steer clear of optimax - I found the bike was slow to warm and sluggish off the line with optimax. Pretty much any normal unleaded or premium unleaded seems fine, I don't find the performance difference much worth it for the price difference with premium though.  
You sydneysiders don't get subsidised fuel though, so it might be ok for you...

What the f.ck is Petrol?  I've personally been putting Gas in my bike!

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

When I was riding back to Canberra from Melbourne I fed my '91 with BP Ultimate (98 octane) and it made him VERY happy - a whole lot more get-up-and-go than usual. I stear clear of Regular if I can at all avoid it because I find that I get a rougher ride.

What is the story with Optimax? I've heard from 5 different directions that it's a no-go, but no one has a reason why. I've never had any problems, although I usually go for Caltex's Vortex if Ultimate's not available. Any idea on that?

R.

er, ummm, petrol is gas, that side of the pond anyway :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen: hmmmm, i thought you put diesel in it :nana:  :nana:  :mrgreen:  :dunno:

Interesting trans-Pacific language fact:

In the Wonderful Land of Aus, we refer to "gas" when we're talking about "LPG" - Liquid Petroleum Gas. Great for running you BBQ, stove or hot water system, or your car if you feel like blowing a couple thousand on the mod.

"Petrol" as in short for Petroleum.

I forget what the difference between Petrol and Diesel is...

R.

I know a guy who put diesel in his SV...bad, very bad.

OK, this is a hijack but .. I know a guy who put deisel in an SV too.  I guess it made quite a smoke cloud until he ran out of gas in the float bowls.

What's up with SV riders?

Quote from: South East RocketWhat the f.ck is Petrol?  I've personally been putting Gas in my bike!

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Who know what?  There's a whole other world outside of the states.  I'm sure you've never heard of Km/h either  :nana:

But, we looove Canada down here.  The USA without Canada makes about as much sense as a house without a roof (even IF the "roof" hasn't been doing a very good job keeping the snow off us lately).   :nana:

And, kilometers are such a fakey distance.  Give me a man-sized real mile any day.  You can keep your decameters (lol) and we'll keep our feet, thankyouverymuch.  

Like they say in Quebec, Viva La Difference!

"I forget what the difference between Petrol and Diesel is... "
From my very very limited knowledge a couple of diff. are that gas combusts w/ a spark. Diesel combusts under pressure. From a refining stand point the crude oil distilled at diff. temperatures for gasoline and diesel. Diesel being less distilled or refined I suppose.  I'm sure someone can correct/elaborate to what i've said.

-ash

Quote from: ravenWhen I was riding back to Canberra from Melbourne I fed my '91 with BP Ultimate (98 octane) and it made him VERY happy - a whole lot more get-up-and-go than usual. I stear clear of Regular if I can at all avoid it because I find that I get a rougher ride. R.

Here we go again...I thought the only reason for using a higher octane rated fuel (gas, petrol, whatever) was to avoid preignition (backfiring and/or "engine knock") in a high compression engine, which the GS is NOT.  I don't see how a carefully measured comparison (acceleration, top speed, fuel economy, dyno) could show any performance difference between regular or premium fuel in the GS.  :dunno:

Quote from: Splash

Quote from: South East RocketWhat the f.ck is Petrol?  I've personally been putting Gas in my bike!

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Who know what?  There's a whole other world outside of the states.  I'm sure you've never heard of Km/h either  :nana:

Damn, It's hard to be scarcastic around here.  I know what Petrol is...  I f%$king lived in England 5 yrs     !

/\---He was kidding.
Anyway, I always use 94 octane in my GS. Its gets bitchy with regular 87 octance. Sometimes I put in a can of that octane booster if its pinging,a nd that meks it happy.

Since we're on the octane topic ... I found that 94 octane required longer warm up time at start up.  If you do not warm it up enough, it bogs down when you open the throttle.  It could also be the amount of ethanol or some other stuff that accounted for it as well.  I find 89 works as well as anything and I don't get any ping or knock.  

Rob  

Interesting... My (limited) understanding was that it was the octane that gave you the "Bang", so bigger octane = bigger bang. I've always found (4 wheels and more recently 2) that higher octane makes for a smoother ride and better economy because there's less sh!te running through the engine, and each spark provides just a bit more power. I'm a Software Engineer by training, not a Petrochemical Engineer so I'm not as sure about the chemistry involved.

All I know is that the higher the octane I put in the better he goes!  :mrgreen:

R.

Well if the engine isnt designed to run on a higher octane chances are it wont do squat but make your money go faster. Unless your engine is pinging which it should help. If you run too high of an octane your might damage something. Plus some engines that are meant to run off a high octane will get more horsepower as in nissans 3.5 liter engine that run a higher compression(maxima, 350z, pathfinder...) compared to a 3.5 ltr engineered for a lower octane and has a lower compression resulting in less h.p. All in how its engineered to combust the fuel.

And just about optimax (I assume those of you across the pond don't get it) the denser fuel really doesn't seem to be handled well by the carbuerettor. Fuel injected bikes/cars fine, but there seems to be problems in fuel delivery via carbies.
I fed my 91 optimax for the frist couple of weeks and had many problems. Since, I've been using other premium fuels and standards from good petrol stations and she runs great!