Fuel Question

[Ronnie-d]

So, I occasionally put regular gas instead of premium into my 07 M695   I run with CF Termi slip-ons, and have noticed no difference in the bike.
Truly a glorious sound  !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will the lower octane gas do any damage or other issues down the road.??
My dealer says it is OK to use regular,  but the Ducati manual says only premium 
Anyone know for sure  ??

[Howie]

No ping, use regular.  Your manual uses the RON (research octane number) rating.  Here in the US we use the AKI (anti knock index) which is

[RON + MON (manufacterer's octane number)]/2 = AKI

MON is a lower number, and just to confuse things more, the MON test procedure is different than the RON procedure, making the average between the two meaningless

Bottom line is most of us use 87 without problem, and many have experienced excessive carbon build up with premium.

[ScottRNelson]

The two-valve Ducati motors work better on 87 octane than on the higher octane stuff - unless the compression has been modified.  It's hard to tell a difference on the fuel injected bikes, but on the older carbureted models I could tell that they ran better on 87 than on 91.

I promise that your bike will be totally happy on the 87 octane gasoline - or double your money back. 

[Ronnie-d]

Ahhhhh !   The expertise in the DMF comes thru again  !!
No more of my hard earned cash wasted on the premium stuff for me !!
Thanks guys, and ride safe!

[koko64]

Yeah in Australia we use the RON rating and have 91, 95 and 98 freely available.

I have high comp pistons in my carb Monster, but with retarded ignition (about 3 degrees), I can run 95 RON. My bike runs well with some 98 fuels, but certain 98 octane fuels make my bike lose torque, backfire on decel, rough on accel and foul plugs.

Strangely, two brands of the 98 are considered by many to make bikes run well. A certain 98 Octane brand in particular has been identified as providing such bad performance in bikes that bike shops and motorcycle magazines warn riders not to use it.

[Bones]

interesting. I'll be switching to regular on my M620 from now on.


What about 4Vs? regular or premium?

[ducpainter]

interesting. I'll be switching to regular on my M620 from now on.


What about 4Vs? regular or premium?

Same deal.

Stock motor/compression....87   

[avizpls]

A certain 98 Octane brand in particular has been identified as providing such bad performance in bikes that bike shops and motorcycle magazines warn riders not to use it.

care to elaborate? You have my attention

[Uncle Mofo]

Same deal.

Stock motor/compression....87   

I agree my S4Rs runs great with 87 I experimented with the other two grades. I swear I get better performance and fuel milage with the 87