Aussie petrol ....

Hey guys, the guy at my dealer said something bout shell not being suitable for bikes....but for cars only... and he reconmmended caltex, mobil and BP. Is it true ? what do you stick with ? (brand loyalty) or just see any decent (reputable) servo and pump up ?

Make sure there's not Methanol(sp) mixed into the fuel. I know guys that run Shell Optimax all the time no drama! Methanol and Ethanol EAT you fuel lines.

I tend to stick to Caltex or Ampol where I can, Being the closest thing to Aussie owned. If I can't get that then the preferences are Mobil and BP. I have never used Shell Optimax in my bike as I was told it had some stuff in it that hurt the fuel system in bikes. It is fine for cars, as they have more durable fuel systems.

Glad, that Ampol was up the hill from my house all of a sudden! :lol

the damage to fuel systems with bikes is generally if you get an older bike which has been using "normal" fuel for a long time... you get a build up of shit in the tank... "scaling" is what i have heard it referred to.. the main problem with optimax is that it has more cleaning products in it than other premium petrols... basically, it cleans this shit out and pushes it through the fuel system, which isn't the best for your bike :crash

Originally posted by Lord_Phat the damage to fuel systems with bikes is generally if you get an older bike which has been using "normal" fuel for a long time... you get a build up of shit in the tank... "scaling" is what i have heard it referred to.. the main problem with optimax is that it has more cleaning products in it than other premium petrols... basically, it cleans this shit out and pushes it through the fuel system, which isn't the best for your bike :crash No crap! That make more sense then the reason I was given. I was told some crud about the compression ratio of bike motors and blah blah. There was an article in Streetbike that had some reason why fuel mix will destroy your fuel. I'll post the article later. Plus there is a bit in last weeks AMCN that is straight from Yamaha saying "DON'T PUT PREMIUM PUMP GAS IN 04 R1's"

Originally posted by Monoman I tend to stick to Caltex or Ampol where I can, Being the closest thing to Aussie owned. If I can't get that then the preferences are Mobil and BP. I have never used Shell Optimax in my bike as I was told it had some stuff in it that hurt the fuel system in bikes. It is fine for cars, as they have more durable fuel systems. yeah, thats what my dealer told me ....to stay away from Shell. I tried to explore the city area where I live to find the nearest petrol station, but all seems to be Shell. Any idea wheres the "nearest" station then ? I was thinking maybe it might be BP at Milton...argh

huh.....04 r1 not running on premium gas ? mine's a 99 r1 , so i reckon premium unleaded is the way to go... hmm, i remembered one of my tutors (in my marketing class) saying something bout the prices of petrol over here depends very much on the day of the week and perhaps time of the day as well ? How true is that ?

Originally posted by buja Hey guys, the guy at my dealer said something bout shell not being suitable for bikes....but for cars only... and he reconmmended caltex, mobil and BP. Is it true ? what do you stick with ? (brand loyalty) or just see any decent (reputable) servo and pump up ? :boobies :boobies :boobies Shell Optimax is filled with fuel injector cleaners.... if your bike is fuel injected - no problems, carbied bikes - STAY AWAY....

I only use BP premium or Ampol premium,depends where i am ,if there is only a shell which did happen to me at christmas i will only put in "normal unleaded" till i find another open servo. I was told shell optimax is only for injected engines but if you have a carb bike you can change the needles,jets,to suit optimax,something to do with optimax being a dense fuel. To much of a up roar for me to worry about useing it my bike runs good on premium so i stick eith that. I dont know Brissy to well Buja ,but i know there is a BP at Yatla,I dont know if that helps or not

what use to happen, the optimax is tends to foul plugs if u do alot of short stop and go riding. hwy trips, long ride days etc i have no probs in using optimax in any bike whether it had carbs or efi.. i prefer mobil or bp ultimate as they are both 98 octane, so is shell, but shell i would mainly use on longer trips if i have to fill up..

hmm so the final verdict is....stay away from shell. but if really got no choice, then the normal unleaded for the bike. am i correct ?

Optimax is a much more dense fuel than mobil or bp fuels and has more cleaners in it but it also has a higher temperature burn rate which means on engines with a small spark size [eg:motorcycles] the fuel doesnt get cleanly burnt. Which in turn leave a lot of residue on the plugs ,which causes problems This problem is not so apparent on efi systems cause the bike can adapt its fuel air mixtures wheres carby bikes just dump fuel when you twist the wrist no matter what the air fuel mixture. Also an added sign is from shell "optimax is designed for high performance Car engines !" not motorcycle engines . Basically if your bike is carbed dont use optimax, if its efi use optimax but check your plugs now and again [ just incase ] ! Oh and this is my 2 cents based on a discussion with a close friend who is a Chemical engineer with shell [ he just got is doctorate in Chemical Engineering ] :fact :bandit

so do you pump any of the other shell petrol grades ?

Originally posted by Petrol_spice No crap! That make more sense then the reason I was given. I was told some crud about the compression ratio of bike motors and blah blah. There was an article in Streetbike that had some reason why fuel mix will destroy your fuel. I'll post the article later. Plus there is a bit in last weeks AMCN that is straight from Yamaha saying "DON'T PUT PREMIUM PUMP GAS IN 04 R1's" Petrol, the said article you are referring to in AMCN is as follow... Ethanol's fine - for golf cars Following the ongoing question of the suitability of ethanol for modern motorcycles, AMCN has been send a copy of a Yamaha Technical Exchange document which states that 10 percent ethanol fuel is not suitable for the firm's motorcycles. Stating "potential for fuel system component problems"' the document also stress that the same problems could apply to its range of ATVs (all terrain vehicles). The document says it's fine for generators, stationary engines and golf cars, but not motorcycles. The footnote states: "To assist in answering customer inquiries regarding what fuel to use in their Yamaha products, please refer to this chart." So when you take delivery of your 2004 R1, you'll want to be careful where you buy fuel..... AMCN - Vol53 No13 Jan 16-29 2004 page7 Cheers Rob

Originally posted by buja hmm so the final verdict is....stay away from shell. but if really got no choice, then the normal unleaded for the bike. am i correct ? The user manual for the 2002 model says use only fuel with 95 octane or higher, therefore I don't think you should use normal unleaded. But having said that, normal unleaded is probably better then Optimax. Just a thought, I am no expert in fuel, fuel system or machanical. Cheers Rob

I try and stick with BP Ultimate (98 RON), Mobil Premium then Caltex Vortex. I'd recommend to anyone to stay away from Optimax unless you really need to fill up. For the track i use BP100.....the stuff gets you high!! Cheers all, BGS.

the lower the octane the FASTER the burn rate. so in other words use the lowest octane your engine can handle without pinging (detonating). btw most race bikes use optimax (e.g taintons suzukis) but they have higher comp and are F.I.

:crash I use straight methanol,and sometimes give her a squirt of NAWZZZZ!!:crash :2bitchsla *Yes I WAS joking:D...durr:p*

Originally posted by blur1 the lower the octane the FASTER the burn rate. so in other words use the lowest octane your engine can handle without pinging (detonating). btw most race bikes use optimax (e.g taintons suzukis) but they have higher comp and are F.I. u serious ? so what grade do you usually pump on ur bike ? all i know was that the higher the octane, the smoother n less "knocking" of ur engine...

Originally posted by buja u serious ? so what grade do you usually pump on ur bike ? all i know was that the higher the octane, the smoother n less "knocking" of ur engine... our engines (assuming yours is stock) wont knock with standard 91-93 octane fuel:fact lower octane(without pinging) will burn faster (a good thing). you only"need" higher octanes with higher compression ratios and/or other internal engine type mods. E.G different cams/ timing. so in a word, you dont "need" higher octane, but it wont hurt or help your engine either.

hmm so it seems like i can save a little money when i refill ? or i gotta look for "premium unleaded" ? not too sure, cos our bikes r kinda old? hehe (economical pt of view pls ? );) :)

Vortec Gives The Smoothest Power In My R1, But in PINGS under high load midrange. I use BP GOLD 98 to be safe but it doesnt make your engine scream like optimax and vortec does when you really fang it. So BP and MOBILE It Is, and Optimax is ok for ride days at the creak or the island.

I only ever use Mobil or BP Premium. I've only had to fill up on something else once or twice to avoid running out altogether. Also.. remember that higher rated premium fuels only slow the rate of burn. "98" fuels do NOT mean 98% octane, as I hear many people say. It's got nothing to do with octane.

98 RON, with RON being Research Octane Number has nothing to do with octane?

optimax is the best, but makes your bike run like its a carby, sloppy down low when you dont thrash it. but if your opening her up all the time she screams. Anyone got an idea about mixing 1/2 optimax, 1/2 vortec?, i aint a petrochemical engineer, anyone that knows what they are talking about give us an idea if this combo would be good?