Fuel grade

[bandytales]

Maybe i'm a cheapskate, but I run my bike on the cheapest fuel I can get (in the UK!). The bike has NEVER baulked. The performance is spot on and I am averaging over 60 (UK) MPG. I have always run my bike on the cheap stuff unless it wasn't available (or if the boss was paying for it). However as the amount of Ethanol added increases, I may change my tune, if the bikes' performance suffers.

[David.]

95 RON is the "Standard" UL petrol in the UK. LC's will run on it, including up to 10% (E10) Ethanol content.

What do pre-LC owners think, plus anyone who has an older bike or car.

Cars manufactured post 2011 are made to run on up to 10% Ethanol fuel.

[simbo]

Tesco's cheap stuff, spend £60 in store an get an extra 5p per litre off.   

[Sprintgull]

I've noticed that UK pumps have E5 or E10 on the label.  I usually stick in 98RON for the first fill if the bike has been stood for a while, then just use standard 95RON.  Works fine.

[David.]

I've noticed that UK pumps have E5 or E10 on the label.

Looks like they were introduced in September 2019, https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/fuels-environment/new-labels-on-petrol-and-diesel-pumps-2019

Is E10 already available in the UK.

[bandytales]

I've noticed that UK pumps have E5 or E10 on the label.  I usually stick in 98RON for the first fill if the bike has been stood for a while, then just use standard 95RON.  Works fine.

Now we are starting to see more Ethanol in fuel, we might need to start monitoring any immersed fuel hoses. Our US colleagues have been finding that Ethanol has deteriorated fuel hoses and seals on older bikes. The R11XX were having issues with hoses splitting whereas the UK guys were not experiencing this to anywhere near the same levels. However, with the dreaded Ethanol percentage creeping in (and up) we are likely to find a similar issue. You may also notice a slight drop off in performance that may be mitigated by moving to the higher RON number if you feel it is effecting you.

[David.]

I'm not aware that using a fuel of a higher octane rating than that recommended will burn a hole in anything other than your wallet.

It would seem that, if & when E10 becomes widely available in the UK, E5 will have to be offered as an alternative at the pumps.

The higher octane rated fuels will have less or no Ethanol content compared to that of the lower octane fuels.

Based on the fact that the pre-LC RT's will run better on the "full fat" stuff, I'll use it for my 2012 TC RT.

Likewise with the 1980 XJ650, it may have been designed to run on 2* leaded or unleaded, but surely not E10 UL.

Paying more at the pumps may result in paying less at the workshop.

This document, https://www.acem.eu/component/content/article/2-non-categorise/33-e10 would suggest that since the introduction of E10 in 2011, all BMW Motorrad models are compatible with E10. However the number of octanes needs to be compatible with the model according to user handbook.

All Yamaha models from Model Year 1990 are compatible with E10, therefore, the XJ650 isn't.

[MEM62]

I never run a comparison the my 2012 1200RT.  The manual recommends 98 octane and that what it gets - usually a banded fuel as I like my bike too much to put supermarket fuels in it.  However, over the last 20,000 mile or so my 320i has average 39mpg on 98 octane fuel and somewhere in the region of 43 mpg on 95.     

[David.]

Within a 2 miles radius of home, there is a choice of 3 filling stations, Tesco, Shell or Esso.

Both Tesco Momentum 99 & Shell V-Power 99 are the same octane rating. I believe that they both contain up to 5% Ethanol.

The highest UL grade Esso offer is Supreme+ at 97.
"There is currently no requirement for renewable fuel (such as ethanol) to be present in super unleaded (97 grade petrol)."

"Esso super unleaded petrol (Synergy Supreme+ Unleaded 97) is ethanol free (except in Devon, Cornwall, the Teesside area and Scotland). We would therefore advise anyone who has concerns about the presence of ethanol in petrol to use Synergy Supreme+ – providing they do not fill up in Devon or Cornwall, the Teesside area or Scotland."

Since I live in the Teesside area, there is no point in buying Esso.

If BP Ultimate doesn't contain Ethanol, I'd have to travel twice as far to get it and it's not usually on my way home from a ride out when I like to fill up ready for next time out.

Looks like there is nothing much to choose between Tesco & Shell, therefore I'll stick to Tesco Momentum 99.

Tesco say, "Momentum 99 contains a special blend of additives to help keep the fuel system clean and working at its best."

Shell claim lots of improvements but don't guarantee them, https://www.shell.co.uk/motorist/shell-fuels/shell-v-power/shell-v-power-unleaded.html

[David.]

If BP Ultimate doesn't contain Ethanol.

Looks like BP may also indeed contain Ethanol, https://www.bp.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home/products-and-services/bp-ultimate-fuels/european-biofuels-labelling-faqs.html#accordion_My

"Both BP Ultimate unleaded and BP regular unleaded may contain up to 5% bioethanol so are fine to use in your vehicle."

If it's got Ethanol in it, the pump/nozzle should be marked as so. Perhaps some field testing is required and results posted here.

Having said that, the labelling is a maximum, not a minimum or zero Ethanol content. It's anybody's guess!

[David.]

Found this posted on the Kawasaki 1400 GTR Forum.

"Petrol is petrol though the RON does vary. I make the stuff for a living, the same petrol goes into road tankers from; Tesco, Morrisons, Shell, BP, Asda and Texaco the only difference is the additives they squirt into it."

The "additives" bit seems to be a big secret!

[David.]

Noticed for the first time yesterday that E10 is now being displayed at the pumps. In the UK, where there is a choice of two octane rated UL fuels, the lower one is now E10, whilst the higher is still E5. I'll continue to use the "full fat" higher octane E5 fuel in both my bikes. Although not stated in the Rider's Manual, I believe it is acceptable to run a Camhead on E10 fuel.

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/104126/e10-petrol-explained-uk-prices-checker-tool-and-it-ok-your-car

[jackronner]

$2.49 per US gallon??   Try living in California.  Most name brands are around $5/gallon!!  And the top octane is only 91.  The state mandates many expensives additives that drive the price up and, since it probably has to be "brewed" here, when one refinery goes down, the price goes up.  When I go cross-country I'm grinning like a fool at the lower prices.  Used to be 25 cents for premium when I was growing up in the US.

[sakm]

There is a lot of people worrying about E10 and god knows why!


E5 will continue to be available in super unleaded form


The only stipulation with me is that I don't use supermarket fuels! I noticed years ago that my cars MPG was significantly lower when using Tesco fuel


There is a bit of a write up here if it helps anyone
https://themotorbikeforum.co.uk/topic/38453-e10-fuel-in-motorbikes/?tab=comments#comment-558429

[David.]

When it comes to MPG, I'd agree that Tesco vs BP gives less MPG. As previously posted, a test on my RT gave 5 MPG better with BP vs Tesco.

However, at what cost, most recently, Tesco was 20p/litre cheaper than BP at a motorway service area.