Unleaded or premium fuel can get quite costly.
Because of the expensive prices, many people wonder if it is okay to put regular gas in their motorcycle.
We have put together some valuable information that will help you determine whether putting regular gas in your motorcycle is a good choice.
Can I Put Regular Gas in My Motorcycle?
The answer to this question is quite simple.
You can put any gas in your motorcycle as long as your motorcycle will accept it.
You need to read the manufacturer’s recommendations on your motorcycle.
The manufacturer will specifically say what fuel is acceptable to use and what fuel you should not use.
Depending on the make and model of your motorcycle, premium fuel may be the only choice.
If you have a bike that accepts regular fuel, it will say so in the operating manual.
If, for some reason, you don’t have the information, you can call the manufacturer of your bike and give the make and model number.
They will explain to you the differences between the fuel types and why one is recommended for that particular bike.
What Happens If I Put Regular Instead of Unleaded?
There are a few things that can happen if you put the wrong fuel in your motorcycle.
If your engine says it can function using regular fuel, then you will not need to worry if you have put regular fuel in.
If the manufacturer has recommended only premium, here are a few of the issues that could come up with using regular.
1. Warranty
If your bike manufacturer does require you to use premium fuel and you are using regular, it could void the warranty.
Indeed, this makes sense, as this would be considered more of a user error than a manufacturer error.
Some people don’t believe it when the manufacturer says you need to use only premium.
If you want to test this on your bike, that is fine, but you can’t expect the manufacturer to cover the warranty if you are not following their guidelines.
2. Horsepower
Motorcycles that require premium fuel will recognize when they are not being filled with the proper fuel.
You will likely notice a decrease in horsepower until you get the proper fuel back in the bike.
This, of course, is not ideal, but at the same time, it is not as though your motorcycle will completely stop working.
Why Does Premium Gas Cost More?
In years past, the difference between premium and unleaded gas was not all that much.
You may have seen something like a ten percent increase between the two types.
As time has progressed, the premium gas has gotten even more expensive than regular.
Most of the time, the price of the premium is going to be about 25% higher than that of the regular.
Premium gas is intended for engines that require it.
If your engine does not require premium, then there is no reason to fill it with this type of fuel.
For cars that require premium fuel, you will notice a decrease in performance when regular fuel is used.
There is not much that can explain why the premium is so much more expensive than regular.
People who switch back and forth between premium and regular don’t notice all that much of a difference.
Some believe there is no difference between regular or premium.
Most modern car engines are designed to work with regular gas.
Can You Mix Premium and Regular Gas?
Although you can mix regular and premium, there is just no reason to.
Mixing the two fuels is not going to help you get better mileage or performance.
If your motorcycle is meant to take premium, then put premium in.
If, for some reason, you don’t have access to premium and you need to top off with regular, you will probably not notice a significant performance decrease.
How Long Is Gas Good for in a Motorcycle?
If you live in a climate where you can only use your motorcycle for part of the year, you need to make sure you are continually checking on the fuel.
Fuel in a motorcycle is not going to be good after about six months.
If your motorcycle has sat longer than six months with the same untouched fuel, then you will want to handle that situation before starting it up.
Motorcycles should not sit for more than fifteen days without being started up.
Even if you can’t go for a ride, you should start your bike up and allow it to run for at least ten minutes.
If you don’t want the bike to give you trouble on your next ride, you need to take care of it in between rides.
What Is Octane?
You will notice that the fuel you put in your car has an octane rating.
The rating is usually going to range from 87 to 94.
The octane rating will indicate how resistant a fuel is to something called detonation.
Detonation is when air and fuel is burning prematurely.
This can happen due to heat and pressure.
Detonation from time to time will probably not affect your engine.
However, if this is frequently occurring, you could end up with some engine damage.
Higher octane in fuel means that it will only ignite with very high temperatures and pressures.
This will cause a lower chance of detonation and potentially less damage to your engine.
Again, it is important to remember that the higher octane fuels are meant for certain types of engines.
Conclusion
To make sure you can put regular gas in your motorcycle, you need to take a look at what the manufacturer requires.
If you ignore the manufacturer’s requirements, you could end up having some trouble with your bike.
Paying a few extra dollars for premium gas can get annoying, but paying for engine repair on your bike will not be worth the pennies you saved on the fuel.
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