Octane rating

[texrider]

"If you wanna get down, down on the ground; octane. When the day is done, and you wanna run; octane." 

[VirginiaJim]

Sounds familiar..  Why does Eric Clapton come to mind?

[Boomer]

Who cares if a carburetted, rich jetted, low revving, air cooled twin, LOW COMPRESSION motor knocks or not.

The C-14 runs up to 12:1 compression ratio depending on where the VVT is at.
At those compression ratios and running very close to the optimum air/fuel ratio you are risking damage if you ride for any length of time with a knocking motor. That is why most cars have knock sensors.
On bikes knock sensors are more difficult as the motor is not "isolated" from the frame so the sensors have difficult separating the noise from the knock "sound".

And if you read my last 2 lines you would have seen that I said 87 would probably be fine.
"Buyer beware" means don't come screaming to the forum when your motor lunches itself because you did something that the manufacturer specifically says should not be done, and that they then refuse to repair it under warranty.

Personally I frequently overload the rear racks on my C10 and C14, I substantially overload the bike, and I ignored the 8k miles "renew spark plugs" on my C14 as a waste of money. They were done at 25k miles and still looked new. My choice, MY RISK!

[ZedHed]

Who cares if a carburetted, rich jetted, low revving, air cooled twin, LOW COMPRESSION motor knocks or not.

The C-14 runs up to 12:1 compression ratio depending on where the VVT is at.
At those compression ratios and running very close to the optimum air/fuel ratio you are risking damage if you ride for any length of time with a knocking motor. That is why most cars have knock sensors.
On bikes knock sensors are more difficult as the motor is not "isolated" from the frame so the sensors have difficult separating the noise from the knock "sound".

And if you read my last 2 lines you would have seen that I said 87 would probably be fine.
"Buyer beware" means don't come screaming to the forum when your motor lunches itself because you did something that the manufacturer specifically says should not be done, and that they then refuse to repair it under warranty.

Personally I frequently overload the rear racks on my C10 and C14, I substantially overload the bike, and I ignored the 8k miles "renew spark plugs" on my C14 as a waste of money. They were done at 25k miles and still looked new. My choice, MY RISK!

You talkin' to me?

How many modern 4 cylinder motorcycle engines have you had your hands inside?  I have had numerous apart and never have I seen any sign of detonation damage even in the most raced and abused.  Computer management and water-cooling virtually eliminates detonation in modern engines at anything short of diesel-level compression ratios.  Modern engineers know that low-octane gas is the norm today and design with that in mind.  The difference between 87 and 90 octane is minimal and I bet you have NEVER heard your C14 engine knocking  --- Period !  Those bikes are sold in many countries some of which have very sketchy gas quality, so you know Kawasaki has considered this too.  Go ahead and keep being OCD with YOUR bike, but leave the rest of us in peace to do as WE please.  Unless of course, you have some superior technical skills or knowledge that would give validity to your argument.  Or even better yet, just post some pictures of a C14 engine with holed pistons from detonation damage. 

Don't let your fingers write checks, your mind can't cash --- Just 'cuz yer gran-pappy said so, don't make it so !!

[ZedHed]

Seems pretty clear to me that comparing the C10 to the C14 is apples to oranges. Fred left us all high and dry here, so now we are just a buncha lost dumbasses......right?

If the shoe fits................

[Pokey]

If the shoe fits................

I wear boots allot of the time, and I can think of where one of them might fit in your case.

[Conrad]

Alright OED riders -- how many of you have ever "holed" a piston from detonation?  EVER?  Right, just like I thought !! I owned a '68 Triumph Bonneville that has high compression pistons and it "knocked" like a can of BBs on hot days under any type of moderate acceleration even on high octane gas and I rode the wheels off that bike and it never holed a piston in all the years I owned it (misspent youth)  I wish I still had it today.  That engine was air-cooled, had points and condenser ignition, Amal carbs and certainly NO knock sensors.  Yeah, I tried to jet it "fat" (rich) and retarded the ignition as much as possible -- BUT no holed pistons.  I also owned two (2) Kawasaki Mach I 500s with high compression, expansion chambers, and lean jetting.  They also were notorious for detonation and holing pistons, and yet I rode the rims off my two and again NEVER holed a piston (did seize one twice in the same day though) from detonation.

I guarantee that none of you will ever "hole" a piston on the modern, water-cooled, fuel-injected, computer-engine-managed C14 from using 87 octane gas -- EVER.  

Now if some of you just feel the need to appease your OCDness that is your business, but quit trying to scare everyone else about this issue even if you still jump when you see your shadow and can't sleep without your nightlight on.

We can all read the manual -- there is no need to continually recite it to the literate

Ok guys, there it is and we're all witnesses. Zed gave us his personal guarantee that using 87 octane gas will never "hole" a piston in our C14s. Feel free to use the lower octane gas knowing that if your bike blows up because of it that Zed will be paying to have your bike repaired.

Sweet!

Thanks Zed!     

 

[lather]

I remember reading an article by Kevin Cameron or Gordon Jennings before I bought my 1972 XL250,  the first mass produced motorcycle with a 4 valve combustion chamber engine. It said the 4 valve combustion chamber design pretty much eliminated detonation or preignition problems in that carbureted, aircooled engine due to the centrally located spark plug and improved flame propagation.

[gPink]

Ok guys, there it is and we're all witnesses. Zed gave us his personal guarantee that using 87 octane gas will never "hole" a piston in our C14s. Feel free to use the lower octane gas knowing that if your bike blows up because of it that Zed will be paying to have your bike repaired.

Sweet!

Thanks Zed!     

 

Great. We can stop pissing in his Wheaties now.