Love all you arm chair engineers
, really I do. Which one of you designed that engine and knows intimately what it requires or doesn't in the way of octane rating? I"m sure the Kwak engineering staff got together, all chuckling and half drunk on Saki (which I like as well of course), and thought what fun we can have by requiring those silly riders to put high test gas in their bikes and waste all of their money. They then drank some more and had even more laughs....they then designed KIPASS (couldn't help myself with that one).
I think we need a volunteer to run the bike on 87 and then take it apart after a year. We don't need a volunteer that's going to baby it or put several thousand miles a year on it. We need someone that will put at least 15k+ and thrash it somewhat. That should be a good test, I would think, but then again, I'm not a Kwak engineer or stayed in a Holiday Inn Express lately. If it shows nothing in the way of damage, then we'll all have a big dodah, get drunk on our favorite libation, hoist the volunteer in the air and cheer them tremendously. I'll pay for one drink. That's it, no more. Others will have to chip in as well. We'll then face west and laugh in the general direction of Japan and their silly engineers.
It's a high performance engine folks and requires high test. If you want to ride it like it has a high performance engine then I would think you would follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
I've linked a design factoid from Kwak that makes interesting reading. For those of you that don't read the Wiki FAQs, you may not have seen it. The engine design is toward the end but it makes interesting reading.
http://www.kawasaki.com/Content/pdfs/products/concours_QandA.pdfI like this thread. It's entertaining. However, if you want to talk ethanol, this ain't the place. It's about octane. There's a wonderful thread in Open concerning that c***.
I feel better now.