The only gas that's available in Charlotte is 87 octane, if you can find that! I don't know about other NC cities, but the gas situation is getting critical here. Long lines are at every station that has gas. People are panicking and pulling in to top off. It's crazy--like the 70s oil embargo. My question is: Will regular gas damage the engine? I have the 110 cu. in. Screamin' Eagle so I'm real concerned about putting regular gas in the tank. Also, does anybody know if octane boosters really work? I've searched a lot of websites and the reviews are mixed. Some say they are good, but others say it's nothing more than snake oil. Any advice will be appreciated.

 

Octane boosters do indeed work my friend. I wouldn't run regular gas in your bike. Serious damage can occur in due time. Octane 104 is pretty good stuff. I run it in my Street Rod all the time and used to run it my race car on a regular basis.

 

to bad the MOCO didn't build a bike motor like my '06 dodge dakota that says high octane will ruin your motor, the lower the octane the better.

 

So are you saying that Octane 104 added to 87 octane gas will not harm my engine?

 

No it won't harm your engine. It has never had any negative effect on any engine that I've had. Just make sure you mix it in the proper proportion as stated on the container.

 

I know of one station here in the Augusta area that has premium (discounter, not good) and many stations are out of gas altogether. I was planning on riding up through SC into NC and back tomorrow to take the new SG on some twisties, but I am afraid that I would not be able to find good gas for her.

 

If you have never used snake oil, dont knock it. Also refrigeration oil. AL> has only 87

 

I went to 10 stations on my way to work this morning in Augusta and could find no premium. I was totally out of gas and had to fill with regular, so I put a booster in. Guess I will find out if it makes a difference.

 

If you have no choice but to run regular, it's probably better than running out of gas and having to push it.

Where you might run into problems is if/when you really get into the throttle. If you engine starts pinging, you can do some serious damage.

Now the question is, how bad will it ping if your careful with the throttle?
If your sitting in stop and go traffic, and running on the warm side then when you get on it, you very well could have some pinging.

Under light throttle conditions, you might not have any pinging at all.

It's not the regular gas causing the damage. It's the pinging you "might" get if your not running premium.

So, if you must use regular just keep your ears open. And try not to hot rod it too much. If you have any kind of fuel management system in place, all the better. That way you won't be running so lean. Lean conditions would be more prone to pinging under heavy load.

I was way low on fuel once, and had no choice but to go with regular. I just took it real easy until I had the change to fill with premium again. I did not notice any pinging, but I never got on it full throttle or lugged it under a heavy load either.

 

Your can of "104" octane boost, added to a tank of 87 octane, equals...what?

[Serious question]