Hey guys,This probably a question that has been asked before and to some it's probably a no brainer but what the heck...here goes..

Here in Malaysia we have a choice between the RON95 and RON97 fuel.While I had always been using the 97,of late it's getting a little pricey.My question is,is there an obvious difference between the two?I can't really tell from the seat of my pants although in my mind it says the 97 gives better performance.I do know a little basics like how the higher octane fuel detonates better and cleaner and so on but really,doesn't make a big difference?

 

The only reason to use higher octane fuel is detonation. Modern Harleys are very prone to detonation (knock/ping) and the highest octane ya can find is a good idea. Harmful detonation happens before ya can hear it. When ya hear it it is too late. Damage has occurred.

 

+1 on this, especially in your climate where it's hot all the time ....

 

+1 though we've probably all had cars that have pinged & knocked and they didn't die if you didn't let it go on and on. So, not sure I'd be an alarmist about it.

My experience when I inadvertantly added lower octane fuel was I noticed it right away. Within a mile of my fill up when it was under a slight load going up a rise in the highway I heard the ping, and my mind flashed to grabbing the same fuel nozzle I use to fill my car. I refilled that damn take every 25-30 miles.

 

My operator & service manuals (2011 FLHTK) say to use:
95 Research Octane Number (RON) ~ 90-91 "American" Octane rating (average of RON & MON octane measurements).

If you take the manual at face value, 95 RON should be okay. But as others have said, factor in the higher temps, any performance mods, etc., and maybe that points to sticking with the 97 RON...

 

Who the hell is Ron

 

a buddy we had over for Christmas

Thanks guys,I've been told that it's quite the norm there to be on RON91 but then again you guys are in a cooler climate.I guess RON95 is good enough fuel for my use here although thus far I've only been using RON97 but I plan to ride a lot soon and sure is gonna bite into my pocket if I go 97 all the way.Currently it's RM1.90 per liter for RON95 and a whopping RM2.70 per liter for the RON97.That's a lot of difference..Maybe I could alternate between the two

 

And I thought gas was expensive here.

 

First off..that's a sweet looking bike you got there buddy.

Malaysia is an oil producing country but we sell our sweet crude and use the crap and yeah fuel is expensive here

 

At the gas pump... If it has one hose for all the diffrent octanes you can be getting a gallon or two of regular when pumping hi test. It has to clear the regular from the line before it gets to the hi test. Screwed again...