Newbie to Forum & Voyager 1700...What grade gas?

[woody92354]

Just picked up a clean used '10 Voyager 1700. Sticker (which I will remove soon) states to use 90+ octane fuel. Reg. = 87, Midgrade = 89, so Premium @ 92 I guess is what they have in mind. Just wonderin' what you all are using. I know gas is cheap right now, so premium it is. Dealer filled up bike b4 picking up...doubt he put hi-test in it. Any thoughts/suggestions/horror stories?

[Mr Jensee]

This subject has been covered a number of times. The Voyager XII is happy with 87 octane fuel. Anything higher and you are just wasting your money.

[Neal]

But he has a Vulcan Voyager

[kawman12]

I always run premium as long as it is available at gas station.

[Mr Jensee]

He needs to check his owners manual. Everything I can find on the internet says that a 9.5:1 compression ratio which the Vulcan Voyager has, should use 87 octane gas. Anything higher octane and you are just throwing your money away.

[keith]

i always use premium gas in my 2014 voyager,a few times I had no choice to put 89 octane in my bike,because nothing else was available[in the sticks of west Virginia]but the bike will ping under hard acceleration.this is not good.put minimum amount of 89octane in to get you to the next available gas station that has premium gas. or carry octane booster with you,this can be messy if it leaks.definitely use premium if available,if not,easy on the throttle until you can put premium in it.

[Mr Jensee]

Since the Vulcan Voyager is fuel injected it has a chip which can monitor fuel octane. If premium works better for you then fine. Whatever it takes to eliminate pre-ignition.

[woody92354]

Thanks for all the replies. Running mid-grade so far...no pinging detected, even under hard acceleration. Will alternate between premium & mid-grade I guess. Loving this new Voyager. Rode 250 miles yesterday...could of rode 250 more!

[kjsett]

Caveat - no experience with the 1700 Voyager, but lots with Japanese rice grinder V-twins.
My experience is the V-twins prefer (if not demand) higher than 86 octane. Out here in the west, the normal regular is 85 to 86 octane. Even my 2003 likes mid-grade better (mileage also seems improved). But she will run on regular. Because my wife's 97 Vulcan 800 acts like it needs mid-grade, we normally put that in if available, premium if not (Costco doesn't have mid and prem is normally close to midgrade price).
I will also state again that when you fuel at a pump with one hose for both or all three grades, the first gallon you get is whatever the last person chose for their vehicle (an estimate only-just think about it). Since when traveling together we fill both bikes, I always fill mine first (so i get the unknown gas), and then fill my wife's V-twin.
Just a point of note, when i started driving, regular was 91 octane, premium i think was 94 (never used it at the time).
Blessings,
Ken

[Mr Jensee]

Why does your state have such low octane gas? Hell if we had 85 octane here I would be running mid grade in my XII. What is the concentration of alcohol in that 85 octane gas.

And actually that fuel pump does not keep gas in the line when you finish pumping. The pumps are designed to retract that last bit of fuel in the hose to prevent just what you are afraid of. The EPA wouldn't have it any other way.

[kjsett]

From AAA in 2007:
"To begin with, octane rating of gasoline is a measurement of the fuel's ability to resist knocking or uncontrolled burn. Many years ago, research by the American Petroleum Institute showed that the lower air pressure at high altitudes allows vehicles to perform as well on 85 octane as they would on 87 at a lower altitude. The Colorado Legislative Council contradicted that research in a 2001 study, which showed that the altitude difference might apply only to older cars (pre-1984). Despite this new information, there has never been any change to Colorado 's 85 octane standard, which was set decades ago.

Many consumers and gas producers save money as a result of Colorado 's lower-than-average octane requirement. Because it costs more to produce 87 octane than 85, oil refineries save money by providing 85 octane as regular unleaded in Colorado. As a result, Colorado residents often pay less at the pump for gasoline compared to many states.

As long as the regular unleaded gasoline octane level in Colorado remains at 85, the best advice is to check your owner's manual, consult a qualified mechanic or check with your vehicle's manufacturer for the best octane to use in your vehicle.

If you use 85 octane regular unleaded and hear your engine making a pinging sound, it could be a sign that your engine is not running efficiently on this gas blend and you should try 87 instead.

As manufacturers continue to develop improved engines that automatically adjust for the altitude at which they operate, there might come a day when Colorado makes the switch to 87 octane regular unleaded. Until that day, the best advice is to pay attention to how your car operates."

Now this is a dated report, but i think other states also sell 85 octane (here in NM). I will pay more attention to what they are selling next time i am at the pump. It could be 86, and I just haven't been paying attention (car only). As to gas in the lines at the pump, that was just an observation backed up with talking to the attendant on duty. Not anything official.

Found this (excerpt):
This feat of gas pump bartending is performed by something called a blend valve. This valve has inputs consisting of two grades of gasoline, each from different tanks. A single, moveable barrier called a shoe is connected to both in such a way that it can be moved across the inputs with a single motor-driven ratchet. As the ratchet opens one valve, it closes the other valve in precise but opposite proportion. This means that when one valve is, for example, 90 percent open, the other valve is 10 percent open, creating a mixture that consists of 90 percent of one octane and 10 percent of the other. By shifting the ratchet back and forth, the blend valve can produce any octane of gas, ranging from the highest to the lowest grades stored in the tanks -- and all octanes in between.

Now respectfully, I don't see where the gas is sucked back from 10 or more feet of hose and the pipe to it. You would hear the air rushing before the gas if that was the case. Please remember, this is just my opinion, and not an argument. I learned about the blending valve thanks to your response (i thought there was a tank for each grade of gas). Anyway, if you have a resource link to more info, feel free to share.
Blessings,
Ken
(for now in New Mexico)

[rock42]

thanks to all for all the input i have a 2015 vulcan voyager with 7600 miles on it and am getting ready for a 4000 mile round trip to maggie valley and tail of the dragon, and i know that we will be going through some small towns that my not have premium fuel. the info was a relieve to hear as i can ride with a little more confidence and will carry some octane booster just in case. oh by the way will be leaving waco texas on my 74th birthday.

[cranky]

... KISS theory, run it down to ping, then up one notch.... If you've been running
higher than needed octane, run a tank of seafoam thru 'er and hit the rev limiter
in first and second about three times to clean 'er out! Methinks they are like wemmen,
they're all a tad different! JM2C

[Powpilot]

thanks to all for all the input i have a 2015 vulcan voyager with 7600 miles on it and am getting ready for a 4000 mile round trip to maggie valley and tail of the dragon, and i know that we will be going through some small towns that my not have premium fuel. the info was a relieve to hear as i can ride with a little more confidence and will carry some octane booster just in case. oh by the way will be leaving waco texas on my 74th birthday.

You go, guy!! I hit 74 last week and there hasn't been a better time to ride.

Gary

[hank43]

In California, and I don't know when this started, the hose is drained after each use. With pump turned off, try to drain gas from hose, nothing there.(Don't know if that is state law or EPA though)
Also, California has that spring loaded nozzle, which MUST be compressed before the trigger will pull. A pain if you ride a bike, because you have to manually compress the thing before you can start pumping. Traveling across country, I have not seen this anywhere else, and in some states like Oregon, NJ, and I think Washington, you are not allowed to pump your own, unless you are on a bike. The attendant will take your credit card, and turn the pump on, hand you the nozzle, but he/she will not put the nozzle in your tank! Weird!.

Years ago, (1962-64) I worked in a Union 76 station, boss would allow us employees who were bike riders to fill our tanks up this way, as long as the pump was OFF, we were just using the gas someone else paid for. Back then, I think we had 2 grades of gas, regular and ethyl, but I think both were really higher octane then todays blends, and none contained alcohol,...... except at the track!!!

hank43