Thanks guys.  I  appreciate the information.   

Got another question... I never hear anyone talking about Steering Dampeners.  Does the Duc get a wobble at higher speeds?  Or is this just a better design?

I have noticed that my bike definitely prefers 4K over 3K, at any speed.  This isn't going to eat my gas up and cause higher wear on the motor during in town riding?



alright I'm going to jack my own thread with a few newbie questions I would be too embarrassed to post as a thread...

1.  How do you carry your key?    I got a little detachable key thing... but I'm still afraid it's going to flop around and scratch the tank.

2.  How does the Handling on the S4R change when you go 2up?   It's seems like that front tire wants to come off the ground as it is.

3.  I like the riding position but my hand hurts if I have to use the Clutch.  My friend says that I need a 2'' riser.  Thoughts?

4. I would like to remove the bikini fairing.  anything to this?  or is it just a couple of screws and your good to go?  Wind pressure not going to mess with the gauges?

5.  Anyone else get a vibration at 65 - 70 mph?

A search using the phrase "octane" might help. Also, I'm sure people with post up with their opinions in this thread as well.

I run 91, but I have hi-comp pistons.  I ran 87 in my monsters before going to hi-comps.  I started to write a "which octane" FAQ, but haven't finished it.  Sorry.    Here's what I've got so far:

---

Do not use 95 octane.  95 (specificied by the manual) is a Europen measurement.   It converts to about 90-91 US.  You can read about the different octane measurements here.

So, what should you use?  There are two primary schools of thought.

1)  Use 87 unless you get any pinging.  Many--if not a majority--of monster owners use 87 as long as the bike operates fine.  Lower octane will likely give you more power, and people report better gas mileage with lower octane.  It's cheaper too.  That said, high compression pistons will require higher octane.  

2)  Follow the manual, particularly if you have a higher compression engine.  As explained above, the manual recommendation of 95 converts to about 90-91.    

This thread is an example of the ongoing debate/discussion about octane use.

As far as brand of gas, different people find that certain brands of gas work better on their bikes than others.  Because of the different in gas composition depending on geography, there's no rule-of-thumb.  Keep track of your mileage and note if you bike feels better or worse.  If you get noticeably better performance or mileage with one brand of gas, stick with that. 

European versus our measuring system for octane ratings.   Running premium here will meet the recommended octane requirements you read about.

The bigger can of worms will be all the people who will now swamp this thread saying you don't need to/shouldn't run premium.

(my RS is happy on premium)

gas threads degenerate into pissing matches pretty quickly.   run 91 and be happy.  try something lower if you want to.  If it knocks, pings, or throws you off, go back to 91.

European octane ratings and USA octane numbers are not quite the same.  I'm sure someone else can do a more in depth analysis, but in a nutshell 91 octane in the USA is more than enough for your Duc.

I found this in a wiki for octane ratings.  It kind of explains it:

In the US, octane ratings in unleaded fuels can vary between 86-87 AKI (91-92 RON) for regular, through 89-90 AKI (94-95 RON) for mid-grade (European Premium), up to 90-94 AKI (95-99 RON) for premium (European Super).

One thing I have heard from a few sources is that the bucking and stalling problem that the oxygen sensor equipped Ducatis some times suffer from is a result of using a gasoline blended with ethanol.  You might want to try and search out some "real" gasoline for your Monster.  I don't know what the deal is in the U.S. but I use premium here in Canada because it's the only grade that doesn't contain any ethanol (yet).

Quote from: Statler on September 08, 2008, 05:27:34 PM
gas threads degenerate into pissing matches pretty quickly.   run 91 and be happy.  try something lower if you want to.  If it knocks, pings, or throws you off, go back to 91.

Isn't that the truth. Everyone has different opinions/knowledge on Octane and it is silly for it to get ugly.

I have always run hi octane on my bikes and just ignore others that say it isn't necessary. I just say, "you can't make me, you can't make me". And when they say I am wasting my money, I am happy to say, "It's my money!".

However, I am more than happy to run mid grade on my pickup, even though the owners manual says to run hi octane.

So, my advice to others when they ask me personally what to run in their bikes is to run hi octane. If they argue, I tell them to do whatever the want!

Quote from: Statler on September 08, 2008, 05:27:34 PM
European versus our measuring system for octane ratings.   Running premium here will meet the recommended octane requirements you read about.

The bigger can of worms will be all the people who will now swamp this thread saying you don't need to/shouldn't run premium.

(my RS is happy on premium)

gas threads degenerate into pissing matches pretty quickly.   run 91 and be happy.  try something lower if you want to.  If it knocks, pings, or throws you off, go back to 91.

...but I disagree....

use 87 if you bike does not have high comp pistons.

haha........
ok, so both camps have been heard from (high vs. low octane)
anyone wanna guess how many pages this will go?

IB4TL

use whatever you feel best using....






just avoid the ethanol like the bloody plague !!!!!!

Quote from: ducpainter on September 08, 2008, 06:06:56 PM
...but I disagree....

I disagree too!!   



I just haven't decided what I disagree with....                

I disagree with ALL OF YOU!!!

The octane you need depends on the kind of oil you run...
You ARE using the right oil ...right?   

The one on the left is 87 the right is 91

I thought that in owner's manual they quote a "original octane number" of 95. It seems they are specifying the Research Octane Number.....when you go to a gas station the octane of the gasoline in the average of the Research Octane Number (RON) and the Motor Octane number (MON). In Europe, I believe the grades are listed by the RON. For most gasoline blending components the MON is less than the RON.
=======================================================================================================================================
For clarity it is useful to provide a general overview of an octane number. An octane number is a quantitative, but imprecise measure of the maximum compression ratio at which a particular fuel can be utilized in an engine without some of the fuel /air mixture "knocking" or self igniting. This self ignition of the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder results in a loss of peak power. Directionally as the compression ratio of the engine increases so does the required octane number of the gasoline if engine knocking is to be avoided.

The performance of an engine is dependent upon many factors, one of which is the severity of operation. Accordingly the performance of a fuel is also dependent upon engine severity. To account for differences in the performance quality of a fuel two engine octane numbers are routinely used. Thc Research Octane Number (RON, or F1) simulates fuel performance under low severity engine operation. The Motor Octane Number (MON, or F2) simulates more severe operation that might be incurred at high speed or high load. In practice the octane of a gasoline is reported as the average of RON and MON or R+M/2.

Classically, both numbers are measured with a standardized single cylinder, variable compression ratio engine. For both RON and MON, the engine is operated at a constant speed (RPM's) and the compression ratio is increased until the onset of knocking. For RON engine speed is set at 600 rpm and MON is at 900 rpm.

Quote from: Le Pirate on September 08, 2008, 06:28:31 PM
just avoid the ethanol like the bloody plague !!!!!!

If only I could.  The well intentioned government here in the People's Republik of Hawaii have seen fit to dictate that ALL fuels (well, maybe not diesel) will be blended with ethanol.

And on a slightly more informative note, I ran 87 in my S2R all the time and it ran great.  Got significantly better milage that way too compared to when I used 92.