Forum

[Fido]

Haven't given this much thought. Is there a particular brand or grade of petrol to secure optimum performance for my Classic EFI ?

[apparently lucky eddie]

Cheap petrol is cheap for a reason, the oil company or retailer don't have any altruistic reason for selling you cheap petrol. The difference in my Enfield is quite amazing, a good quality supergreen gives a much smoother running motor, it feels better, sounds better and does much better mpg. Cheapo low ctane petrol, not just the supermarket rubbish, makes the engine sound and feel like and old lawn mower. Given the low compression of these motors one would expect low octane fuel to be fine and back in the oil crisis years I ran a bullet on a 2* petrol / parafin mixture quite happily. But that does n't mean they'll run at their best.
Bullets really are all different, you got to actually try the different fuels for yourself.
I could n't speak about these new fangled unit construction EFI type Austrian designed engines though cos with all due respect they ain't really Bullets as we know them, only the name is the same.

[trevorch]

Fido, 95Oct. was fine for my 2007 Bullet and my classic EFI runs just as well. I would not waste a Euro Cent on anything, supposedly better. However maybe in UK standards are falling and it is only fir for lighting the fire.

Unlucky Eddie should take care when casting aspersions on the EFI. My Swiss and German British bike group look at mine with great appreciation and that included owners of 60's Triumphs, Matchless, AJS and Norton - even a twenties something Brough Superior SS80 owner.

The B5 in black with gold lined tank looks just as good as the 2007 model I used to have and thank God I don't have to keep messing with the carb any more to get a smooth tick over without the traffic light syndrome and I can now actually overtake without getting a nervous breakdown.

Cheers

[apparently lucky eddie]

Trevor, no-one was "casting aspersions" matey. My comment was that the new UCI fuel injected engines are not remotely like the original pre-unit bullet engines, perhaps you should be a little less sensitive. What your swiss and german buddies think about what your bike LOOKS like is utterly irrelevant to the comment I made. Unless you're seriously saying that the new engine IS the same as the old one???
Here in England there is some dreadful petrol on the market that I would n't put in a honda 50, every bit as bad as the stuff the poor Americans are forced to use.
Its a case of suck it and see. Fido's bike might be fine on Tesco's cheapest. But then it might be a whole lot better on something else.

[Fido]

I'm very happy with my Classic EFI after 1600 miles from new. A post on another thread spoke of the merits of a higher grade but he was talking about an older bike. I'm interested in the experience of other UK riders of the latest engine as far as choice of petrol is concerned. Up to now I've just used the basic grade. I'm averaging 77mpg. But I'm more interested in performance than mpg., although if I can get an improvement in that with a higher grade I'd consider it.

[bikerbill]

My 2010 Electra DL runs the same on any old petrol. I've tried the so-called "premium" grades but can't say I've noticed any difference other than price. What DOES make a difference is ditching that bloody great torpedo tube of a silencer and fitting a less restrictive one. I've got the Watsonian Goldstar on and it's a much perkier bike.
Incidentally, 77mpg seems a bit low. I consistently get 85mpg, going briskly most of the time...

[trevorch]

Touché Eddy.

I loved the old Bullet engine, but the most economic route to better engine performance, disc brake, electric start, accurate speedo, good lighting and 33% better fuel consumption, meeting emission regulations, was the EFI - and retaining a bike that still looks, feels and sounds like a Bullet. You should try one.

By the way, with the standard box and riding moderately, I get 88 mpg average. Bog standard gas and no additives. 2,300km to date.

Cheers

[Beezabryan]

Found no difference between fuel grades in either 1952 BSA Flash or 1992 Bullet 500.
Differences I have had were one time in europe, got a right load of rubbish in Germany that had our bikes (I was running in a small convoy of ancient BSAs) running quite horribly. Next re-fuel was in Belgium & performance regained. A few years ago in northern England we picked some of that Total crap that had the same effect. It is possible to pick bad stuff and decide everyhting of the that brand must be the same. My bias is for BP whereever possible or Texaco. Anything else only if the there is no choice. My bikes are unmolested other than 7.25:1 pistons in Flash ( no other +40 pistons available at the time) and the Flash with a decent exhaust, boyer, larger main jet in Micarb & 18 tooth final drive. However I could well imagine blinged up motors being picky about fuel but I reckon that would largely be due to Proud Owners "improvements"