Quote Originally Posted by 2dogs View Post
Not to start up a fuel debate but just to broaden the perspective a bit. I always saw to it that I fed my animals and family with the best and most healthy food products available, and I do the same with my equipment. In short, the difference in my neck of the woods between a tank of 87 and 91 is about a buck and a quarter. That's in part because I tend to fuel up when I still have a gallon left in my tank; for obvious reasons. So, a hundred and twenty-five cents per fill up seems to me to bargain when I'm relying on a machine to give me the best performance and reliability possible. The truth be known, I probably treat my spyder better than myself given some of the crap food I indulge in. But that's a story for another day. Feed your beast the best and it will reward you for it.
With all due respect, to equate running the higher octane fuel because it is the BEST is in all reality a marketing gimmick. 91 is no better as in best than 87 they are both equally good with for all practical purposes being only how easy it is to light off and how quickly the flame front travels. The higher the octane the slower the flame front and the harder it is to light off, that is why you run hi octane in hi compression engines. It is actually more complicated than that. Our three cylinder engines have more advanced combustion chambers than the v twins of earlier Spyders. Another complication, at higher elevations with its lower air pressure, negates even more the use of the so called premium or 91. If you are not getting pre ignition or detonation, you are good to go.

The issues are more complicated than presented here,however the bottom line with our Spyders is running the higher octane 'premium' is only for our ego, not for any benefits.