Shell VPower

I pulled into Shell this morning with about 2lt left because my regular servo was being refilled and that always makes me nervous with all the water & crap being stirred up. I have nothing against Shell fuel and put 91 in the cars every week.  Its just not that convenient to fill the bike there.
Anyway I pull up and a mate from another bike shop was filling his van so i grabbed a hose and started filling while talking to him. A little bit into it i realise I have the red nozzle at about $1.70lt! I thought stuff it its a while since a tank of 98 has been through the injectors so I went to $15

The B1250 has never had Shell 98 in it. 98 usually comes from Caltex or Mobil but it lives on 91. Well after a long and interesting ride home tonight I can only say that I'm impressed! It seems to spin up quicker for longer and there is more pop n cackle on the over run. Not excessive to me but more than normal. My next fill will be caltex 98 so I can compare back to back and then back to 91 but this Shell stuff seems to be ok.

I've always advocated quality fuel but sometimes you get a surprise I guess  

I always run 95 in the bike & 91 in the car

That's interesting 2WA, I always feel my Bandit runs better on 95/98 than 91 - I nearly always use caltex 95, and rarely shell. I can't say the feeling of 'running better' translates to better fuel economy though - it just seems a bit punchier.

I've always been of the opinion there is no performance increase running 98 and even a slight economy hit but i run it as a cleaner occasionally.
There is no 95 here that doesn't contain ethanol

If you get the chance or have the patience this makes interesting reading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

If it matters. I filled my tank with 98 a little while ago and straight away I noticed it ran like crap. Carbies. Jetted. Hi Flo filter. Waited till it was down a notch and topped up with 91. Now running smooth as. I usually fill with 95 if available. Obviously the octane does make a difference.

I dont often put Shell 98 in the bike...but i put it in the car and i love it. Just seems to be alot more expensive than other 98 around my way. Often $1.70.

i always use 98,typically bp/shell, if i use 91 i get pinging,and sometimes with 95,so steer away from anything that causes pinging. i personally get my best economy on 98,not that i care on a bike,but is smoother with more torque.

Hammy wrote:If it matters. I filled my tank with 98 a little while ago and straight away I noticed it ran like crap. Carbies. Jetted. Hi Flo filter. Waited till it was down a notch and topped up with 91. Now running smooth as. I usually fill with 95 if available. Obviously the octane does make a difference.

I read in spanaman in motorcycle trader once that 98 was not really suited to carby bikes but is ok in injected ones / something to do with the manufacturing process

i got carbs,good on mine..i`ve got a 5* advancer

paul wrote:

Hammy wrote:If it matters. I filled my tank with 98 a little while ago and straight away I noticed it ran like crap. Carbies. Jetted. Hi Flo filter. Waited till it was down a notch and topped up with 91. Now running smooth as. I usually fill with 95 if available. Obviously the octane does make a difference.

I read in spanaman in motorcycle trader once that 98 was not really suited to carby bikes but is ok in injected ones / something to do with the manufacturing process

There is a list of bikes on the Shell web site (PDF) that lists bikes their 98 isn't suitable for without mods and most of them are ancient by modern standards.

If it works for you, great. If not, no harm done.

mtbeerwah wrote:i got carbs,good on mine..i`ve got a 5* advancer

Don't mean to go off topic. But I will . I am waiting for my Holeshot 5* advancer to arrive. Just wondering if or what differences you found mtbeerwah ?

BP 98 when it is available at the pump or if in the middle of no-where then what ever is available in 95 or above as long as it is not ethanol

K5 1200 stage 2 jet kit (pod filters ) and 5° advancer fitted runs just fine with any fuel but just seems less responsive with 91

I get 30 km's more from a tank of BP 98 regularly ( not worried about fuel consumption )

On 98 mine starts easier idles much smoother faster from a cold start

Our last three cars all required 95 or better. I remember putting in 91 accidentally and the motor immediately began to ping under load. So sal' (being a b1250) has always run on 95 or 98. Pop and cackles on the over run but has always spooled up wonderfully. Maybe I should try a tank of 91 for comparison.

Hammy wrote:

mtbeerwah wrote:i got carbs,good on mine..i`ve got a 5* advancer

Don't mean to go off topic. But I will . I am waiting for my Holeshot 5* advancer to arrive. Just wondering if or what differences you found mtbeerwah ?

I found it more responsive,smoother,better on fuel(not that I care on a bike) but if I use 91 it pings 50% of the time, but I personally only use 91 if there is absolutely nothing else to use. it made a nice improvement on mine, I put it on after it was dynoed,which I think complemented the dyno,but I wish I had have done it at the same time.