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The factory recomends 86 octane so regular is what I put into my 300. Lower octane gassoline has more energy per liter than higher octane fuel. That's the reason high compression engines need higher octane, it's harder to ignite lessening preingiton...(pinging).
 
NO NO NO!
Lower octane does not have more energy.
Octane is a resistance to ignition.
A higher performance, higher compression engine will ignite the fuel to soon, and as such needs a higher octane fuel to stop this.
It is called pinging and you dont want it. It can destroy your engine. To stop it you use a higher octane fuel.
Octane is the part of the gas that does this job.
Octane will not -
give you higher mpg,
higher HP,
smoother running engine,
cleaner oil,
cooler running engine,
Or anything else other than stopping pre-ignition.
You can use the highest octane rated fuel in your bike, but you wont get any benefits from it.
Unless the premium is pure gas - no ethanol.
 
NO NO NO!
Lower octane does not have more energy.
Octane is a resistance to ignition.
A higher performance, higher compression engine will ignite the fuel to soon, and as such needs a higher octane fuel to stop this.
It is called pinging and you dont want it. It can destroy your engine. To stop it you use a higher octane fuel.
Octane is the part of the gas that does this job.
Octane will not -
give you higher mpg,
higher HP,
smoother running engine,
cleaner oil,
cooler running engine,
Or anything else other than stopping pre-ignition.
You can use the highest octane rated fuel in your bike, but you wont get any benefits from it.
Unless the premium is pure gas - no ethanol.
This has been said before but what puzzles me is why does my honda grom top Speed is slower 53mph on regular gas compared to 56mph on premium 91 octane. I use chevron because it’s convenient for me. I can never reach 56 mph on regular gas except if I tuck. on premium , 56 mph sitting , 60 tucked.
On my 2009 tw200, it stumbles on high elevation when using regular gas but not on premium gas. runs smoother on premium On high elevation ( lake arrowhead / big bear ) .
On my rebel, there’s no difference .
 
I normally get 3.6 L/100KM (65 MPG) doing stop and go in downtown traffic. Cruising at the speed of traffic on Ontario's 400-Series highway, I get about 3.2L/100KM (73.5 MPG). Best result I've had was cruising a full tank on secondary roads at 90km/h, where I got 2.9L/100KM (81.1 MPG). That's all on a Rebel 300 with stock exhaust and a wrapped pipe (I don't believe that would change anything performance-wise, but mentioning it nonetheless for the sake of completeness).
I only use Regular (87 Octane), except before I winterize, as it's still possible in Canada to get Ethanol-free gas, but only when buying premium (91 Octane).
 
In the UK there is NO choice. You just have to use what they have in the pumps but in the past the octane was more like min 95 to max 98
Mine runs fine on petrol and I get a good 80 mpg but I've always been one to nurse the engine its my baby so why would I want to hurt it?
 
I have a spreadsheet where I have kept track of my Rebel 300 fuel and mileage (among other things) for over 8,000 miles. My fuel mileage (always 87 octane) has ranged from 64 to 83 mpg, with an overall average of 74.3 MPG. I also attempt to track the amount of fuel when the empty bar begins to blink. I calculate it at 0.68 gallons, or enough for about 50 miles.
 
Everyone is getting better fuel economy than me. Does anyone else commute in LA? On the surface streets I can only go 35 mph (45 in some places). The problem is I get a red light every other block, simply because there are too many cars in the way for me to pace the lights (except in the early morning). On the freeway, I can sometimes go 55, or so, but all too often the 405, and 105 come to a stop.

Damn I need to get out of LA county. I only moved here because I was chasing a dream to work for Elon Musk. Kinda dumb I guess.
 
GOOD NEWS! Being a little more "ginger" on the throttle is helping. I am up to 61.2 MPH in mostly stop and go traffic.
 
Everyone is getting better fuel economy than me. Does anyone else commute in LA? On the surface streets I can only go 35 mph (45 in some places). The problem is I get a red light every other block, simply because there are too many cars in the way for me to pace the lights (except in the early morning). On the freeway, I can sometimes go 55, or so, but all too often the 405, and 105 come to a stop.

Damn I need to get out of LA county. I only moved here because I was chasing a dream to work for Elon Musk. Kinda dumb I guess.
I've been using my bike to commute a few days a week here in San Diego, but my trip is about 15 miles each way, mostly in the carpool lane (love that, like my own private freeway). About half my miles are on mountain roads on weekend rides. I was getting about 61-62 mpg, but I did a tank or two deliberately high-revving in lower gears than I am used to, and I got 66mpg. It might be that the bike is most efficient at a higher rev than you might think.

It could also be that the stoplight time is just ruining you. Are you at least creeping to the front in the split? I don't do it here because my need to be there fast isn't that urgent, I just hang out with the other traffic.
 
It could also be that the stoplight time is just ruining you. Are you at least creeping to the front in the split? I don't do it here because my need to be there fast isn't that urgent, I just hang out with the other traffic.
I am not brave enough to split lanes.

I commute from Gardena to right next to the Hawthorne Airport. My commute is 8 to 10 miles by surface street depending on what way I go. There are lights the whole way. In the morning I can get to work in 15 minuets because nobody goes to Hawthorne at 0530, so I can do about 35-45 much of the way and can time the lights.

The afternoons are terrible. I can only do about 30, but stop at nearly every light. Back when I used to drive from Cerritos to Irvine every day and did the 9-5 thing, my average speed driving home was 4 mph. Yes, it sucks to drive in LA.

I had a girlfriend (before my wife) who's father used to commute from Garden Grove all the way down to San Diego every day! : (
 
This has been said before but what puzzles me is why does my honda grom top Speed is slower 53mph on regular gas compared to 56mph on premium 91 octane. I use chevron because it’s convenient for me. I can never reach 56 mph on regular gas except if I tuck. on premium , 56 mph sitting , 60 tucked.
On my 2009 tw200, it stumbles on high elevation when using regular gas but not on premium gas. runs smoother on premium On high elevation ( lake arrowhead / big bear ) .
On my rebel, there’s no difference .
Probably bit more power from 91 octane if no ethanol . You will probably get better mileage to . Not because of the 91 octane but that it is 100% gas .
 
Re: Rebel 300.
I'm a number geek and have kept track of every drop of fuel since I bought my 2020 bike 18,409 miles ago. My overall milage is 72 mpg. That ranges from a low of 54, to a high of 85 per tankful. As a statistician, I need to throw out the extremes: some of these station fuel pumps are very touchy, some not. My riding is mostly suburban US Midwest, with a bit of stop-and-go city, and a bit of high-speed highway. So, I would say that the low 70's should be expected by most riders. On a recent 2,000-mile trip with loaded saddlebags at 60-75 mph, I averaged 64 mpg. So, you can expect your milage to decrease significantly as your speed increases.

As an aside, I also keep track of expenses for my automobiles. The cost per mile for each is about the same: Maintenace cost for my bike makes up for the fuel savings. Maintenance for both my bike and car are done by a dealer, although I lube the bike chain myself.
 
Indiana Paul - Are you saying the maintenance for the bike is so expensive it eliminates the fuel mpg savings??
What can possibly cost that much?
Since I do all my own I just dont see it being that much.
I agree. It doesn't sound like you're going through tires abnormally fast and should only have needed a few oil changes and an air filter at 18k miles if you're following Hondas service intervals.

I drive a half ton truck, it gets about 10-15 mpg and costs about $100/month for insurance. My Rebel 500 has about equal insurance costs, but averages 50-60mpg. Even after oil changes, shop supplies and a tire (or 2) every season (or so) it comes out well ahead of the truck with regards to cost per mile, guaranteed.

I should add that I drive my truck fairly conservatively and it ALWAYS needs something. I ride my bike like my signature suggests and it rarely asks for much.
 
Indiana Paul - Are you saying the maintenance for the bike is so expensive it eliminates the fuel mpg savings??
What can possibly cost that much?
Since I do all my own I just dont see it being that much.
I can see it, a stealership can charge outrageouus prices for minimal things and dowble bill hyou for stuff, plus gouge yer hiney for parts they provide and consumables like oil and blinker fluid. Anyone with the space and tools should do routine maintenance for 2 reasons, cost and more importantly , to know it's done right. doing it yhourself will pay for almost any tool you have to buy in just a couple uses , " course you already know that but somebody else may not.
 
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