F700GS fuel

[Bullwinkle]

No they haven't. RTFI!

...Let me respond to your rather brusque retort thusly:

BMW's own published specs for my 650 twin state a minimum octane rating of 91 RON (Research Octane Number). The same stated spec for the 700 requires a 95 RON. Clearly (as I said), the octane requirements have gone up.

That increase "jumps" it at least a grade, in Canada and the US at least. Here, "pump" octane is calculated as (RON + MON (Motor Octane Number))/2, and is typically in the range of 4-5 points less than the RON (seeing as MON is typically 8-10 points lower than RON). Over here "regular" is a Pump Octane of 85-87, mid-grade is 88-89, and premium or "super" is 90-93. You do the rest of the math.

I believe that in Europe and the UK, your pumps display RON, but I don't know how that relates to your various categories. If you're telling me that your "regular" includes a RON of 95, then I won't disagree.

But don't bother shipping that "prima donna" 700 over here for going places... there's a whole lot o' places where you can't get what it needs.

JP

 

[v8legend]

If you're telling me that your "regular" includes a RON of 95, then I won't disagree. JP

Yes, 95 is regular in the UK, it's also the norm in Europe, but often labelled as Super. I am slighly confused with your 91 though. I do remember a guy from the USA running in to trouble (blown up engine) in South America after he'd had a low grade map installed by the dealer. If I can find the post I'll put it on here.

 

[Tim Cullis]

A post from 2008 on the fuel/octane sticky thread...

... In many parts of Europe, 95 RON is the minimum available standard, with 97/98 being higher specification (being called Super Unleaded)....

... the United States, Canada and some other countries the headline number is the average of the RON and the MON, sometimes called the Anti-Knock Index (AKI), Road Octane Number (RdON), Pump Octane Number (PON), or (R+M)/2. Because of the 8 to 10 point difference noted above, this means that the octane in the United States will be about 4 to 5 points lower than the same fuel elsewhere: 87 octane fuel, the "regular" gasoline in the US and Canada, would be 91-92 in Europe ...

I can see that RON isn't used as a universal octane measurement, but it is standard across Europe. The problem lies with what people read into the name 'super unleaded' which in the UK normally refers to 97 octane!

BMW states in its specifications
- Super Unleaded (95 RON) for the F800GS and
- Normal Unleaded (91 RON) for the F650GS

The way I read this is that the F650GS will run on US 87-octane fuel (~91 RON in Europe) and if anyone is sticking 97 octane in an F800GS then they're wasting money. But feel free to argue

Tim

 

[Bullwinkle]

A post from 2008 on the fuel/octane sticky thread...
Tim

Cheers, Tim. In the final analysis, there appears to be no substantial disagreement over what the octane requirements are for the 700 versus the 650. The 700's have increased to those of the 800, that is, 95 RON.

The chief advantage of the 650 has been that with a requirement of only 91, fuel is widely available everywhere, whereas with the 700 and 800, your choices are more limited, especially over here. Sure, the higher grades are available in the larger centers (we're not THAT backward), but in the smaller places from Avonlea to Zehner, no chance. The same holds true in many smaller towns in the US and especially Mexico.

Oh yeah, when you CAN fill up your 800s and 700s, you wind up paying 15-20 cents (~10p) more per litre than the 650 requires. I simply don't see the need for it.

So it seems like this isn't as big a deal in the UK and Europe, but I still think BMW shot themselves in the foot, for my purposes.

JP

 

[StumpyFingers]

So the F700 and F800 are not go anywhere bikes, like the F650 was.
The trips are dependant on where you can get the correct fuel.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Dean]

So the F700 and F800 are not go anywhere bikes, like the F650 was.
The trips are dependant on where you can get the correct fuel.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[v8legend]

...Let me respond to your rather brusque retort :

Maybe I was a little brusque with you. Let's just say that it was late at night and I was full of Super unleaded Claret. The OP was from a guy in the UK with a new 700 which was rattling (pinking?) after filling up on regular unleaded. His bike should run fine on 'our' regular unleaded.

If 91 (or even lower) is common place in your parts of Canada, then I'm fairly sure 700's will come prepared (or can be easily modded).

ps, I tried to pm you but couldn't?

 

[Bullwinkle]

Maybe I was a little brusque with you. Let's just say that it was late at night and I was full of Super unleaded Claret. The OP was from a guy in the UK with a new 700 which was rattling (pinking?) after filling up on regular unleaded. His bike should run fine on 'our' regular unleaded.

If 91 (or even lower) is common place in your parts of Canada, then I'm fairly sure 700's will come prepared (or can be easily modded).

ps, I tried to pm you but couldn't?

I am unable to receive PMs due to not currently being a subscriber (reasons withheld at this time).
However, I assure you that no offense was taken, and I apologise if my grandiloquence mislead anyone. I try to use the emoticons appropriately, but alas, they are an imperfect science.

Unfortunately, BMW Canada (also North America, methinks) has not made any provisions for a reduced octane version of the 700 that I'm aware of. How easily modifiable it would be is unknown, as the engine management systems in the 800s are much less sophisticated than the boxers. Also, unless the mod is factory authorized, I'm not sure I would want to incur the extra hassles. Obviously, the competition (KLRs, V-Stroms and the like), require no such fiddling.

I live in what many would consider to be a "flat" and possibly uninteresting part of the world. Apart from the major highways, most of the roads are gravel or poorly maintained hard surfaces. However, those gravel roads and dirt tracks are plentiful and can take one to pretty amazing places that aren't always accessible by Harley-Dees (the bike of choice for most in these parts). When the fuel runs low, the small villages and towns usually only have one pump, or even sometimes a quick negotiation with a local farmer is required for some "farm" fuel. Needless to say, none of this is 95 RON.

Granted, this is not BMW's prime market, but these conditions are not uncommon in a lot of North America (including Mexico) and the world for that matter, places that these "unstoppable" bikes are supposedly capable of going. More's the pity!

The '650' is an excellent bike and its sweet motor provides more than enough power. I doubt the extra 4 HP in the 700 is all that noticeable, and certainly doesn't justify the huge loss in utility that the increased requirement represents.

Anyway, I've gone on enough about this. Time for some of that "Super-unleaded Claret". Fortunately, that is widely available!

JP

 

[Tim Cullis]

According to the F700/800GS press kit an engine map adjustment for regular fuel (RON 91) is available as an ex works option. This always was an option for the previous model years of the F800GS.

Sorted!

 

[Bullwinkle]

I guess my spitting the dummy was premature...

As per Tim's post, I checked with my dealer, and he indicated that on a new bike, the re-mapping for 91 RON would be complementary (no-charge). If the bike was brought in after the sale, it would take about 1/2 hour of labour.

That's okay then, but I wonder if the reduced performance that resulted would be better, worse or the same as the 650? We're talking minor differences all around, so it shouldn't be that big a deal. Anyway, 'nuff said.

JP