Fuel shortages?

[El Toro]

Shortages of premium and plus grade continue here on the Cumberland Plateau, but shipments are occuring. I filled the FJR up with regular for the first time this week, and I notice pinging at lower rpm and heavy loading (I'm the kinda guy that the bike thinks is two big guys, so I'm loading it pretty heavy). My other main bike wants premium with its 13:1 compression ratio.

Jap and German bikes aren't prone to knock because of their combustion chamber designs and their typical running conditions. However, you can make it happen.

I contributed to the lunacy today. I found some premium at a nearby station that sells real gasoline instead of gasohol, and I filled up two 6 gallon cans. I hated to do it, but the shortage has caused me to not be able to ride the bike that needs premium, and I like to ride it.

The other thing I did was pick up a non-street-legal 12 ounce container of MMT and Kerosene which supposedly can boost octane by 6 full octane numbers when mixed with 16 gallons of gas. I'm going to carry this on the bike that needs premium. I don't want to use it, but its better than getting stranded, or trying to ride 13:1 compression ratio home on 87 octane fuel.

Engine knock can do real damage, including blowing head gaskets, wrecking piston crowns, and even messing up lower ends. Its not pretty.

 

[jwilly]

On the way to and from my office today I drove past 11 gas stations in search for fuel. Every single one was out of fuel. I got home and dumped a couple gallons into the bike from my mower cans so I could get to my daughters ball game.

Maybe tomorrow?

JW

 

[Fred W]

Shortages of premium and plus grade continue here on the Cumberland Plateau, but shipments are occuring. I filled the FJR up with regular for the first time this week, and I notice pinging at lower rpm and heavy loading (I'm the kinda guy that the bike thinks is two big guys, so I'm loading it pretty heavy). My other main bike wants premium with its 13:1 compression ratio.

Understand that the other bike needs 91 plus octane, but if your feejer is knocking on 87 there is something wrong with it (and it's not just the "heavy load"). You could figure that out and then you'd have at least one vehicle to drive/ride that uses regular.

 

[kiteman11]

It's now much worse than before. Getting hard to find fuel anywhere in North GA. It's luck of the draw. If you happen to go by when the tanker truck is there or if it's just left, then you get it.

 

[Calimus]

Yup, nothing up here at all. I pass 10 stations on my way outta Cville every day, none have had fuel in days. The QT by my house has been out for over a week. Seems like he majority of the the tankers are hitting the Metro area. Sure wouldn't mind seeing a few up here.

 

[El Toro]

Understand that the other bike needs 91 plus octane, but if your feejer is knocking on 87 there is something wrong with it (and it's not just the "heavy load"). You could figure that out and then you'd have at least one vehicle to drive/ride that uses regular.

There's nothing wrong with it that a downshift won't cure. I think most folks wouldn't even notice what I'm noticing. Its not some horrid head gasket blowing knock. Its very subtle, and short lived at lower rpm under load.

Research and Motor Octane numbers are found by doing tests with a special engine that can vary its compression ratio from 3 to 30. Waukesha Division of Dresser makes them https://www.waukeshaengine.com/internet/bus...p;numPageID=381. The conditions for Motor Octane testing are different than for Research Octane testing, and in the US, the pump displays their average. The difference between the two numbers is the sensitivity of the fuel, and this isn't displayed for us. I don't know what we're getting for "regular" as the stuff gets shipped up here in the post hurricane environment.

The downshift could make it go away for a couple of reasons. First, it is not uncommon to feed the ecu a signal indicating the gear selected, and if the gear is 1 or 2, a lower timing advance would be ordered compared to what would be found in a higher gear. There are guys selling modification kits to fool the bike into thinking that its always in a higher gear in order to get the full advance curve for all gears. I don't know if the FJR's ecu has this "feature" or not. Second, downshifting asks the engine to produce less torque. The gear box is a torque multiplier. The rear wheel is calling for torque to keep accelerating, the engine has to supply it through the transmission. The output side of the transmission feels the wheel. The input side feels the engine. The bigger the leverage, the less the engine has to produce to match the demands of the wheel. One of the old Greek guys said "Give me a long enough lever and I'll move the world."

In any event, I'm set for now. My experiments suggest that what I'm noticing on the FJR is subtle at 87, barely noticable at 89, and totally gone at 91. Our premium is 93. I filled it with premium last night, and the tank mix is now at about 91. Me and the bike are both happy.

Will it run on 87 in an acceptable way? Yeah..., but I don't have to like it.

 

[Hutchuf]

Almost midnight and I'm going to hunt around for gas so I don't have to wait in a 30 minute line (if I can even find it). Very sad.

 

[flapsup]

We were northbound on Friday the 26th and rode around Atlanta on the east side of 285, then headed north again 19/400 and started looking for fuel. It started getting deperate for my brother who had refueled in Tifton GA and I topped off in Macon. We hit every off ramp for about an hour and a half with no luck.

We were in a bagged up station in Alpharetta talking over me scouting ahead and calling him on the cell when I found some. Two cheerleaders (honest to god!!) came out of the store and heard us discussing our plight. They directed us to a station about four blocks away who was pumping the first gas he had in three days.

There were about 40 cars lined up trying to get in. A bunch of 'em had blocked the road and nobody could move. Some of the pumps were open becuase the cagers couldn't get their filler caps on the right side. Broke the line, scooted in, got some, and got out before anybody got hostile.

Spent Friday night in Dahlonega and had to hunt for it but finally found some regular. Saturday on the Gap was good and they had regular at the store. We vowed that we would not pass through Atlanta on Sunday to go home but chose instead to take 129/441 down to Macon, and had no difficulties finding fuel away from Atlanta.

I feel for those folks. Nothing like a little desperation to find out who really has good manners!

 

[El Toro]

We have a new casualty in this fuel fiasco. Up until yesterday there were a handful of stations in our neck of the woods that were still selling real gasoline rather than gasohol.

As of last night, the Shell and BP affiliates had caved and gone over to gasohol. The Citgo affiliate was out of gas and had nothing to sell.

With the lower calorific value of ethanol compared to other gasoline components, we're sad to see what may be the end of an era here.

Premium and Plus grades are still harder to come by than regular grade, even in gasohol, but we don't have widespread "no gas" signs. Just a few.

We're on I-40 between Nashville and Knoxville.

 

[Hutchuf]

Atlanta is now justing getting gas. Although there are still many stations without it, you should be able to find one or two off of each exit. There may still be a line but not nearly as bad as several days ago.

 

[RayW]

All the QT stores seem to be getting gas with no problem now.

I managed to get by, and even made a trip to Nashville on the 19th of last month. Had no major problem finding gas outside of the big cities. Filled up the truck just before Cartersville so had it in reserve for the next couple weeks. Used up the last of the lawn mower gas in the bike and was able to stretch it out until last week. Then the QT's started getting gas so we've been able to fill up all the tanks along with the lawn mower cans.

Didn't notice any milk and bread shortages though....

Ray

 

[Steve01]

Whats the average Gas price in the USA at present? the cost here for unleaded at my local filling station is £1.09p per Ltr or (£4.95p) a gallon the cost of fuel as gone up something like 20% over the last 12 months! not good news for me with a weekly fuel bill now approaching approximately £100 per week.

 

[rockhead]

Like El Toro, I live on the Cumberland Plateau, further south than him. There are still spotty shortages here, but at least one station always has gas. I made a trip to Knoxville last week and found the same situation. One station was out, but there was gas across the street. Gas stations along I-75 seemed to be OK.

 

[Hutchuf]

Whats the average Gas price in the USA at present? the cost here for unleaded at my local filling station is £1.09p per Ltr or (£4.95p) a gallon the cost of fuel as gone up something like 20% over the last 12 months! not good news for me with a weekly fuel bill now approaching approximately £100 per week.

Gas in and around Atlanta is anywhere from $3.70-4.09 a gallon for regular unleaded (87 0ctane).

 

[El Toro]

Whats the average Gas price in the USA at present? the cost here for unleaded at my local filling station is £1.09p per Ltr or (£4.95p) a gallon the cost of fuel as gone up something like 20% over the last 12 months! not good news for me with a weekly fuel bill now approaching approximately £100 per week.

Yesterday I paid $3.79/gal for BP 93 octane gasohol (90 % gasoline 10% ethanol). In the US the octane rating is the average of the motor octane number and the research octane number, so depending on the fuel's sensitivity, 93 in the US would be something greater than 95 on the research octane scale. I don't know what you use in the UK, but in some countries research octane number is what's on the pump.

The lowest price I saw yesterday for regular grade (87 octane gasohol) was $3.39, and the high was probably around $3.65.

 

[Steve01]

Whats the average Gas price in the USA at present? the cost here for unleaded at my local filling station is £1.09p per Ltr or (£4.95p) a gallon the cost of fuel as gone up something like 20% over the last 12 months! not good news for me with a weekly fuel bill now approaching approximately £100 per week.

Yesterday I paid $3.79/gal for BP 93 octane gasohol (90 % gasoline 10% ethanol). In the US the octane rating is the average of the motor octane number and the research octane number, so depending on the fuel's sensitivity, 93 in the US would be something greater than 95 on the research octane scale. I don't know what you use in the UK, but in some countries research octane number is what's on the pump.

The lowest price I saw yesterday for regular grade (87 octane gasohol) was $3.39, and the high was probably around $3.65.

I use mainly ordinary unleaded 95 RON (Research Octane Number) but I occasionly give the old girl a helping of super unleaded (98 RON). I dont see any difference in performance but i persume it burns cleaner (thats what i tell myself anyway). Nice to see that you all in the States are still paying less than 50% of what we have to fill our fuel tanks........

 

[Bobcattoo]

Let me recommend GasBuddy.com for the latest prices on fuel.