Gas in south america ???
 

Hi

Usualy you can find a kind of super or premium-unleaded gas like in Noth america (something like octane 91)? or I don't konw ....the motor of my bike( gs 650 -2007) is soppose to run with it ,do I have to make adjustement?

on Pan american hwy , down to Usuahia what is the longest gap between too gas station ?

Other subject....:scooter: For high altitude riding ...the lower atmospheric pressur make difference on the engine performance.....you need adjust this for that??


FranK

Don't worry. Your bike gets great gas mileage. I don't know what the longest distance is, but if you are on any of the routes you see written about here, you shouldn't need to carry extra fuel. And the bike can handle the gas down there just fine the way it is.

2 places to be careful with fuel that I knwo of
 

Hi,
There are two places we found heading north from Ushuia to be a little wary of fuel.
From memory if you travel on Ruta 5 Chile, be careful about fuel just south of Antofagasta. I'm not sure if it was the route we took but heading north from Chanaral we pulled into Antofagsta on fumes, I have a 28 litre tank. We did travel up the coast to Pan de Azucar, which is a very scenic road. There is a detour to a coastal resort town between Chaneral and Antofagasta that you can get fuel in but you then have to ride back out again. Sorry but I can't remember how far the detour is or the name of the town. Not being much use so far, am I!

The other is on Ruta 40 in Patagonia between Baho Caracoles and Tres Lagos about 350km I think, there is no fuel. Neither place takes visa/m'card or has an ATM so make sure you have the cash for it before you get to either town.
Also, if you are coming up from the south, the Tres Lagos petrol station is over the crest of the hill and to the left, it is the only building there but you could miss it - one of us rode straight past it. If you get desperate then a detour via Gobernador Gregores has an ATM, a fuel stop and a hospital if you happen to crash on the shitty part of the road from Tres Lagos to Gregores.

Good luck.

Michelle

Trans Am Upside Down

gas
 

Your bike will be fine. You will lose power at high altitudes. Don't worry about it. The gas is poorer quality, again not a big problem for your bike.

If you stop by Medellin, Colombia, you can get your injector cleaned at La Casa Del Inyector. They have some high tech cleaner that uses sound frequency to clean stuff. Safe for plastic/aluminum/steel/brass/etc. They are biker friendly. Owner has Triumph Bonneville and Ducati Monster.

And I don't need to mention Moto Angel too, do I?

Just basic travel stuff.

Bon chance!

Incorrect - the 650GS doesn't have knock sensors, can't adjust to suit the octane. The 650 engine management system is much simpler than on the twins.

Except for gas in Brazil (high alcohol content), there's no problem with the gas in South America. Buy whenever you can from the major brands, fill often, not when you are nearly out and the only gas around is from the barrel on the side the shed.

As to the octane ratings, they are calculated different in SA than in the US - same system as Euro zone I believe. Here in Argentina now, the octane ratings are 95 for super, 97 for highest, and 91 I believe is lowest octane.

When you are in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia, you'll have a hard time finding anything other than the lowest octane fuel - which is just fine at high altitude.

There are a couple spots you need to carry extra liters, but they are few (Atacama desert I believe, Salar de Uyuni if you do the distance between Uyuni and San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, possibly a spot along Ruta 40 in Patagonia.)

Bolivia & Brazil
 

The info on gaps in fuel stations is right on from what I know in south america. But gas quality can be a problem.

1) Bolivia has horrible 84 octane gas in most of the parts you will want to travel to. My F650GS did okay, but a good option is to purchase a small bottle of STP octane booster. You can find it at auto parts places that advertise lubricante. Not found at a gas station. Costs is about $8. Just add a tad of this each time you refill and you~ll see a huge difference.

But if you are blowing down that highway of the panamerica, you~ll blow by Bolivia and this would be a terrible mistake.

2) If you happen to continue the ride to Brazil you will also find very bad gas. Some BR (Petrobras) stations have PODIUM (or something close to this spelling) and this is the highest octane gas you can find and is sufficient. Otherwise, you will try to find Gasolina Additiva (a low octane but somewhat vbetter than the typical G. Commun you will find most places. Try to only buy gas at Petrobras, Shell, Iparinga or Texaco and at stations that appear to be clean and organized. There are a lot of smaller stations bvut they will likely rip you off with either bad gas or bad business practices.

good luck. it is a helluva ride.

allan

Thanks
 

Tanks you all for your great advice

continu to share you knowlodge that help probably lots of people

...and an other question.... when you put gas in thoses places.. usualy the octane rate is well indicate in the pump ?..you have to ask..or gues it ?


FranK

I thought newer F650's would have had some sort of knock sensor or other system to retard timing, especially since its running CAT convertor.

Update on Ruta 5 in Chile: if you stick to the Ruta 5, the furthest between gas stations is 300km, and that´s on the stretch south of Arica, but just north of Antofagasta. The stretch is from a gas station 50km south of Pozo Almonte and runs to the junction at Carmen Alto. I´m told you can detour a few km off the 5 to get gas in Maria Elena. But, as I found out, if you thought ahead and equipped yourself witha Buell Ulysses you wouldn´t need to :cool4: .

Fuel in Chile is good quality. Copec always seems to have 97 octane. With a bit of hunting, decent stuff can be found in Peru and Ecuador, too.

Good luck

Al

PS - Edit: should have mentioned, that it´s a run of close to 250km south of Antafagasta, too. Copec sell nice fuel cans that strap nicely to a rear seat!

Your F650 does have a low-octane switch - ask your dealer and he'll hit the appropriate laptop button. Low-octane fuel isn't a big deal, as long as it's not forever - you'll get some knocking, a soggy throttle and on the plus side, ridiculously good mileage.

Suerte, Dan

Always good to learn these things from people who have done it. Can't wait until it is my turn to share. 55 days left of work. a bit of planning, equipping and waiting for weather so we can cross the mountains. scooters with highway tires don't get along well with ice, snow, or pitted roads in the ice from tire chains. figure about march.Should be in Argentina for Christmas, then head for Georgetown-prayerfully, hopefully, missing the rainy season.
thanks for the good stuff

joe

Fuel cat
 

I fitted a Fuel Cat (catalyser) into the tank. I have had one on the Divi600 for years and it worked well in Russia and the Stans where fuel can be a bit suspect.
I've just fitted on to the VStrom and notice an improvement in range.
At about US$70 I consider it worth the invertment.

That is good to learn Gypsy. Now, could you please tell me where I can buy such a beat bia mail-order?

Thank you
j

I did California-Ushuaia on the west coast and back up to Nicaragua on the east coast with a F650GSD 2005... did great until entering Brasil. I had to reprogram the bike there bc it was running really bad. they mecanic said that to many high altitude crossing to many different types of gas had thrown of the mixing... re programing it once in Brasil i haven´t had any problems..

I would stay AWAY from TEXACO.. the worst gas so far. In particular the texaco just outside the cargo area in the panama airport.. Brennan had to dump all his fuel 12 gallon bc the gasoline had wierd stuff floating.