Fuel when overseas
 

Hi all,

Just wondering: when taking your motorcycle overseas, what fuel issues will be faced and what solutions are there? In particular I am wanting to know about bad quality fuel and what treatments/additives/filters can be used to prevent damaging the engine.

Cheers!:taz:

It would be helpful if you told us what bike you will be riding, some modern bikes require adjustment to help them run on poor fuel where as something like the old airhead BMWs I ride will run on any petrol no matter how poor without changing anything.

I have 2005 R1200GS.
Been on the road for 2.5 years and the only mod I have done was to remove cat.
Fuel was really bad in central-asia, but bike ran ok.

Hi guys,

Thanks for your replies. I am taking a 2014 KTM1190 Adventure R which is recommended to run on 95 Octane or better. A while ago I was briefly told about additives that you can put into lower quality fuel and was hoping someone may have used some and what their thoughts/recommendations were.

Also if anyone has any recommendations on good pre filters to prevent sand etc

Cheers!

Not sure if these guys do a specific model for the 1190, send them the filler dimensions and see if they can either start making them or already make one that will fit.

http://www.profill-australia.com/e-store/STORE.html

In South America we were running on gas at ~80 octane, this is not an issue at high elevation on the Altiplano, or if you are doing the high passes in Asia, it compensates for the lack of oxygen.

As for fuel additives, there's only so much you can carry, Id contact KTM directly and ask them - at least to cover yourself in the event of any problems.

Not putting down the KTM 1190 Adventure, they are an excellent bike,(I took one for a test ride this year) but this is why I travel on a DR650, it will run on camel piss!

Usually EFI bikes are equipped with sufficient filters to prevent damage to the engine or EFI mechanism, and that would also be the case for your 1190. On carb bikes, it is a must to install an (paper) inline fuel filter, but that's not applicable to EFI bikes. If you know you will be travelling to countries serving donkey piss out of rusty oil drums, then maybe take some kind of filter to clean the fuel before it goes into your tank (paper coffee filter or a rag if all else fails).

As to octane level, most KTMs have a low ignition setting (not sure about the 1190) that you can activate. My LC4 has two settings >92 and >80 octane, and if in doubt, I switch to the lower octane setting. If that's not available on your bike, you might chose to carry a small amount of whatever octane-boosting additive you fancy, and add that if you hear the engine starts pinging. Your bike manufacturer will likely tell you that octane boosters and low-octane fuels are a no-go, but high compression bikes like the 1190R aren't built to travel to the far end of the world (even if the brochure likes to picture it that way).

What can be more troublesome is water in the fuel. This happens if you buy in dodgy places, and crooks stretch fuel with water. If in doubt, put it in a separate container with a drainage tab (or clear plastic bottles), let it settle over night and separate.

A final note: there are really few places in the world where the fuel is extremely bad. I've had that in Uzbekistan (76 octane) amongst others, and parts of Ethiopia, but in most countries the fuel was ok.

Which countries are you planning to travel to?

Thanks Grif and Sirakor for all your information! It was all food for thought and a great starting place for more research. As for where we are going, starting in South East Asia and working it out from there. We are going to take a couple of years or longer if finances permit. I will have a look at the recommended website and contact KTM now that I know what to ask.

Cheers guys and happy travelling!
:taz: