Back to "High test" gas?

[roadhawg]

OK I am taking the "middle ground" here.
Have been using "Mid Grade" gas. 89 octane and I do believe that I am getting better gas mileage/performance and I dont hear any pinging.

How can i tell if my bike has a fuel processor or not?
I dont have much "history" on my bike, so I cant tell you if it has any fuel mods or not?
It does have a K&N filter and nothing in the dog bowl on the other side.

[cactusjack]

If it has a Power Commander III, it will most likely be found under the seat, in the battery area. It's a box about the size of a cassette tape. If it has a Cobra, Dobeck or many of the others, it will likely be behind the left side cover.

[glwilson]

Originally Posted by blowndodge

It should BLB. 9:1 compression ration should NEVER require premium NEVER. Unfortunately Kawasaki took the cheap way out and gave the Nomad a Late 70's modified throttle body injection system. This lousy way about getting "fuel injection" has caused them to make the air/fuel mixture so dangerously lean that premium is a must.

Once air/fuel mixture passes 14.7:1 the thermodynamics diminishes. You get less and less power but the extreme rise in combustion temps makes for cleaner exhaust. The is the route Kawasaki took.

By adding a good processor and getting the mixture back between 13:1 up to 14.7:1 you'll get more power, which could lead to better mileage; a much cooler running motor that no longer needs premium.

Of course you could stick with your owner's manual and proclaim to all, "I only run the best for my baby!"

so next time your fuel pump acts up, don't ask us. the Owner's Manual says, "must be replaced as a unit"

The next time your drive shaft joint goes out, don't ask us how to replace it with a "greasable" U joint. The Manual doesn't say to do that.

The next time you have problems at all. GO TO YOUR MANUAL and don't ask for "other" solutions that are not specifically written in the MANUAL!!!

Drag your Nomad to the dealer and let him/her have at it....

Geez BD! If someone hasn't done the "mods", are you saying to run whatever you feel like?

Oh yeah... Take a nap... You're getting grumpy...

[OmahaShadow]

LEAD CONTENT in gasoline:

Lead content in grams of lead per gallon:

•100LL = 2 (AV gas)

•80/87 = 0.5

•Regular Auto Fuel = 0.1

.•Unleaded (Premium or Regular) = .001

[macmac]

Originally Posted by jandreu

I'll say it, all stock Nomads will ping unless you run hi-test gas!

I will back that up! OR run a tuned TFI, in which case there will be No Ping on 87 octane anyway. I can't buy 86.

Also that 4th and 5th are both over dives and no hard accel should happen in either one.

The bike will go almost as fast as it can go in 3rd, at the top 75% of power in 3rd you can hit 4th and make the bike go as fast as it can go.

That's it, so then shifting into 5th means the bike will begin to slow down from as fast as it can go, to what ever 5th will maintain.

[macmac]

Originally Posted by Top Cat

My Nomad is stock and it will run fine on 87 in cooler weather, no ping.
In warm weather I have to run 91.
When it does ping it sounds like little stones or gravel being thrown up under the fender.

Them little stones sounds is a gremlin with a big hammer and a cold chisel my friend...... TFI on all stock bike with nothing else is still a wise investment. The engine will run cooler, you may gain a few MPG's, not a lot of power gain, and no more noise than you had..

But no ping and on lesser octane.

[macmac]

Originally Posted by MickeyNew

What is the real question here? The owner's manual says run 91 octane. It is not worth the risk for me to challenge this. There are storys on other boards of folks that have damaged their valves doing so in Vulcans. Mine will always get premium fuel, synthetic oil and a genuine Kawasaki oil filter.

Like others, I also look for gas with no ethanol. Ethanol in gasoline is a huge joke on the American public, but that is another story.

In fact the book is a basket of BS..... The comp ratio calls what spec Octane a engine will run and 9:1 calls for 87 regular.

The reason the book say to run hi test is due to EPA regs and their BS.

These engines run too lean from the factory, and there is no way to adjust factory mix on a stock bike.
This isn't recent news either....

The fix and cure is to install a fuel module and enrichen mix in 2 phases..

Idle and low to mid RPM and hard acceleration.

This with a BAK a TFI with an after market exhaust will get you apx 10% cooler engine with 10% more power, and up to 10% more MPG's.

If that isn't proof I don't know what would be, and that is with 10% ethanol.

That's right, I added to the fuel mix and got better MPG's. That was quite a shock the first time, but not the times i did that on my 2nd Nomad, and other peoples Nomads.

This was a first time in better MPG's adding more fuel to assorted other engines over 28 years always lost under MPG's. before adding fuel for more power always cost MPG's.

Get real gas and you will get better MPG's at about 10%.


We are simply being robbed.... What the factory and the EPA did to us should be illegal.

I agree on the full syn oil but you can buy a better oil filter, from WIX. I don't know of a better oil filter on the market.

Anyone who allows their engines to ping is doing damage to the engine(s) cars and trucks do this too...

[macmac]

Originally Posted by Yellow Jacket

The owner's manual also says:

TAMPERING WITH NOISE CONTROL SYSTEM PROHIBITED:

Federal law prohibits the following acts or the causing thereof: (1) the removal or rendering inopoerative by any person other than for purposes of maintenance, repair, or replacement, of any device or element of design incorporated into any new vehicle for the purpose of noise control prior to its sale or delivery to the ultimate purchaser or while it is in use, or (2) the use of the vehicle after such device or element of design has been removed or rendered inoperative by any person.

Among those acts presumed to constitute tampering are the acts listed below:

- Replacement of the original exhaust system or muffler with a component not in compliance with Federal regulatins.

- Removal of the muffler(s) or any internal portion of the muffler(s).

- Removal of the air box or air box cover.

- Modifications to the muffler(s) or air intake system by cutting, drilling, or other means if such modifications result in increased noise levels.


So, that pretty well eliminates all aftermarket exhaust system, removing the baffles from the stock mufflers, adding any kind of air intake system such as the Big Air Kit, HyperCharges, Chucksters intake kits or the Caddman intake conversion. Heaven Forbid!

The EPA would ban farting, except they are all in the family.... Just look at the wind bags...

[OmahaShadow]

Now, since I don't have a TFI, I'm considering what TFI to invest in. At the risk of having a few small stones pitched at me, what is the best for the 2002 1500 FI? Cobra? Dobeck? Power Commander III?

[macmac]

Dobeck TFI..... Why? Well it will change engine RPM at idle speed so you can hear it when setting it up. i have never worked with a cobra unit, but i understand to hear a change in RPM you have to set up the cobra at 2,000 rpm.

That was how the Porsche 914 worked and is a valid method bu you must have a tack.

The PC III is over kill. The bike is a open loop system (No feed back from a O 2 sender...

And then I have read these units fail, not to mention you need a laptop to down load maps ..... Just too much trouble for a non O2 sender bike.

That leaves you with 2 TFI types.... A older probably used solder on unit if you can find one, or a new Plug N Play model which Kuryakyn also has in a after market package.

On a other wise all stock Nomad if all you were going to do was this it would be well worth it.

It will get you into the correct fuel type for this engine.
For a guy wanting to get more power and the rest, if he started here first it would work. Then the next step would be exhaust and last BAK

Also it is a wise idea to ride a all stock bike awhile son you can see the difference.

HD people all the time buy a new bike they never ride once and then do everything at once to be COOL, but they never knew what that bike was like stock...

Since my 01 was stock and I rode it something like 9,000 miles that way when I did it over, Cadman TFI and V&H baggers i could tell right away I had more power. I could tell my feet and legs were not on fire all the time too.

It took a few tanks of gas to understand i went from 34 MPG's to mid 40's on the 01.

The 06 does a little better in MPGs now than the 01 did at around 42/44, and could be better if i went back to a MC rear tire. With that on I was at 46/48 MPG's...

Alas I can't have it all and I will never run a mc rear tire again on a Nomad.