hello.

I have a carburetted F650 and I plan a trip, next year, from Europe through Central Asia to Wladivostok. According to information I found on the Bulletin Board sometimes fuel quality is as low as 76. Can a F650 operate with that low quality? What are the risks? What are solutions? Last year I traveled through Egypt and sometimes only 85 was available. The bike protested a little bit against this quality but could calm him down with some octanebooster. Can I do that too with a fuel quality as low as 76?

Thanks for your answer!

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Voorbij de horizon / beyond the horizon: www.wonderfultravels.nl

I have no experience with such a low octane fuel, but I do suggest you post your question on the "Chain Gang's" (the International F650 site) Message Board. The URL is http://f650.com - follow the link from the homepage to the Message Board. Somebody WILL be able to answer your question.

Good luck,
Bernard

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Bernard Voges
Cape Town, South Africa

Hello Bernard,

Thank you for your suggestion. I will put my question on Chain Gang's messageboard too. Isn't it funny that on a bulletin board for travelers on motorbikes nobody has any experience with this problem? Last year I travelled through Egypt. In some occassions I could only get 'tamaneen'fuel with octanenumber 85. My bike wasn't happy with that!

Mart Heijnens

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Voorbij de horizon / beyond the horizon: www.wonderfultravels.nl

"Thank you for your suggestion. I will put my question on Chain Gang's messageboard too. Isn't it funny that on a bulletin board for travelers on motorbikes nobody has any experience with this problem? "

Just off the top of my head, I can think of at least 6 others who could answer that question. Two of them are in Brazil, one is somewhere between Canada and Alaska and the other's over in sub-Indian area. :-)

They're all on 650's but, admittively, three of them that I'm thinking of are FI.

I think the best solution is to lower the bike's compression by adding an extra head gasket. That has other effects though.

Plenty of bikes have made that route and survived. This question might be better addressed in a more non-specific area if you don't get a better answer!

Good luck! Cheers,
Gerry

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Gerry
PHX AZ USA

I've heard of a number of people making the trip fine on an F650. Two mods you should make before the trip to accomodate bad and leaded gas are:

1) Remove the Catalytic converter. Leaded gas (often the only option in the bush) can clog the cat over time, killing your exhaust. Any aftermarket pipe will not have a cay in it.

2) Install two high quality in-line fuel filters just under the tank. Clean them regularly...

Good luck,
NewMexEd, Departing through S. America on my trusty F650 this fall...

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NewMexEd

Ooops, seems I'm one of the errant f650 riders who could have answered this one... ( Sorry K7lro)

The first I took was to replace the standard exhausts with Sebrings out of the touratech catalogue, without the Cat converter. They sound a lot raunchier than the standard pipes, and of course they won't gum up with leaded fuel.

I've just finiished the Panamerican, and the reality is that a few countries like Bolivia cannot supply unleaded fuel, but then again, one country is all it takes.

On the Octane subject, I ran through Boilivia using thier 80 Octane fuel, and the bike ( f650gs Dakar ) had no real problems, even two up at 4,000 metres going up hill !

All I had to watch out for was low revs at take off, otherwise you would get a pinking noise edging off from standstill. What shocked me was the comment from a local motorcycle dealer in Bolivia, who informed me that the real Octane there can sometimes fall below 70.....

Cutting it short, I made it though without Octane boosters, on the shittiest fuel one can find, and had no problems.

My suggestion for the big trip would be to take some real high powered booster for Bolivia, and not to worry about the other countries. I reckon the idea to put in a couple of pre filters is also not a bad one considering the cost of replacing BMW's filter on the bike which is supposed to be replaced after every 20,000km's. A smart rider would carry a spare with them unless they are prepared to pay the high costs at a south american dealer....

By the by, after getting some new brake pads from a KTM dealer, I'll be investigating whatever parts might be cheaper for Aprillia from now on. Example rear pads from a Canadian dealer in Vancouver $ 74 Candadian, and from a KTM dealer only 42.....

Buyer beware.

Cheers

Jeremy



[This message has been edited by Jeremy Andrews (edited 16 September 2002).]

I took the uncarb´d F650 through iran/pakistan/india. not sure of the fuel quality in those places (certaily dodgy) but it ran absolutely fine. The bike is designed to take pretty much anything, and quite frankly I wouldn´t play with that robust Rotax engine. I do second the comment on inline filters.

I now (like Jeremy above) have the new injected model. and I am travelling in Bolivia. But I have not taken off the cat converter.

and I have had no problems whatsoever. so far...

Lance

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