kawapower

Okay mate calm down it's a forum and it's something I am now interested in, if you do not want to contribute then don't!!

Oh you did contribute, well done an apology on it's way!!

Cheers mate, so within the next few years gasohol is all you will be able to get and maybe even E10 will no longer be available as it appears they want to increase the Ethanol content, so when all our bikes and cars break down because of Ethanol will the manufactures pay, I doubt it as gasohol is recommended on bikes and cars.

Took my Z1000 in for it's 1000km service this morning, thought I would bring up the subject of fuel again, I ask man "who tell you it's okay to use 91 Benzine in this bike" man say "customer" "if I use 91 Benzine will warranty be okay should a problem with engine occur" no answer other than customer say ok, many times man say "gasohol no good" I thought to myself, why <deleted> sell a bike that says to use 95 gasohol which you say is no good and 95 Benzine which is very difficult to get!! has anyone had problems using E10 in there bike? does anyone know of any problems using E10? does anyone know of anyone else who has had a problem using E10?

I understand now that Ethanol attracts water so if left for a long time in tanks or in the motorbike water corrosion could occur but what are the chance in a bike or car that is used regularly!!

I keep going on about this but I find it difficult to ignore the manual and a very visible tank sticker saying Benzine, gasohol 95!!!

Once had a falang well dressed ask me for 100bht for petrol as he had left his house without his money, I politely said no!! begging is big business all over the world, in the UK there was a programme about a guy who worked in a big office, after work he would do a quick change into his begging gear and earn lots of money, obviously an entrepreneur of the highest order!!

There are some strange ones around..last night coming back from dinner with gf we got stopped by dishevelled farang begging.. this wasn't a beggar standing at side hoping for a handout rather a big guy standing in our way.. scared the daylights out of gf and I must admit when he deliberately stepped in front of me blocking my path i thought " here we go".

What happened next?

I would have expected a little bit of gratitude but maybe he was actually going to give her a 400 bht plus tip, even the pump girl gave him a strange look!!

I was hoping for a possible surprise announcement on a locally made Honda CBR600RR, a Kawasaki ZX6R or similar. Sounds like my hopes will be dashed.

I am also wondering if Yamaha would ever produce a form of the R1 for the local market or if Suzuki might do something with a locally made Jixxer. I guess time will tell.

The only problem being is the better Kawasaki Ninja 250 has given the CBR250 some stiff competition, maybe Mr Honda will look at his 250 sales in Thailand and decide not to produce something bigger......

i dont think the ninja 250 is much better than a cbr 250

theyre both slow but the cbr has more torque and is more comfortable and the instrument panel looks more modern

if they were the same price ,like they should be and are in other countries the ninja may edge it on performance but

id give comfort and day to day usabilty to the cbr

i think honda sold more cbr250s last year than all the other manufacturers combined making bikes of 250cc or larger

there was a thread about it somewhere

also ,something like 400/1 is the ratio of scooters to real motorcycles so the thai market is not worth making any new models

specificaly for here unless they can sell them elsewhere as well

My mate has the Kawa 250R it is super quick, it's a great bike!!

Just back from PTT man in front of me ask's for petrol, no words just wave of his hand, can not open the seat so girl does for him, 75bht of fuel, gives the girl 500bht and with his hand waves as if to say keep the change!! I say to him "mate you have given her 500bht" he looks at me with a blank stare then looks at the change the girl is holding and fumbles away 400 bht leaving the girl the rest, I look at him as if to say "you all there mate" nothing but a blank stare, gets on his bike and once he has figured out how to start it he drives away. amazing Thailand!!! no thanks, <Snip!> people!!!

I love supersport bikes but they are not practical as they are so uncomfortable to ride over any distance, I have the new Z1000 and for me it blows away anything, riding position is fantastic, it looks awesome, it sounds great, I love driving it and can not get enough of it!!

What I was really trying to ask for is something that is of benefit to others.

A good idea but why do you wish others to do the work. A couple of hours of creative surfing and an Excel spreadsheet should net all the info. Which can then be published as you say for the benefit of others.

I'm no expert on bikes but I'm guessing that a bike in the same class with more HP is faster than the other. eg If a CBR250 has 20HP and a Ninja 250 has 25HP then its faster and justifies its higher price.

HP is not the only indicator of a bike or scooters performance although it is good for pub chat and brochures. All things have to be considered. Ninja might justify a higher price because the components are better or the overall package is better?

I'm not asking anyone to do any work, I figured some of the 'experts' on here would already know the HP value of their own bike(s).

Interesting that you say HP doesn't always indicate the overall performance.

My bike is very very fast!!!!!

I put it on the front fender. Not nice, but OK, if law says i have to show it, why not...

Easier on the scooter of course, but mostly hidden from shopping bags:

Guess its not allowed to hide the sticker behind shopping bags

I have never openly displayed the tax sticker, it is under the seat in a clear small plastic bag, only once was I stopped to ask to show insurance, I lifted the seat showed the plod and went on my way!!

The leader of the horsepower pack in Thailand is the MV Agusta F4 RR which produces about 198.5 horsepower (or 148 kW).

But would have been the Kawasaki ZX10R if it was still obtainable, 209 with Ram air.

RAM Air is not real useful horsepower, as the maximum horsepower is near the maximum speed of the motorcycle. The Kawasaki is limited to a speed below 300km/h, the MV Agusta has not been limited and has as “tested” maximum speed 322km/h...

So at around 290km/h the Kawasaki engine is capable to produce 207hp (154.4kW). So I guess you get pretty quick to the last 10km/h... before you hit the 300km/h speed limiter... (by-the-way 209.9ps is not the same as horsepower)

Of course we talking about pure theoretical stuff we cannot even test on the tracks in Thailand as most are just to short.

I could not imagine going 322km/h on a bike, when I get up to 140km/h I back off it's just to fast, I prefer slower speeds it's safer and more enjoyable!!

So you want the highest possible octane level then? I could be wrong, I have been once before, but I'm pretty sure 95 benzine has the highest followed by 91 benzine then 95 gasohol and 91 gasohol. So, like I said, 91 benzine is a better option than 95 gasohol

95 Benzine is the same octane rating as 95 gasohol 95 gasohol contains 10% Ethanol, as far as I can tell 10% Ethanol has no detrimental effect on the fuel system parts, of course I could be wrong but no one has provided any evidence that gasohol in particular E10 causes any problems. maybe 91 Benzine would be okay but the tank sticker and manual clearly states 95 not 91, my bikes runs perfectly on 95 gasohol, I have now filled up with 95 Benzine but as I stated before it is a 60km round trip to get this fuel.

The leader of the horsepower pack in Thailand is the MV Agusta F4 RR which produces about 198.5 horsepower (or 148 kW).

But would have been the Kawasaki ZX10R if it was still obtainable, 209 with Ram air.

Can anyone provide or is there any actual proof that gasohol in particular E10 damages engines? most of the bikes and cars are running on gasohol in this country but I have never heard or read about problems concerning this fuel, my Nissen March runs on 95 gasohol my Z1000 runs on 95 gasohol(also 95 Benzine when I can be bothered to drive 60 kms to get it, my 2 125's run on 91 gasohol, my mates Nissen March and Kawasaki 250R runs on 91 gasohol never have we had a problem, it would be nice to see some evidence of actual damage to engines etc.

You'll get better performance and fuel economy from 91 benzine than either 91 or 95 gasohol. It will probably work out the same price as 91 benzine is slightly more expensive but, as every garage sell 91 benzine (usually red), why wouldn't you?

Because it does not say to use 91 on my bike or manuel, did you not read my last post???

OK, so you are happy to use 95 Gasohol but not 91 Benzine?!

It does not say to use 91 Benzine any where on my bike or manual(twice I have now said this, why would I use a lower octane rated fuel in a bike when everything says DO NOT USE A LOWER OCTANE FUEL OTHER THAN WHAT IS SPECIFIED!!! the warranty depends on you using the correct fuel, correct parts etc, if you can provide documented proof that using gasohol will 100% cause damage to my bike I will go back to Kawasaki and get a written statement saying I am able to use Benzine 91 and this will not affect my warranty or cause bad running!!

91 RON and 95 RON are different, I am not technical but high compression engines I assume prefer a higher octane!!

Hydrous Ethanol Corrosion

High alcohol fuel blends are reputed to cause corrosion of aluminum fuel system components. However, studies indicate that the addition of water to the high alcohol fuel blends helps prevent corrosion. This is shown in SAE paper 2005-01-3708 Appendix 1.2 where gasoline/alcohol blends of E50, nP50,IP50 nB50, IB50 were tested on steel, copper, nickel, zinc, tin and three types of aluminum. The tests showed that when the water content was increased from 2000ppm to 1%, corrosion was no longer evident except some materials showed discolouration.

Going by this taken from Wikipedia there are problems associated with corrosion of fuel system parts in high content Ethanol mixture fuel, I am sure there will never be any problems associated with E10 other than maybe a little less kms to a litre.

Can anyone provide or is there any actual proof that gasohol in particular E10 damages engines? most of the bikes and cars are running on gasohol in this country but I have never heard or read about problems concerning this fuel, my Nissen March runs on 95 gasohol my Z1000 runs on 95 gasohol(also 95 Benzine when I can be bothered to drive 60 kms to get it, my 2 125's run on 91 gasohol, my mates Nissen March and Kawasaki 250R runs on 91 gasohol never have we had a problem, it would be nice to see some evidence of actual damage to engines etc.

You'll get better performance and fuel economy from 91 benzine than either 91 or 95 gasohol. It will probably work out the same price as 91 benzine is slightly more expensive but, as every garage sell 91 benzine (usually red), why wouldn't you?

Because it does not say to use 91 on my bike or manuel, did you not read my last post???

Can anyone provide or is there any actual proof that gasohol in particular E10 damages engines? most of the bikes and cars are running on gasohol in this country, I have never heard or read about problems concerning this fuel, my Nissen March runs on 95 gasohol my Z1000 runs on 95 gasohol(also 95 Benzine when I can be bothered to drive 60 kms to get it, my 2 125's run on 91 gasohol, my mates Nissen March and Kawasaki 250R runs on 91 gasohol never have we had a problem, it would be nice to see some evidence of actual damage to engines etc.

Just read alot about Ethanol and it is hear to stay and no doubt before long you will not be able to get anything other than Ethanol mixed fuel, so if you have concerns about this fuel(I do not anymore, I have no choice but to use E10, what are you going to do, start walking or buy a push bike seems to be the only options!!

As for using 91 Benzine in my Z1000 as advised by the Kawasaki dealer, it clearly says on the tank and manual to use Benzine 95 or E10 gasohol, using any other fuel would invalidate the warranty should any problems occur, the Kawasaki dealer says to use 91 because it is obtainable whereas Benzine 95 is not!! they filled my bike up with 91 I assume Benzine because that is what they could get easily!!

You can use 91 if you can't fine 95 benzine. But I would stay away from gasohol. That stuff doesn't run well at all and someone told me it gums up the engine over time. They also have those gasohol benzine blends I think. Pass on that too. PTT has 91 benzine if you can't find Caltex 95. But I think Shell has nothing but gasohol these days. Just say no to corn!

My Suzuki Skydrive has run on 91 gasohol for 3 yrs and still runs as if it was new, so I can't say if gasohol is that bad, my Z1000 is running perfectly on gasohol 95 but I would rather be using 95 Benzine which is a 30km trip to get to the only fuel station which sells it.

_{There is an issue in this country regarding bikes and fuel, my Z1000 according to the tank sticker and manual should be running on Benzine 95 which is very difficult to find, it also says it can use 95 gasohol E10, I am using that at the moment and the bike runs perfect, I have contacted Kawasaki Thailand asking them to provide information regarding the effects of gasohol on the Z1000 engine, also to explain why they sell a bike that needs Benzine 95 but is extremely difficult to find, no response!! however I did get a response from Kawasaki UK.}

_{Kawasaki Phuket are adamant that 91 Benzine should be used in the Z1000 when everything points to it being the wrong fuel, I think they are saying this because Benzine is so difficult to find, I will be going back to them and asking for an explanation as to why they are giving out the wrong information.}

Thank you for your email.

The fuel information detailed both on your fuel tank and in your owners manual should be the same and are correct. These are the specifications recommended by the factory. For the UK, the owners handbook specifies that the minimum octane rating that can be used is 95 and that you should never use gasoline with an octane rating lower than the minimum specified by Kawasaki to prevent serious engine damage.

So in answer to your question, if the fuel guidelines in your owners handbook are as above then the factory are stating that using a fuel with a RON of less than 95 will cause serious engine damage.

Kind regards,

Alan Lunn

Technical Service Advisor

Technical and Customer Service Group

_{Kawasaki Motors UK <img />}

How does the riding position of the 795 compare to the Ninja 650? I am 6';2" and found the Ninja comfy on a multi day tour I did a couple of years ago.

The Ninja 650 is far better, the Ducati is a strange bike in fact for me it is horrible but looks good untill you sit on it!!

This is the non ABS beast, my mate says it looks like a transformer and stealth fighter, it is an amazing bike!!! but very thirsty!!

Nice bike. Was really keen on the Ninja1000 (Z1000sx) for a while, but they don't seem to make sport bars for it. Does anyone know how the riding position on the 795 is like by comparison? Hard to tell when looking at pics.

I am 6'4" the driving position on the 795 is awful, I hated every minute I drove it, my crotch was forced into the tank and the handlebars are to low for a naked bike, 10 mins and I had had enough, straight down to Kawasaki!!

Well that's great news. I can't stand the upright riding position of the ER6n/Ninja650 which is why I had sport bars on it. When I punch it I don't want to feel like I have to hang on with my arms/hands. Felt like I was going to fall over backwards. Energy should be transferred down through the saddle. How as it compared to a stock ER6n/Ninja650?

Go to Ducati and test drive the 795 bikes are a personal choice, love the look of the Ducati but for me it is not a good bike to drive. I hate supersport bike riding position it is not safe to lay on the tank doing high speed on a public road, my opinion of course.

My mate has just got the Ninja 250R what a great bike, very quick and good to drive, if you like a particular bike at the moment go for it.

caltex benzine 95

Have never tried the caltex one. I speak no thai how is the benzine one distinguished??

Went into Caltex this morning looking for benzine 95 they not do. (Katu Caltex)

Can anyone give me the locations of available 95 benzine on Phuket?

I had a imported CB400SF slung together in Thailand bought it in CM, I emailed Honda some questions with the engine number in Japan and they were very helpful they told me where the original engine and bike were assembled and also I could use 91 benzine in Thailand, did so for nearly 3 year and sold it it is still running well.

Mine was a 1996 carb engine model you do not say what yours is so could be different, but Honda being Honda, new injected ones maybe they can run on gasohol.

CB400 1996.bmp

I Have the new Kawasaki Z1000, on tank it says Benzine, E10 Gasohol 95, manual says 95, dealer says 91 Benzine!! manual also says do not use a lower octane fuel than that which is specified.

This is the non ABS beast, my mate says it looks like a transformer and stealth fighter, it is an amazing bike!!! but very thirsty!!

Nice bike. Was really keen on the Ninja1000 (Z1000sx) for a while, but they don't seem to make sport bars for it. Does anyone know how the riding position on the 795 is like by comparison? Hard to tell when looking at pics.

I am 6'4" the driving position on the 795 is awful, I hated every minute I drove it, my crotch was forced into the tank and the handlebars are to low for a naked bike, 10 mins and I had had enough, straight down to Kawasaki!!