blueing on pipes

CANDY · 05-20-2008, 10:00 AM

i have read somewhere on here about the pipes turning blue and i have a few questions. i have had my bike for 1 year now and have 7000 miles on it. my pipes are not turning any color right now,so i'm wondering if there is something wrong with it. i have only used 93 octane fuel since the day i bought it new,and i changed the muffler to a 18" shorty megaphone. does no coloring mean i'm not running the fuel mixture right ? i don't have have any problems with it and have had it up to 70 pmh many times. should i be concerned ?

**jonathan180iq** · 05-20-2008, 10:11 AM

How long are your rides? If they are like mine, less than 10 miles or so both ways, they may not be getting hot enough to turn blue. This doesn't mean that there is a problem.

That being said, high octane acts a flame retardant. So, you may not be getting as hot of an explosion as you might if you were using 87. What is your fuel economy like? I'd bet that you get better mileage out of a tank of 87.

themarauderer · 05-20-2008, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CANDY

i have read somewhere on here about the pipes turning blue and i have a few questions. i have had my bike for 1 year now and have 7000 miles on it. my pipes are not turning any color right now,so i'm wondering if there is something wrong with it. i have only used 93 octane fuel since the day i bought it new,and i changed the muffler to a 18" shorty megaphone. does no coloring mean i'm not running the fuel mixture right ? i don't have have any problems with it and have had it up to 70 pmh many times. should i be concerned ?

You are possibly just lucky :cool:

My pipes are going blue ... its possibly down to moving off too fast and hard-ish acceleration....and bad luck!!

Anyhow, its not a necessity for pipes to turn blue so I wouldnt worry!

Easy Rider · 05-20-2008, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CANDY

should i be concerned ?

NO!

You might want to be concerned, however, about the $.20 a gallon that you are WASTING on gas !!

CANDY · 05-20-2008, 12:52 PM

thanks for the thoughts. my longest ride was 380 miles in one day. i average 50 - 100 miles a ride.it is 70 miles round trip to work, 2-3 days a weekat 45 60 mph.i seldom get it over 65mph. i'm getting about 80 - 83 mpg right now. may be because it is still new.i was told that the higher octane burns cleaner, so i started on 93 and just never tried anything lower.

**jonathan180iq** · 05-20-2008, 02:40 PM

"The octane rating of gasoline tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites. When gas ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine. Knocking can damage an engine, so it is not something you want to have happening. Lower-octane gas (like "regular" 87-octane gasoline) can handle the least amount of compression before igniting.

The compression ratio of your engine determines the octane rating of the gas you must use in the car. One way to increase the horsepower of an engine of a given displacement is to increase its compression ratio. So a "high-performance engine" has a higher compression ratio and requires higher-octane fuel."

-www.howstuffworks.com

We don't have a high compression ratio or a high performance engine. Our compression ratio is 9.0:1
In comparison, the Ninja 250R has a compression ratio of 12.4:1 The factory recommends 87 regular.

The Nighthawk 250 - 9.2:1 Regular
The Virago 250 - 10:1 Regular
The Hyosung Comet 250 - 10.1:1 Regular
The Rebel 250 - 9.2:1 Regular

You get the picture. All of these bikes run on regular 87 octane gasoline and have a higher compression ratio than our little crapper does.

People swear up and down that higher octane is better. While it may make some engines run "smoother" but that's just going by word of mouth and by seat of the pants testing, which is good for nothing. It's generally considered a waste of money.

That being said, if you can afford it and it gives you a little peace of mind, it certainly won't harm your engine. So, do whatever you like.

CANDY · 05-20-2008, 02:43 PM

thanks jonathan, i'll try the 87. i was concerned,but feel better now about the pipes and the engine.

**jonathan180iq** · 05-20-2008, 03:30 PM

That's what I would do. I'm certainly not telling you what to do, just that it doesn't seem to be worth the extra cost.

Take care,
Jonathan

Water Warrior 2 · 05-20-2008, 07:06 PM

Your bike should run just fine with 87 octane. Don't get in a sweat over pipe color unless they glow red during the day. Did that on my VStrom one time. No damage but very scary when I saw the pipes. Of course I get alarmed at the slightest thing too.

Badbob · 05-24-2008, 09:06 AM

24,000 plus miles with 87 octane. Works fine.

05-20-2008, 10:00 AM	#1
CANDY Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: wetumpka, alabama Posts: 73	blueing on pipes i have read somewhere on here about the pipes turning blue and i have a few questions. i have had my bike for 1 year now and have 7000 miles on it. my pipes are not turning any color right now,so i'm wondering if there is something wrong with it. i have only used 93 octane fuel since the day i bought it new,and i changed the muffler to a 18" shorty megaphone. does no coloring mean i'm not running the fuel mixture right ? i don't have have any problems with it and have had it up to 70 pmh many times. should i be concerned ? __________________ IF YOU'RE NOT LIVING ON THE EDGE, YOUR TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE. Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

05-20-2008, 12:52 PM	#5
CANDY Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: wetumpka, alabama Posts: 73	bluing on pipes thanks for the thoughts. my longest ride was 380 miles in one day. i average 50 - 100 miles a ride.it is 70 miles round trip to work, 2-3 days a weekat 45 60 mph.i seldom get it over 65mph. i'm getting about 80 - 83 mpg right now. may be because it is still new.i was told that the higher octane burns cleaner, so i started on 93 and just never tried anything lower. __________________ IF YOU'RE NOT LIVING ON THE EDGE, YOUR TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE. Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

05-20-2008, 02:43 PM	#7
CANDY Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: wetumpka, alabama Posts: 73	BLUING ON PIPES thanks jonathan, i'll try the 87. i was concerned,but feel better now about the pipes and the engine. __________________ IF YOU'RE NOT LIVING ON THE EDGE, YOUR TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE.
	0

05-24-2008, 09:06 AM	#10
Badbob Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Tallahassee FL Posts: 945	24,000 plus miles with 87 octane. Works fine. __________________ My GZ250 Blog Facebook Pinterest Google+ Tumblr YouTube Lumber Jocks
	0

05-20-2008, 10:11 AM	#2
jonathan180iq Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dalton, GA Posts: 3,996	How long are your rides? If they are like mine, less than 10 miles or so both ways, they may not be getting hot enough to turn blue. This doesn't mean that there is a problem. That being said, high octane acts a flame retardant. So, you may not be getting as hot of an explosion as you might if you were using 87. What is your fuel economy like? I'd bet that you get better mileage out of a tank of 87.
	0

05-20-2008, 02:40 PM	#6
jonathan180iq Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dalton, GA Posts: 3,996	"The octane rating of gasoline tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites. When gas ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine. Knocking can damage an engine, so it is not something you want to have happening. Lower-octane gas (like "regular" 87-octane gasoline) can handle the least amount of compression before igniting. The compression ratio of your engine determines the octane rating of the gas you must use in the car. One way to increase the horsepower of an engine of a given displacement is to increase its compression ratio. So a "high-performance engine" has a higher compression ratio and requires higher-octane fuel." -www.howstuffworks.com We don't have a high compression ratio or a high performance engine. Our compression ratio is 9.0:1 In comparison, the Ninja 250R has a compression ratio of 12.4:1 The factory recommends 87 regular. The Nighthawk 250 - 9.2:1 Regular The Virago 250 - 10:1 Regular The Hyosung Comet 250 - 10.1:1 Regular The Rebel 250 - 9.2:1 Regular You get the picture. All of these bikes run on regular 87 octane gasoline and have a higher compression ratio than our little crapper does. People swear up and down that higher octane is better. While it may make some engines run "smoother" but that's just going by word of mouth and by seat of the pants testing, which is good for nothing. It's generally considered a waste of money. That being said, if you can afford it and it gives you a little peace of mind, it certainly won't harm your engine. So, do whatever you like.
	0

05-20-2008, 03:30 PM	#8
jonathan180iq Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dalton, GA Posts: 3,996	That's what I would do. I'm certainly not telling you what to do, just that it doesn't seem to be worth the extra cost. Take care, Jonathan
	0

05-20-2008, 07:06 PM	#9
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Your bike should run just fine with 87 octane. Don't get in a sweat over pipe color unless they glow red during the day. Did that on my VStrom one time. No damage but very scary when I saw the pipes. Of course I get alarmed at the slightest thing too.
	0