Modern Vespa

(to keep Dr Google happy yes this is a repost of what is on my blog at http://technicalnotebook.com/non-tech/petrols-other-than-95-ron-for-piaggio-bv350-beverly-scooters/ )

Anyhoo I thought I would throw this here as a bit of a discussion topic for the happy group of us that own Piaggio BV350s.

As I am planning a trip through country NSW and country Victoria here in Australia in a few months, I have been researching what petrol I am likely to have access to. Unfortunately however, for the Australian BV350s, the manual only specifies 95 RON/octane (premium) petrol, which is often not available in country towns.

Therefore I had to contact the local importer for a bit more detail. I thought I would share what they have said so that hopefully it may help others figure out their options when they are unable to source 95 RON petrol.

Thanks for your message. 95 RON is the recommended minimum octane rating. Most fuels identified as "premium" are 95 RON and are widely available. Higher grades such as any 98 RON Vpower / Ultimate / Vortex etc. are perfectly fine and fuel with some ethanol is even acceptable provided it has no more than 10%.

You can use 91 RON if that's all there is provided the bike is not too heavily loaded, however you should top up with premium as soon as it's available. Prolonged use of fuel with an octane rating below the recommended level can damage the engine, particular in hot conditions, and/or when the engine load is high.

Also remember to check your coolant and oil level regularly when travelling long distances. The oil level check must be made with the bike on the centre stand after the engine has been stopped for 5-10 minutes. The correct level is seen when the stick is screwed all the way in. Do not over-fill. The level must be between the upper and lower marks on the stick.


It is good to get some actual hard information on what will happen if you do get stuck in the sticks and can't get 95 RON. Also, with that information now in mind, I think a simple octane booster would suffice if having to use 91 RON just to bring it up that bit higher at a pinch. Has anyone had any experience with these before/any you would recommend?

I hope this helps someone else out, obviously if you are international I would always recommend you check recommended fuels with your local importer *JUST* to be safe (haha have to cover myself there).

Stu

you'll spend more on boosters than just getting premium gas.

The point is, he may have to travel 1000's of miles with no 95RON available.

If it was me, I'd just use 91RON instead (or whatever was the highest). The engine can take it just fine if it's not ridden WOT all the way (Cannonball style say). I'd certainly not bother with 'octane boosters'. as soon as some 95RON was available again - top up with that. No biggie.

Yep that's right, country NSW you pretty much get, 91 or Diesel... IF and I say IF you are lucky you might occasionally see 98 .

And that is good to know. HAHA I just learned something new... WOT = Wide Open Throttle (lol very new rider here).

But that is good to know too that I can probably skip the octane booster. Thank you

I researched boosting octane a while back. It's a lot of research and I'm going by memory. Boosters are crap. The best way is to mix with racing fuel.
It's similar to mid grade fuel, Premium is equally mixed with regular to get mid grade.
My suggestion is to get some racing fuel and carry it in a small can and mix it in when you can't find premium. You will have to do your own math for mixing it.

OOh that is interesting, OK I will do some research on that and see what I am able to find thank you.

You're welcome. Let us know what you come up with. Going to bed.

Let me say take what I suggest with a grain of salt, I've learned that if you're stuck with a low grade of gas (petrol) that a small amount of diesel added can help raise the heat energy of your fuel. Don't do this as a regular habit, your engine would burn out. BUT, if you find yourself between no gas and bad gas, this would help get down the road to high octane fuel. I wouldn't do this for more than one tankful. It's only a suggestion for emergencies.
That said, since my car tanks ran 15-20 US gallons apiece, I never used more than a US pint of diesel fuel added. I would suggest 1:24 ratio, I think that makes it 1/2 liter of diesel max to one tank on the BV350.
Good riding and ignore this if you want.

Not at all, a good tip for emergencies as an absolute last resort.

Given that the RON is a very old standard that is tested at an engine speed which is far below the scooter's idle speed I doubt that there would be any noticeable difference in power output on an engine typically running above 6000 rpm. If there was any knocking or pre-ignition it would immediately be very noticeable on a single cylinder engine so unlikely to do any damage because the vehicle would slow down and the rider would most likely close the throttle.

I don't think the engine has a knock detector so the ignition mapping would not change, again no real loss of power. I would take the importers " play it safe" message with a pinch of salt and just ride with a bit of sympathy for the engine if conditions are really hot and arduous.

I've ridden cross country several times on a Vespa, Piaggio, Aprilia scooter all of which require premium like your BV 350. There are many times traveling primarily in the western US which has a lot in common with being out in the less populated portions of Australia. I carried gas because sometimes it was as 280 miles between gas stations. Every one of those scooters that "require" premium have had multiple tank fulls of regular sometimes as low as 87. The only noticeable difference is a bit lower gas mileage sometimes as much as 10% less.

Put me in the same camp as OAD, don't worry about it but if you are using a lower octane gas simply don't ride WOT. Take it easy and enjoy your trip. I spent a bit of time last night chatting with a friend in Sydney talking about the visit down under my husband and I will be making in about a year.

I can get ethanol free gas here. I use that exclusively.

Worst gas I ever used was 87 with "up to 15%" enthanol. Topped up the tank at the very first opportunity to dilute that crap but it was either that or push the Vespa for who knows how long. Scoot did better than I expected though. Getting ethanol free gas isn't going to happen in Houston I'm sad to say. I do get better gas mileage when I can find/use premium ethanol free.

That sucks. I find my LX runs better on the free. We only have 89 here tho.

My dealer told me when buying last week, "Your BV350 will run on any grade gas......the computer will take care of any lower octane issues". This is NW USA area and I guess I would take a dealer comment like this with a "grain-of-salt" as they say. Any way, I've been using premium.