Modern Vespa

My Vespa manual states that at least 90 is required, I have been using 93 but with the price of gas these days wonder if 89 octane would be OK?

I've heard different things - I personally try to use high octane fuel, but I have heard that lower octane may be better if you don't do a lot of riding because Premium tends to have a lot of additives that can go bad and 'gum up the works' as it were.

Using lower octane fuel is sometimes necessary in a pinch and you shouldn't have to many issues (despite what the manual says). A friend of mine has done 23,000 Km with low octane fuel and never had a single problem. Take it with a grain of salt.

Check your manual again. It specifies 91 octane minimum. Also stated in the sales brochure and on the Vespa USA website if you select the LX and drill down to specifications.

Here is from the web site:

Unleaded 91 min octane / 2.3 gallons (8.6 liters)


The difference in price is maybe 25 to 30 cents per fill up. Use the 93 is my opinion.

Whoa - Just reread my post! I don't mean to say to take the manufacture's recommendations with a grain of salt - I just mean that you will hear a lot of opinions and advisements when it comes to issues such as this. I just personally know people who never use high octane, and it doesn't appear to have done damage.

But I wonder if anyone else has been warned about the "dangers" of using Premium?

I have heard that with the gas prices the way they are, few are buying high octane, therefore, it sits at the stations and may tend to get "old." Comments?

I've always used between 91 and 94 octane,
I find I get better mileage and better acceleration with the 94 octane.

My engine is basically the same engine as the LX150, Just tuned differently.

Dave

Sure... And please, please don't take this as me being "snooty" or snippy.

The majority of the gas that stations sell goes into cars, and (I would expect) that the majority of the Premium (91 in CA) gasoline that they sell goes into luxury and/or high-performance cars. I would venture a guess that many people who are driving said vehicles are not concerned over the 10c difference in price between 91 and 89 when it comes to the engine in their $50,000+ car.

So in short, I'm not the least bit concerned about the 91 octane at my corner Chevron station being "old."

If you're only buying 1.5 to 2 gallons at a time, does it really make THAT much difference?
I'll play it safe with the 93.

What is the price difference on your average fill-up? At twenty cents more per gallon on a two gallon fill-up over 10,000 miles @ 50mpg that difference will cost about $80.

$80 over TEN THOUSAND miles will potentially provide a CLEANER and GREENER less polluting, SMOOTHER running, and better PERFORMING Vespa.

Now what kind of mileage are you going to do?????? Will forty cents per 100 miles affect your budget that much? I've had my scooter for two years and the difference of using premium has cost me $61 - have i missed the sixty bucks - no.

If your budget is being clobbered by forty cents per mile, I'm not sure what to suggest.

Up here in Montreal, fuel price as of today is $1.42 for 87 octane, $1.48 for 89 octane, $1.52 for 91 octane and $1.56 for 94 octane.

I put 94 on my LX50. 8 liters of 94 octane at $0.14 more than 87 octane =
$1.13 more per fillup. To me, it does not create a dent in my pocketbook and it is much better for the engine, cleaner fuel doesn't hurt !

I'm quite sure you meant 40¢ per tank, not per mile, , but I think I would suggest to someone bothered by this amount that they consider trading their scooter in on a bicycle.

BTW it was troubling to read how much more gasoline costs in Montreal, but at the prices mentioned the differential between premium and regular is similar to the USA. Generally, the cost to run premium versus mid grade in my Fly comes to about 21¢ per 100 miles. Since my scooter is merely a recreational vehicle that's driven about 200 miles per month, that means it costs me just under $6 per year more to use premium fuel.

My 2 cents
I have a 2009 LX 150

The Vespa website does say 91 octane and 2.3g fuel capacity.
My owners manual simply says UNLEADED and doesnt specify octane.
The manual says 1.95 gallon fuel capacity with .4g reserve

Ive only filled up twice both times when the low fuel light (reserve) started to come on. It took 1.6 g to fill up. 1.6g +.4g =2.0 gallons so I think the 1.95 capacity may be correct.

My scooters has a sticker in the glove box stating 90 octane M+R/2.

The initial fillup was by the dealer. They put in 87 octane. I drove 130 miles (long distance cruising) and got 78mpg.

I refilled with 93 octane and drove 120 miles9 (mostly stop and go) and got 73 mpg.

Today filled up with 90 octane. Not much difference in cost when we are talking about 1.6 gallons.

FYI 93 octane IS NOT CLEANER GAS OR BETTER FOR THE ENVIROMENT THAN 87 octane. It simply retards engine knock or pinging better.

In internal combustion engines, the compressed gasoline-air mixtures have a tendency to ignite prematurely rather than burning smoothly. This creates engine knock, a characteristic rattling or pinging sound in one or more cylinders. The octane number of gasoline is a measure of its resistance to knock.

High octane gasoline does not outperform regular octane gasoline in preventing engine deposits from forming, in removing them, or in cleaning the engine. Consumers should select the lowest octane grade at which the car's engine runs without knocking. Occasional light knocking or pinging won't harm the engine, and doesn't indicate a need for higher octane. On the other hand, a heavy or persistent knock may result in engine damage.

Thanks to all who responded to my question.

My LX150 is a 2007 model and the manual does say 90 octane.

Will the difference in cost for 93 (Unable to get 90 or 91) versus 87 cause me to take up a bicycle? No of course not but my 2004 Prius which gets 50 mpg on 87 octane makes me wonder why the Vespa which was,after all, designed after WWll to provide a cheap means of transportation requires such a high octane level. One would think the thing would run on spit and dust!!!!!!!!!

I was paging through the manual of my 2008 LXV 150 last night and there is an octane requirement in there. Says to use a minimum of 95. Of course that is Euro specification which is equivalent to 91 here in the US. So that is what I've been using and plan to keep using. I've heard others say that it shouldn't matter al that much, but I think sticking to what they manual requires is the best approach.

I don't think you're snooty or snippy at all! (But, maybe when I get to know you better ) Thanks for the reassurance that I'm okay with "old" high octane.

Consider, too, that equivalent amounts of Regular and Hi-test are not delivered to stations on a periodic basis. A tanker may drop off far more 87 octane fuel at a station than he would 91. If a station routinely sells 10X the amount of regular vs premium it may replenish at the same rate.

Contrary to an earlier posting, though, the amount of cleaning additives is PARTIALLY what distinguishes a top tier premium gas from ordinary regular, so it stands to reason that using premium will, indeed, keep your Vespa running optimally.

For the poster who mentioned the Vespa of 1949 vs today's, there is a big difference between these since the original versions were all two-stroke.

Its not likely the gas in the stations tank sits long enough to get old. We have all seen how big those underground storage tanks are but the dont fill them up. I have a relative who manages a Speedway store. They get fuel deliveries several times a week. Some times more than once per day. Oddly enough the tanker truck going down the road that might hold 5000 gallons will deliver say 1000 gallons to 5 different stations rather than trying to fill the whole storage tank at one store. . They deliver gas based on demand. Sometimes they actually run out of a particular grade and its because they didnt order enough gas that day. It is also true the the gas station only makes pennies per gallon of gas sold.

I agree that concern about "old" gas is mostly overstated. If you live in Dry Gulch, WY where the gas station / general store only sells 20 gallons of gas a week, I suppose that could be a problem. For most of us, turnover at the local gas station is enough that you are very unlikely to ever encounter "old" gas. Of course, there can be other problems with gas such as dirt or water, but that is what filters are for.

89 octane will not hurt your scooter. Period.

The manual says to use 91 octane. In Indiana I can use 87, 89 or 93. So I use the 89. I don't know why it's like that here but I don't care. I just go with the midgrade and hope for the best. I have the warranty.

There are a few places with 94 octane, but I don't know if I could take the extra bump in speed for that.