How to Identify Good Octane Fuel for Your Motorcycle – Detailed Discussion

Diesel, octane, petrol, and other fuels are used for various purposes, including running vehicles. Octane is generally used more as fuel for bikes. Octane is a colorless and odorless gas.

In liquid state, it acts as an excellent solvent. Therefore, it is used as fuel for internal combustion engines. It is perfect as fuel for bikes.

Good octane or any pure fuel is very essential for a bike's engine. Pure fuel prolongs engine performance and also plays a very effective role in achieving better mileage. But many of us don't know what kind of fuel is good for a motorcycle engine.

In our country, octane is used as fuel for almost all bikes. And many of us don't know how pure the octane we use as fuel actually is. Because many dishonest traders mix adulterants with octane and sell it. Due to some unscrupulous traders, the fuel quality at many fuel stations in our country is not up to standard. Whether it's octane or petrol, adulterants or kerosene are mixed with the fuel.

However, there are also many good quality fuel stations. Due to a lack of government oversight, some dishonest traders adulterate fuel, especially by mixing kerosene. Because mixing kerosene doesn't significantly change the color of octane.

However, if you know how to identify good octane and some techniques, you will be able to understand what quality of octane you are using in your motorcycle. This blog discusses in detail how to identify good octane and why octane is suitable as fuel for bikes.

What is Octane?

Many of us think that octane and petrol are two different types of fuel. This is a misconception. Both are the same type of fuel and have the same chemical composition (C8H18). Globally, both these fuels are known as gasoline.

Internationally, this fuel is expressed with different quality numbers. Their quality is measured by Research Octane Number (RON). For example, octane has a RON of 91 and petrol has a RON of 87.

In Bangladesh, gasoline is available in two grades, commonly known as petrol and octane. Petrol is a type of liquid volatile substance, derived from petroleum. And octane is a type of auxiliary component used in prescribed amounts to control the performance of the main substance.

So now you understand that octane is not a fuel; it is just a number indicating the quality of petrol or gasoline. Whether it's gasoline or petrol, both are the same thing; quality is measured by the RON (Research Octane Number).

If the Research Octane Number is above 86, it is considered suitable as engine fuel. The Research Octane Number is determined by considering several factors of the engine. Basic factors include engine control capability, boosting, boosting capacity, etc.

In pumps in developed countries, petrol or octane are not mentioned; instead, the Research Octane Number or RON is mentioned. Users can use the RON number according to their bike's engine capacity. Due to the absence of this system in our country's pumps, we cannot differentiate these gasoline fuels and know them as petrol and octane. This is why we cannot detect adulterated octane. In our country, gasoline or octane with a Research Number of 86 is known as petrol.

You might not know that, officially, there is no fuel named Octane in Bangladesh. Under the jurisdiction of the Energy Regulatory Commission in our country, two types of petrol are available, mentioned as Regular Petrol and Premium Petrol; no separate fuel named Octane is mentioned there.

According to the Energy Regulatory Commission, the RON of Regular Petrol (what we know as petrol) in our country is 80, and the RON of Premium Petrol (what we know as octane) is 95. According to international standards, the minimum value for gasoline must be 86.

Gasoline is converted into usable energy in the engine. This process is called the 'combustion process'. RON (Research Octane Number) or octane rating indicates the amount of pressure at which the fuel will ignite or burn. This means the higher the octane rating, the more pressure the engine can tolerate.

How to Identify Good Octane

Good octane is very important for a motorcycle engine. Identifying good octane is not very difficult; first, you need to know what type of fuel you are using and its standard.

The problem is, there are no fuel pump stations in our country that indicate standard quality, so there's no easy way to get this information. Unless the regulatory commission regularly verifies it. You already know that what is sold as petrol and octane at petrol pumps is internationally known as gasoline.

In gasoline, petrol and octane can be differentiated by their rating numbers. But in our country, no rating numbers are displayed, so no matter if we buy octane or petrol, we can't understand the actual standard.

According to international standards, good quality gasoline standards start with an octane number of 86 (RON 86), and this standard can go up to 100. Here, the octane number can vary, but chemically it's the same substance - gasoline.

How does this octane number increase or decrease, and how is the standard determined with this fluctuation? And how does it benefit or harm the engine? This standard value varies because some chemical substances are added to gasoline.

Adding these chemicals increases the fuel's compression, expansion, and combustion levels. These changes increase the fuel's combustion power or capacity. In simple terms, using fuel with a higher octane number (e.g., RON 91) results in smoother combustion in the engine cylinder. This prevents knocking from pistons, valves, and connecting rods, and prevents wear and tear on parts.

There are ways to identify good octane; there are certain characteristics and qualities that can largely indicate the standard of the octane.

Check the Color

You can identify good octane by its color. Standard quality octane has a slightly pink color (light pink). Petrol looks orange (orange color). Many unscrupulous traders mix kerosene with octane; the color remains almost the same, so you won't understand unless you look closely.

Check the Smell

Standard octane has a slightly pungent smell, similar to spirit. However, if it smells intensely pungent, you'll know something has been mixed in it.

Good Quality Octane Evaporates in Air

If it's standard quality octane, when left open, it will evaporate into the air after a while. To test, rub a few milliliters of octane on your hand; after a while, you will see that the spot where you applied the octane has dried up. If the octane is adulterated, that spot on your hand will remain oily.

You can perform this test in another way. Drop a few drops of octane from a certain height. If it's good quality octane, it will evaporate into the air before it hits the ground. If it's adulterated or kerosene-mixed octane, it will fall to the ground.

What is Research Octane Number - RON?

The Research Octane Number (RON) is very important for measuring the concentration of gasoline. Adding various additives and boosters to gasoline increases its effectiveness.

As a result, the bike's engine runs smoothly, and its efficiency increases. Most of the time, lead, ethanol, methanol, toluene, etc., are used as additives and boosters. Adding these boosters significantly increases gasoline's efficiency. This is how the Research Octane Number of gasoline increases.

However, the use of lead causes some environmental harm, so scientists encourage the use of additives like ethanol, methanol, toluene, etc. Although these are not as extremely effective as lead, they can still significantly increase gasoline's efficiency and are better for the environment.

So we can say that, according to international standards, the performance standard of fuel is set by increasing gasoline's efficiency through the use of specific amounts of additives and boosters. This standard value is called the Octane Number or Research Octane Number (RON).

According to international standards, the minimum Research Octane Number is RON 86, and the maximum Research Octane Number is RON 91. In our country, RON 86 is known as petrol.

And RON 91 is known as octane. But some sellers adulterate the fuel, destroying the international standard. Therefore, almost none of us can understand what quality of gasoline we are using.

Why is Octane Suitable as Fuel for Bikes?

Generally, petrol is used in motorcycles with engine power less than 110 CC. However, since 125 CC or 150 CC bikes have powerful engines, the use of octane is encouraged in these bikes.

Higher CC bikes have good quality, powerful 4-stroke engines, and these engines have a higher compression ratio. Therefore, octane is needed for the bike's engine to operate smoothly. Good octane increases the fuel's combustion power or capacity.

Moreover, standard quality petrol (RON 86) is very rarely found in our country. Therefore, it is preferable to use octane. Octane increases the fuel's combustion capacity, which enhances engine performance in winter.

Importance of Using Gasoline with the Correct Octane Rating as Fuel for Bikes

If petrol with the standard octane rating is not used in a motorcycle, various problems arise in the engine. Such as engine knocking, detonation, spark knock, etc. When these problems occur, abnormal or distorted sounds are produced in the bike.

If the engine's compression ratio is high, using low-octane-rated fuel causes ignition problems, leading to bad sounds. Engine pistons wear out. Prolonged use of low-octane-rated fuel creates long-term problems for the bike, such as decreased engine power, reduced mileage, etc.

To avoid these problems, a substance called octane is mixed with gasoline and used. Octane is a component that controls the high flammability of gasoline. Therefore, the higher the Research Octane Number, the more controllable the flammability of gasoline will be.

Finally, according to international regulations, it is mandatory to display the octane rating or RON number at fuel pumps. But in our country, no such indicator is seen at any pump. Therefore, none of us can understand what octane rating of gasoline we are buying.

So we need to be aware and keep some knowledge about how to identify good octane.

For any information related to motorcycles, visit BikesGuide. Here you will find various information related to bike brands, models, CC, and prices. Additionally, you will find various tips and advice related to motorcycles.