Hello,
Just want to get some thoughts on leaded gas. On my dirt bikes I run 50% 93 and 50% leaded 104. Is it fine to run leaded gas in a CBR 600? I am not looking for performance. I just know that leaded gas is better for wear protection. This is more important to 2-strokes than 4. So if anyone has any ideas please let me know. Thanks!

 

No ... it is NOT fine to run leaded gas in these bikes ... it leaves ALOT of buildup on the valves, spark plugs, and in the engine anywhere it can leave deposits after it burns ... it was put into gas back in the day to leave a semi slick deposit on the cylinder walls and valve seats, and also to reduce engine "knock" on the older higher compression engines ... but todays engines are machined so tightly with their tolerances that this would be very harmful to a motor if this lead "film" started building up on the valve seats like it used to ... it's been mostly phased out now due to it's pollutive effects on ppl and the enironment ...

It ruins the catalytic converters on cars and bikes (if yours has one) ... and it can also ruin O2 sensors ... the lead additive raised the octane level of older gas to prevent "preignition" or detonation in higher compression engines (i.e "dieseling" after you turned the ignition off) ... running higher than recommended octane in your engine will NOT help the performance, or clean the engine out, or help the engine run better in any way ... it some cases it actually HURTS performance ... Octane ratings don't measure how "potent" the gasoline is, it actually measures its resistance to burning (which means it's harder to ignite) ... that's why you need to use it in higher compression engines to keep it from igniting from the intense pressure before the spark plug goes off to ignite it, this can lead to catastrophic engine damage ... the lower octane ratings are what your bike is tuned for and run best on ...

 

Thanks so much for the great info!