'07 FZ6 pinged on regular

[Tailgate]

I will continue to use regular. But, for the first time I experienced pinging. This was while on probably a very steep 10+% grade and the bike was working very hard. It was not real bad but it was a first for me. I was on CA 120 heading west after exiting Yosemite Nat'l Park (awesome) and took an "old" highway section that's not suitable for big rigs, trailers due to the very steep grade (I noticed that ALL the locals seemed to be using it). Oh well, it was exceedingly steep/twisty (I'm sure that this why Caltrans built the new section). The highway was bitchin' and I came dazzingly close to dropping it while doing a stand still u-turn on the steep grade (ever tried that?). I actually had taken the new CA 120 highway section but noticed this other "old" hiway/section (can't remember the name) turnoff. Then, at the bottom/lower elevation I noticed the bottom entry/exit of this old section and that ALL the locals seemed to be bypassing the new CA 120 section (one saves a LOT of driving time due to the shorter distance). So I backtracked back up on this old super steep grade section. Back to Yosemite Nat'l Park: OMG! Lots of bikes, almost all of them touring and packed to the gills. Nice that the park entrance fee is half price for motorcycles: only $10 and valid for 7 days. I saw all kinds of bikes, mostly Harleys (of course), some BMW's, and the rest sport bikes, dual use, etc. All seemed outfitted with some sort of saddle/tail, etc. bags. Yosemite Valley (it was HOT weather) is awesome, the roads plenty twisty, steep and the views stunning. I entered the park on the east side through Tioga Pass (10,000 feet) on CA 120. Plenty of snow still at this elevation.

[wildbyname]

Gonna sound real nooby here... but what's 'pinging' ?

[madmanmaigret]

detonation is another name for it..... generally bad.

[grommit]

Originally Posted by wildbyname

Gonna sound real nooby here... but what's 'pinging' ?

Pinking, pre-ignition, knocking, going diesel.

[madmanmaigret]

Well to answer the O.P. maybe it was the elevation in conjunction with the heat that caused the pinging.... if you go that high again try mid-grade and see what your results are..... keep us updated.

could also just have been a bad batch of gas

[Hellgate]

Could be the heat of the summer too.

[Scott64a]

What octane was it?

I know Commiefornia is a pretend eco-friendly state, (so they can tax the daylights out of everyone while making them feel "good" about themselves,) and I bet it either had more than 10% ethanol, which the manual says not to exceed, or it was 84, 85, or 86 octane.

I use regular here in GA but haven't seen less than 86 and it's all less than 10% ethanol.

Maybe if you plan a trip to the high country you could put in some mid or high octane for the steep climbing and altitude.

Let us know how it works out, because we all love riding in the mountains!

[bmccrary]

Why not just run Premium?

Its only 20-40 cents more a gallon, and with the limited amount of fuel the bike will hold that only adds up to 1 or 2 dollars more a tank.

I prefer to run premium just because it is a cleaner fuel and unless I have to I will not run anything that has enthenol in it. That stuff is such a waste, but w/e.

However this is first I have heard of anyone having problems with detonation on the FZ. This is interesting.

Enjoy your riding man!

-bryan

[Tailgate]

bmccray: I'll pass on filling on premium or even mid-grade. You really have to try hard to get the FZ6 to ping (premature detonation) and this was the only time that it happened on my 4 day, 1600 mile trip that included Carson City, NV, Las Vegas, Death Valley (below sea level) to Tioga Pass (10,000 ft?) entering Yosemite. My trip included the "Whitney Portal" highway out of Lone Pine, CA. It's a highway (supposedly 200+ western films shot this area) that brings you pretty close to US mainland's highest peak of Mt. Whitney. That was another steep highway (but under cooler conditions) and I was intially alarmed that the bike was running around 200+ degress f on this run but it was all because the steep, steep grade. Scott64a: I dislike the ethanol (less power fuel and eats gaskets) also and try to steer clear of it. It's so unusual for the FZ6 to ping I doubt that I will use anything but regular unless, maybe, I know that next tank is going to be mostly all very steep grade climbing. BTW, I loved the way the FZ6 handled the trip. Sure, there were lots of bigger bikes touring but the FZ6 handled it no problem, everywhere including 100+ degree Death Valley heat. I toggled with a Harley rider (a German who rented it for $1,000.00 per week through LA's "Easy Rider") through Death Valley and did 115 mph for a short spell before I had to shut it down due to unsafe cross winds.

[madmanmaigret]

sounds like fun!