it is specific. "87 octane or higher". suzuki has to say it that way because, suzuki is a UJM. iow's their bikes are sold all over the world and different countries have different fuels and different fuel ratings. that said, 87 being the minimum octane. in the US, 87 octane or higher means, "regular automotive grade fuel". i use regular automotive grade fuel with the highest AKI rating - 93 octane, for best mpg. http://www.stromtrooper.com/746492-post1.html see fuelly link below for more info..

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fuelly link: http://www.fuelly.com/driver/jbw/dl1000

JR's use of the scientific method is suspect. Higher octane should not increase mileage unless in is ethanol free and regular is not. Do your own comparison but be aware there are a lot of variables involved. My bike has delivered 42-62mpg depending on conditions.

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Pat- 2007 DL650A was ridden to all 48 contiguous states. 2012 DL650A is just getting started.
Nicknames for posting ease on my part, Vee = all DL1000s. Wee = 2004-2011 DL650s. Glee = 2012+ DL650s

87 octane is fine. i normally stick with the same brand but the bike runs fine with any brand I have tried. In my area Shell premium (91 octane) has zero ethanol (indicated on the pump). When about to store the bike, the last couple of fill-ups are with 91 octane and Stabil will be added with the final fillup.
Need to run a comparison in the warmer weather to determine whether the extra cost of the shell premium is offset by a mileage gain.

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1972 CB350 (gold)
1983 CB750 Nighthawk (black)
2012 DL650/EXP (orange)

I take Suzuki's spec of 87 octane to mean regular grade gasoline, which at my altitude (8400') means 85 octane. Engine is happy with this and mileage ranges from ~60 mpg to, usually, 65+ mpg.

another reason to move to Colorado. you decide the other reasons

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2012 wee ADVENTURE, 2012 GOLDWING WITH TRAILER (TRADED FOR WEE STROM), 07 BANDIT 1250 (TRADED FOR 2012 GOLDWING), BANDIT 1200, NINJA 500, Z1000, ZX9R, MARAUDER 800, 650 SAVAGE, 750 KATANA, NINJA 900, '78 YAMAHA 750 SPECIAL, YAMAHA RD400

For it to make economic sense around here, your mileage would have to improve by at least 20% on the ethnol-free gas.

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Sent from my Hewlett-Packard 75C, using the Flying Merkel motorcycle app.

Stromin'Nroman NC28729, USA

DL650A K7 (Greywolf Moto Lab's R&D test mule) June 1, 2012 - present
DL650A K7 April 23, 2007 - January 6, 2012, RIP

"Look here brother, who you jivin' with that cosmik debris?" Frank Zappa, 1975

Since E10 has the penalty of up to 10% of the fuel having only 66% of the energy of gasoline, a 20% improvement is not in the cards.

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Pat- 2007 DL650A was ridden to all 48 contiguous states. 2012 DL650A is just getting started.
Nicknames for posting ease on my part, Vee = all DL1000s. Wee = 2004-2011 DL650s. Glee = 2012+ DL650s

I haven't seen a noticable improvement with my '07 on ethanol-free gas in either performance or efficiency.

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Sent from my Hewlett-Packard 75C, using the Flying Merkel motorcycle app.

Stromin'Nroman NC28729, USA

DL650A K7 (Greywolf Moto Lab's R&D test mule) June 1, 2012 - present
DL650A K7 April 23, 2007 - January 6, 2012, RIP

"Look here brother, who you jivin' with that cosmik debris?" Frank Zappa, 1975

I figured maybe 5 percent mileage improvement could be expected and not cost effective for the premium but will see if I can measure next spring. Still believe adding the ethanol free premium before winter storage together with Stabil is a little extra cheap protection. That time is close for me, lots of salt and crud on our roads now.

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1972 CB350 (gold)
1983 CB750 Nighthawk (black)
2012 DL650/EXP (orange)

I'd rather not use E10 for storage. There are fuel additives out there like Marine Sta-Bil that help with it though.

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Pat- 2007 DL650A was ridden to all 48 contiguous states. 2012 DL650A is just getting started.
Nicknames for posting ease on my part, Vee = all DL1000s. Wee = 2004-2011 DL650s. Glee = 2012+ DL650s