Not exactly a car, but...

[Psychoca]

My step sons motorbike (1997 Honda Shadow 750) had engine problems last week...  It was coughing and spluttering a bit and eventually cut out very close to a bike shop he normally uses...

They have had his bike for a few days and now told him that the problem he has was caused by fuel too high in Octane (he uses normal unleaded petrol)...  They have added some form of additive, changed the spark plugs and told him to take it easy for a few days...  This to me sounds like a complete load of BS...  Any ideas???

[Vamps]

My step sons motorbike (1997 Honda Shadow 750) had engine problems last week...  It was coughing and spluttering a bit and eventually cut out very close to a bike shop he normally uses...

They have had his bike for a few days and now told him that the problem he has was caused by fuel too high in Octane (he uses normal unleaded petrol)...  They have added some form of additive, changed the spark plugs and told him to take it easy for a few days...  This to me sounds like a complete load of BS...  Any ideas???

Are you sure that is the right way round? I have heard of too low in octane but not to high

[YZ250]

My step sons motorbike (1997 Honda Shadow 750) had engine problems last week...  It was coughing and spluttering a bit and eventually cut out very close to a bike shop he normally uses...

They have had his bike for a few days and now told him that the problem he has was caused by fuel too high in Octane (he uses normal unleaded petrol)...  They have added some form of additive, changed the spark plugs and told him to take it easy for a few days...  This to me sounds like a complete load of BS...  Any ideas???

Are you sure that is the right way round? I have heard of too low in octane but not to high

Must admit I thought that but a quick google shows otherwise. 

[Psychoca]

That's what he told me...  It sounds well dodgy to me...

He took his bike there for a service in January, my gut feeling is they "forgot" to change the plugs when they did it and the cuase of the problem was a plug failure...

reading what I found on google made me feel that it would need to be much higher octane, even if he was (and has done several months ago) using super unleaded...

[Kevin Wood]

Sounds fishy to me. Higher octane fuel will have no impact at all.