I have a 2002 Sportsman 500 H.O and have always ran 87 in it. I tried 93 in it over last summer after getting it up and running again, seemed to run better on 87. Though I don't put any fuel additives in it, straight from the pump. I this not a good idea?
You know, I ran my Polaris hard yesterday with a full tank of 93. I did not think it ran very well either. Unfortunately, the amounts of ethanol in gas are frequently getting worse. That being said it really depends on where you buy gas and there are a few gas stations that sell non-ethanol fuel for 87, 89 and 93.
The way my quad ran yesterday seems like I would be better off running 87 and using a fuel additive. The place we went to was saturated with mud and water and it was a lot of mud slinging fun, lots of donuts, some good jumps and a ton of full throttle accelerations. This could be the reason why I used over a half a tank in just 3-4 hours time. This does seem unusual because I can get through a full day of riding at Hatfiled with a half tank.
All that being said, we have a back up quad that is a 2002 as well and we just replaced the 0-rings in that and I would guess for the first time. That quad and mine had issues at the same time so apparently it was just bad fuel.
The last time I got bad fuel I had ethanol yellowish chunks completely block some of the jets in my carb.
I am just going to order some Amsoil quick shot, it amends the ethanol problems, water/condensation and helps with fuel storage. It's just a good product to stabilize the fuel.
Didn't mean to write you a novel but that's my take on it.
It's good to see you back on the forums again, Darren!
