I was gonna leave this alone, but since you insist...
I mentioned before that I have my own reasons for running premium gas in my new B1250... reasons that are not mentioned in all your posts both here and in the pages of posts in the FAQ's... and that is
detergent additives.
We have two stations in town... Citgo and Shell. Shell happens to use some very good detergent additive packages in their premium gas. This is particular important when you have fuel injection like I do. The octane is not as important to me as keeping my injectors clean, and the valves and combustion chamber free of deposits.
This is also important with any brand-new engine that you are just breaking in. For the first 3000 miles, I prefer to use gas that has good detergents exclusively. After that, I'll be alternating between premium and regular to save a couple bucks, but I'll always use Shell premium every other tank to keep my injectors clean and valves deposit-free.
You might find this article interesting:
http://www.aa1car.com/library/us10325.htmYou can argue if you like, but you won't change my choice of what gas I put in my bike. All the talk about octane is fine, and should be put out there for everyone to make well-informed choices. But there's more to it than just octane, so to be truly well-informed I suggest doing some research on detergents and other additives that are used in premium gas.
Ultimately it comes down to personal choice, and one's own economical priorities. I choose to pay a little more for gas that has good detergent additives. I have a low-mileage, fuel-injected motorcycle. If you have carbs and your bike happens to have a good number of miles on her, then choosing to save a few bucks by using regular makes sense to me. That's totally up to you... more power to ya!