After riding Harleys for years I find it humorous to come to a BMW group and see the same discussions! Tires, oil, and premium fuel. I have yet to own a motorcycle that does not recommend premium. On the other hand I will run what ever I can find and not worry about it one bit. Our wet heads will run fine on regular, with a slight reduction in performance. Nothing to get your panties all waded up about. If you are actually going to ride cross country and in some of the less inhabited parts of the country you will not be able to find premium, so run what ever you can find.
I remember rolling into a small town with a couple other motorcycles. We needed gas badly. The first gas station had only regular and one of the riders refused to use it because he just knew he needed premium or his engine would certainly blow up. We ventured all over that small town and hit the 4-5 gas stations and not one had it. I thought he was going to have a heart attack as he pumped regular into his Harley. It would have been funny if I had not been there.
I remember rolling into a small town with a couple other motorcycles. We needed gas badly. The first gas station had only regular and one of the riders refused to use it because he just knew he needed premium or his engine would certainly blow up. We ventured all over that small town and hit the 4-5 gas stations and not one had it. I thought he was going to have a heart attack as he pumped regular into his Harley. It would have been funny if I had not been there.