Thanks for all the responses- I obviously have a lot of learning to do (for example, I had filled up my tank with 91 octane right before posting this- thinking, as mrlmd1 wisely stated, that we tend to think that if something's good, more of that thing must necessarily be better. Whoops. Lesson learned.
The stuff I got from cycle shop dude was Star Tron. I didn't see it mentioned here. Anyone ever hear of it/have experience with it? Reading up on it now, it supposedly is an enzyme treatment, which supposedly "cures ethanol fuel problems/increases power/improves fuel economy." The web site (
http://mystarbrite.com/startron/) it looks an awful lot like a paid advertisement running at 0300. Unless I hear convincing evidence to the contrary, I'm not real keen on putting it in my bike anymore.
Did my first good washing and waxing today- even though it was friggin cold and my hands are chapped and raw, it felt great to look at my shiny bike, just begging to be ridden! Hey-is there any way to de-blue the tops of the exhaust pipes?