It has been stated by several other members earlier in the thread but the basics are:
Higher octanes do not "clean" an engine.
Fuel additives are mostly bunk except for Chevrons Techron
Compression is not the be all/end all to determine octane rating (Think timing advance too)
Ethanol sucks, it attracts water and can play hell on fuel pumps and carburetors.
If you can run with no engine knock on 87 than you should. Fuel quailty can be relative. That run down budget gas station might have cheap gas, but it's cheap for a reason. Just because your bike ran like hell on their 87 does not mean all 87 is junk. Don't be fooled by the hype that is "high octane" or "octane boosters". Why do all those drag racers use 110 avgas? Because they're running ridiculous high compression with extreme timing advance. Ambient temperature, timing, engine load, altitude, whether an engine has a knock management system, all can effect the kind of fuel you can use. The bottom line is that if your engine is running without knocking on 87, then that is the best fuel for you.
Of course for international members things will be different. I believe that most of Europe uses the RON system. I don't know what regulations they have for fuel additives.
Here is a good list of myths and facts:
Fuel Myths Link
An obligitory Wiki entry about Octane:
Wiki Octane Link