Just for thought: Eliminating Carb Alu-Eating Ethanol from your Fuel.

Laverda SF

Laverda SF

Hero member

If you can find "RedX" Toluene (Xylene) octane booster additive you can up the lost octane after extracting the Alu-Eating Ethnanol but at least it will not eat your Alu-Carbs.

What do you think ?????????
 
Due to Ethanol, I never stored my Breganzie WET - I always drained the gas tank, lines and carb bowls and blew them out with compressed air and sprayed the fuel system, including the cylinder bores, with RED RUST Check - Saved me GRIEF over the years since Ethanol was introduced.

Ethanol, although an Octane Booster, is very hygroscopic and collects acidic water after a month or two and eats your fuel system - specifically Alu- Carburetors.

Chainsaws and Lawnmowers in storage are very susceptible to this gasoline milady and so are our carburated motorcycles.
 
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From your Aussie replies - Makes me wonder if Australia uses Ethanol in your gasoline ?

Believe me, in the US and Canada, keeping 15% Ethanol Gas in storage is a big issue a year later ;o(

Great for using daily use but left in machinery for a length of time is catastrophic.
 
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Reminds me of a posting on the internet around 2005/6 regarding a guy who lived in the prairie lands of the American mid-west,where yellow pump E85 was available.
He ran a Suzuki GS500 and decided to fill it up with E85 to see what would happen.
It wouldn`t start.
He then stuffed a couple of plastic cups into the carb intakes blocking them off almost completely when it would start and idle but only very roughly.
He continued to experiment and ended up with pilots 43% oversize and mains 26% larger than standard.He ran it like this for a couple of years with no problems whatsoever apart from having to advance the ignition slightly and fuel consumption increased by about 25%,and he switched to fully synthetic oil as dino oil and ethanol don`t get on if they come into contact with each other so he reckoned.
And of course once the carbs were set up in this way he couldn`t switch back to E5/10 as the settings would be way too rich.
On the subject of modern petrol,a C90 I had started second kick after standing idle for 18 months with fuel in it,and a `98 R1 on which I had to overhaul the oil/coolant pump started third prod on 6 month old petrol,can`t remember what was in the C90 but it was E5 in the Yamaha.(I did run the Yamaha until the carbs ran dry before I started the work leaving a small amount of fuel in the tank,made sure I gave it a good shake/swirl now and again,don`t know if it made any difference but it made me feel better by doing it).
The best bet with E10 as martymoose and Laverda SF have said is to use regularly and drain if you don`t.
 
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rocketonarail said:
Reminds me of a posting on the internet around 2005/6 regarding a guy who lived in the prairie lands of the American mid-west,where yellow pump E85 was available.
He ran a Suzuki GS500 and decided to fill it up with E85 to see what would happen.
It wouldn`t start.
He then stuffed a couple of plastic cups into the carb intakes blocking them off almost completely when it would start and idle but only very roughly.
He continued to experiment and ended up with pilots 43% oversize and mains 26% larger than standard.He ran it like this for a couple of years with no problems whatsoever apart from having to advance the ignition slightly and fuel consumption increased by about 25%,and he switched to fully synthetic oil as dino oil and ethanol don`t get on if they come into contact with each other so he reckoned.
And of course once the carbs were set up in this way he couldn`t switch back to E5/10 as the settings would be way too rich.
On the subject of modern petrol,a C90 I had started second kick after standing idle for 18 months with fuel in it,and a `98 R1 on which I had to overhaul the oil/coolant pump started third prod on 6 month old petrol,can`t remember what was in the C90 but it was E5 in the Yamaha.(I did run the Yamaha until the carbs ran dry before I started the work leaving a small amount of fuel in the tank,made sure I gave it a good shake/swirl now and again,don`t know if it made any difference but it made me feel better by doing it).
The best bet with E10 as martymoose and Laverda SF have said is to use regularly and drain if you don`t.
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Yep, a lot of old machines ran alcohol.
Whatever the fuel, the more you ride, the less problems you'll have.

Better envisage E10 because there soon won't be anything else.
I'll be trying it in my SF2 as from next spring.

Paul
 
Paul Marx said:
Yep, a lot of old machines ran alcohol.
Whatever the fuel, the more you ride, the less problems you'll have.

Better envisage E10 because there soon won't be anything else.
I'll be trying it in my SF2 as from next spring.

Paul
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Don't sweat it Paul here in California we have all been using E10 in all grades of gasoline since 2010 after MTBE was finally fazed out, and my triple runs just fine on it There remain a few (about 30) stations that do sell Race fuel from the pump, ethanol-free high octane, these gas stations are generally found near race tracks, OHV areas, and boating localities. Across the border, in both Nevada and Arizona it is easy to find ethanol-free gas along with the ethanol racing only fuels (it kills a catalytic converter) available at the pump of many gas stations.
IF you let your bike sit for any lengthy time you are going to drain the carbs at least, and tank for any time more than a few months ethanol or not, right.
 
78jotadave said:
Don't sweat it Paul here in California we have all been using E10 in all grades of gasoline since 2010 after MTBE was finally fazed out, and my triple runs just fine on it There remain a few (about 30) stations that do sell Race fuel from the pump, ethanol-free high octane, these gas stations are generally found near race tracks, OHV areas, and boating localities. Across the border, in both Nevada and Arizona it is easy to find ethanol-free gas along with the ethanol racing only fuels (it kills a catalytic converter) available at the pump of many gas stations.
IF you let your bike sit for any lengthy time you are going to drain the carbs at least, and tank for any time more than a few months ethanol or not, right.
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Don't worry, it's not causing me the least worries but it's lucky that ink and paper are on the way out, at least for that subject because there soon wouldn't be a tree left on earth.
You should see the amount of "literature" on the subject written by either people who think that the world stops on their doorstep or who have money to make out of retarding the onslaught of the dreaded change.

Paul
 
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