ETHANOL E10 in old bikes

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VMAXER

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In Australia unleaded fuels are being phased out, by 2015 all petrol will have a minimum of 10% ethanol. It's getting harder to find unleaded fuel as E10 takes over. Ethanol attacks old rubber in fuel lines & carbies and many older cars caught fire from using this stuff. Has anyone been forced to use E10 regularly in their old bike and has it then leaked fuel or even worse caught fire ?? I put it in once by mistake and was freaked out riding home, the bike ran fine but I was very concerned my old bike would sustain damage.
Cheers from Marty
 
E-10 draws moisture in an open fuel system, so tanks have a tendency to rust and carbs will grow algie. Sucks to be a biker when everyone thinks about autos.
 
The real problem is that this is just the start. The fact that E-10 does not work and causes problems has nothing to do with it's continued and expanded use. Here is the US the highest form of government is the EPA. They operate on their own and do whatever they like without recourse. The solution to your problem will have to be worked out among interested individuals and if you do anything that might attract the government you must keep it to yourself. In California the EPA and the state want every 1975 or older vehicle off the road and preferably scrapped. On my older cars and bikes I've given up and rebuilt the fuel systems using material that is resistant to modern gasoline or failing that flush them out and only store them with a gasoline replacement.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
The real problem is that this is just the start. The fact that E-10 does not work and causes problems has nothing to do with it's continued and expanded use. Here is the US the highest form of government is the EPA. They operate on their own and do whatever they like without recourse. The solution to your problem will have to be worked out among interested individuals and if you do anything that might attract the government you must keep it to yourself. In California the EPA and the state want every 1975 or older vehicle off the road and preferably scrapped. On my older cars and bikes I've given up and rebuilt the fuel systems using material that is resistant to modern gasoline or failing that flush them out and only store them with a gasoline replacement.


Sadly, the highest form of government is NOT the EPA. The sordid history of ethanol shows that huge (read gigantic, millions and millions of dollars) of campaign fund contributions from the corn growers and ethanol producers has controlled our legislation. ADM and others have been among the largest of campaign finance contributors..... to both parties. Do your research, do not let echo chambers and talk radio blame environmentalists for the damage that well funded lobbyists have done to our economy.
 
Hi.

Ok. The reason why ethanol is used is because it is oxygenates the fuel.

Since the goal is to reduce carbon monoxide emissions and to facilitate more complete combustion (at the expense of a predicted increase in NOx levels), ethanol is used. It has a benefit of providing a higher octane number, thereby increasing the predetonation resistance of gasoline mixtures.

It's all about emissions. Engine performance is not taken into account.

Before ethanol was used, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was used. However, it is a known carcinogen, so it was phased out in favor of significantly less toxic ethanol.
 
To add, I'm not favoring ethanol in any way, just stating my opinion.

Also, ethanol does attract moisture. When a gas of tank sits for a while, it will separate into phases because of this. A simple solution is to...drive the car/bike. Then you won't have any problems I guarantee it.
 
The EPA does stand at the top of the chain. They operate without oversight and have destroyed business with decisions that lack any sense of science or logic. They have the right of judgement without recourse. This is not a fantasy promoted by talk radio. Others like ADM are involved in the wholesale reduction of competition by influence but while they spend millions of dollars the EPA can do as much with the stroke of a pen.
 
Ethanol does NOT reduce emissions.... it increases many of the dangerous ones. Lots of advertising does not make it true. Again, do your research. The "ethanol waiver" not only allowed greatly increased evaporative emissions, due to the increased vapor pressure, but also eliminated the consideration of highly carcinogenic aldehyde and formaldehyde emissions.

MTBE: A modern car uses an oxygen sensor, and immediately adjusts the air-fuel ratio to a stoichiometric mixture with attendant reduction in emissions. The Ethanol producers put the oxygenated requirement in, ignoring evidence that it would make no difference.... so some producers chose to add MTBE as a result of this requirement. Lots of groundwater was contaminated by leaking gas tanks with MTBE, but using MTBE was caused by the ethanol producers lobbyists misguided self interest.

EPA scientists do not have a financial dog in the fight, but the lobbyists do. The lobbyists have won, millions and millions of dollars have been spend to accomplish this.
 
You may want to try an ethanol fuel stabilizer like Amsoil Quickshot SE. I've recently started using it in all fuel for all of my small engines. Can't tell any difference in performance, but that's not really the point; I sleep better at night knowing I'm not destroying by small engines by using them.

I know they must have some comparable product in Australia.
 
Originally Posted By: VMAXER
In Australia unleaded fuels are being phased out, by 2015 all petrol will have a minimum of 10% ethanol. It's getting harder to find unleaded fuel as E10 takes over. Ethanol attacks old rubber in fuel lines & carbies and many older cars caught fire from using this stuff. Has anyone been forced to use E10 regularly in their old bike and has it then leaked fuel or even worse caught fire ?? I put it in once by mistake and was freaked out riding home, the bike ran fine but I was very concerned my old bike would sustain damage.
Cheers from Marty


My former ride was a not so old 1992 750 Ninja. A couple years ago I had to unclog the fuel line because it was full of disintegrating pieces of plastic from inside the system. I'm convinced E10 was the reason. The fuel pump also failed but I'm not sure if that was related.
 
More E10 hysteria!!!

I've been running E10 in engines of all types since it was forced upon us.

I'm certainly not a fan of E10 however, I've yet to experience an issue of any kind using it. Nothing. I run it in 1970s two stroke Yamaha RDs, KLR650, Honda Valkyrie, ATVs, outboard motors, every kind of outdoor power equipment and in my autos. NO ISSUES!!!

I've pulled apart numerous carburetors and opened up a lot of engines with no observations of evidence that would indicate evil E10 at work.
 
Lucky you. Among dozens of other problems my Mother-In-Laws Yamadog Harley clone is experiencing carb problems caused by sitting with E10 in it.

The stuff sucks big time. The smaller the engine the worse it is.
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Lucky you. Among dozens of other problems my Mother-In-Laws Yamadog Harley clone is experiencing carb problems caused by sitting with E10 in it.

The stuff sucks big time. The smaller the engine the worse it is.


Just curious.....

What conclusive evidence to you have to support that claim?

With literally millions of automobiles, OPE engines, watercraft, ATVs and motorcycles running on E10 fuel, according to your assumption, the roads, fields and lawns of America should be literally covered in ailing and dead machines.

Hysteria....
 
The only major problem I see with ethanol fuel is in consumption. Fuel usage has increased on everything, from my truck to my riding mower to my atvs.

For the record, I had the carb on my wife's Yamaha Bruin atv rebuilt by a neighbor that is a certified auto mechanic and he blamed the problems that the carb was having on ethanol fuel. He uses non-ethanol fuel and so I started using it as well as there is a place here where it's still available. This was two years ago.

I had to remove the main jet and parts in this carb this past summer to clean varnish that had formed from sitting with non-ethanol fuel in the fuel bowl/carb.
 
Originally Posted By: boraticus

With literally millions of automobiles, OPE engines, watercraft, ATVs and motorcycles running on E10 fuel, according to your assumption, the roads, fields and lawns of America should be literally covered in ailing and dead machines.

Hysteria....



What hysteria? I had to replace a chunk of my fuel system after it turned to mush and plugged up the lines. It's a well documented fact that ethanol eats away at some types of plastic. If your bike uses one of those plastics then you are looking at trouble down the road. If not, then lucky you!
 
Originally Posted By: ddrumman2004
The only major problem I see with ethanol fuel is in consumption. Fuel usage has increased on everything, from my truck to my riding mower to my atvs.


Motorcycle fuel injection typically isn't as sophisticated as modern car injection is now. My main worry is if E15 is forced on us I may need a new fuel map because it could run too lean on E15. All I know for certain is that Suzuki doesn't recommend anything past E10 in the owners manual.
 
I am just mad that we cant make the choice on our own. I dont like my goverment forcing a ethanol fuel on us, for the good of the planet and where I do suspect other interests are involved. If it is as wonderful as they claim, sell it along non-ethanol and let the market place decide who prevails.
 
I have used E10 for several years in my 1972 R60/5 BMW with no major issues. I changed my Cab floats to ALCOHOL "safe" parts and I think the bike runs a little "lean" right off of idle. Nothing else noticed so far. I have maybe 13000 miles on E10.
 
OK so we have those with no trouble using E10 v those who do ! But where can anyone find data relating to scientific testing ?? I cannot find any, it's like a no go zone perpetrated by the Ethanol corps mafia, is there a conspiracy here ? Surely labs must have tested this horrible stuff on old engines, old fuel lines, carbs & injection ?? So where are the results ???????????????
 
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