The evils of ethanol

[jasbaum]

I try to use ethanol-free fuel in my motorcycles whenever possible. It's expensive, but bikes use so little gas (both of mine get at least 50 MPG), it's a small price to pay.

Recently, someone (I forget who) questioned this practice, and stated that ethanol was "no big deal." I continued to seek out Pure Gas (see http://pure-gas.org/ for info and smart phone app) regardless.

In the "Service" (Q&A) section of the latest Cycle World (September 2015), there were two letters regarding ethanol's evils.

Thought I'd share...

ODE TO AVGAS

Q:

As the owner of several older motorcycles and a few pieces of gas-powered lawn equipment, I find myself constantly fighting the effects of ethanol in today's pump gas. My solution has been to pick up some low-lead avgas from my local airport. It has a long shelf life, doesn't absorb water, and allows my almost-40-year-old BMW to run better. All my smaller engines start and run without the annual rebuilding of the carburetors. A few well-respected shop owners and tech gurus I've talked to pooh-pooh the idea because of the illegality of it and the lead content, but for me, "The proof is in the pudding." Yesterday, I pulled my old Kawasaki KLX250 out of the shed. It probably hasn't been ridden more than 10 miles in 15 years, but it started on the second kick and ran flawlessly. Also, the original plastic gas tank mysteriously developed cracks after only two years, probably because of the ethanol. I know that Big Brother is probably reading this note, but I would appreciate your comments on the matter.

JOHN MORGAN
HOCKESSIN, DE

A:

About 10 years ago, some 50-plus-year-old avgas from stored WWII-era bombers and transports was drained and sold for use! That avgas was slightly different from the current 100 low-lead avgas, but any will last in storage almost indefinitely in a dry climate. The problem is the lead in the fuel. The EPA doesn't want millions of Americans using leaded fuel daily in their Escalades. The only reason piston-engine aircraft are still allowed to use it is they haven't found anything else that works. Evidently having fuel boil off at altitude isn't a desirable trait.

The ethanol pump fuel that has been foisted on us has many bad side effects, including being absorbed by most plastics (sorry, Ducati owners). There was a huge uproar when the first boaters to use it had their fiberglass fuel tanks dissolve and it glued their engines together. Try to find and use non-ethanol fuel. Marinas have to have it for boat use. Failing that, use fuel stabilizers all the time. Drain the mower tank and carb dry for storage. Maybe if enough people vote with their pocketbooks, we can put this whole ethanol nightmare behind us.

MORE ETHANOL LOVE

Q:

I live in Nebraska, and ethanol fuel is sold at every gas station. I try to go tostations that have regular unleaded fuel without ethanol, but sometimes out on the road in this part of the US, ethanol is the only fuel available. Are there any fuel additives you would suggest for my injected 2009 Kawasaki Vulcan to keep the fuel injectors clean and prevent carbon buildup?

"NEBRASKA MIKE" SIMON

A:

Ethanol bites, but if your bike (or car/truck/tractor) has EFI and is in regular use, the side effects aren't usually noticeable. Ethanol does lots of bad things, but fuel-injector deposits and carbon buildup aren't even on the radar. The most common problems are corrosion and varnish deposits in the fuel system, primarily the rusting/dissolving of the fuel tank, and varnish in carburetors and on inlet valve stems. These bad effects stem from how quickly it evaporates, how easily it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere, and the phase separation it goes through after as little as six months. Try to find non-ethanol fuel. Write your congressman. If stuck with ethanol, run your tank all the way empty before storing for the winter. Failing that, fill it to the brim with stabilizer in it. Any of the brand-name fuel stabilizers sold for ethanol will help negate the bad side effects.

[Jamee]

We have had a really bad time with oxygenated fuel (Ethanol) up in MN. Snowmobiling with the 2t's and not being jetted for it resulted in a very large number of sleds burning the motors down. Many of the newer sleds have two "on" positions, one for non-oxy and one for oxygenated fuel.

Luckily up there, most of the service stations sell the premium fuel as a non-oxy. But one always had to be really careful in the winter on where they stopped to fill up during the ride. Snowmobile trails run all over the state(s), so it was very easy to ride a few hundred miles in any direction.

When we first moved down to MO, I was looking for non-oxy to run in my old DRZ, but failed horrible at finding it, still haven't found a good place for it. Asking around didn't really help, most people didn't understand why someone would want non-oxy.

All great info above though, I knew about getting the low lead at the small air fields, but never thought to check at the docks for non-oxy fuel. Awesome tip, for a many times the small air fields won't sell any if you don't know someone connected. Also the App mentioned, am going to look close at that tomorrow.

Thanks for the great information!
Ethanol is the bane of fuel and causes so many problems, many mentioned above.

*Two Thumbs Up* on the posting!

[kendall_smith]

My FZ-1 is torn completely apart in the garage right now because of ethanol gas. I don't ride it a lot and despite mostly using non-ethanol premium (pretty easy to find in AR- no corn farmers) it still has plugged pilot jets and I can't get the carbs to sync. My only option was to tear it apart and rebuild the carbs, so I decided to do it right so I hopefully only have to do it once. Honestly, I think all the "gas" we get nowadays is garbage! My supposed non-ethanol that I drained out of the float bowls of the FZ-1 smelled awful and it is only a month and a half old. I'm going to double down on the fuel treatments after I get it fixed.

I wish it would have happened on any of my other 3 bikes since they are all singles and MUCH easier to work on!

[Jamee]

My FZ-1 is torn completely apart in the garage right now because of ethanol gas. I don't ride it a lot and despite mostly using non-ethanol premium (pretty easy to find in AR- no corn farmers) it still has plugged pilot jets and I can't get the carbs to sync. My only option was to tear it apart and rebuild the carbs, so I decided to do it right so I hopefully only have to do it once. Honestly, I think all the "gas" we get nowadays is garbage! My supposed non-ethanol that I drained out of the float bowls of the FZ-1 smelled awful and it is only a month and a half old. I'm going to double down on the fuel treatments after I get it fixed.

I wish it would have happened on any of my other 3 bikes since they are all singles and MUCH easier to work on!

On the sleds, many in the group would put some "Sta-bil" in the fuel at the end of the season, run the sled for a bit and then come next fall, drain the tank out, put some fresh fuel in and go from there. Can't tell you over the years though, how often we are pulling the carbs off the sleds and cleaning out all the little orifices. Such a pain and absolutely no fun.

Sorry about your FZ-1.

[kendall_smith]

On the sleds, many in the group would put some "Sta-bil" in the fuel at the end of the season, run the sled for a bit and then come next fall, drain the tank out, put some fresh fuel in and go from there. Can't tell you over the years though, how often we are pulling the carbs off the sleds and cleaning out all the little orifices. Such a pain and absolutely no fun.

Sorry about your FZ-1.

That's usually the same process I go through before storing a bike for an extended period of time (like winter), but I didn't do it this time around because I didn't really have any intention of the bike sitting that long. We had been riding our DS bikes every time we went riding and the FZ-1 was just sitting and time got away from me. It's not the end of the world though, since the FZ-1s really benefit from aftermarket jet kits anyway. It will be nice to see how much better it runs once I get it back together again. This is my second Gen I FZ-1 and I owned the first one for several years and never went into the carbs on it either, so 14 years of service out of 2 carb-ed bikes without pulling carburetors isn't a bad record!

[Savage]

Nice post jasbaum.
So is it good to run some Seafoam in your bikes at all times when using ethanol? Of coarse, I'm not talking about my KTM, because I only run 100% KTM brand fuel it in. And this morning I'm drinking KTM coffee with 2 slices of KTM toast.

[Jamee]

Nice post jasbaum.
So is it good to run some Seafoam in your bikes at all times when using ethanol? Of coarse, I'm not talking about my KTM, because I only run 100% KTM brand fuel it in. And this morning I'm drinking KTM coffee with 2 slices of KTM toast.

Ohh no, not you too! Names shall go unmentioned, but I threw up a little in my mouth when I watched someone a while back put on their KTM socks.. This KTM stuff I think is a sickness..

[Jamee]

Nice post jasbaum.
So is it good to run some Seafoam in your bikes at all times when using ethanol? Of coarse, I'm not talking about my KTM, because I only run 100% KTM brand fuel it in. And this morning I'm drinking KTM coffee with 2 slices of KTM toast.

I've only seen seafoam used when storing a motor for a few months. Personally am not a fan of 'additives' for oil or fuel. Never tried any of the conditioners to be added with oxygenated fuel.

[Ed M]

The worst part of ethanol is that the EPA is close to mandating E-15, and in the process getting rid of gas that has no ethanol blend. A number of people who have boats recommend a product made by Star Brite known as Star Tron Enzyme Gas additive. Google it and form your own opinion I'm not a paid spokesperson for the stuff. The local motorcycle shop has it for their SeaDoo and Jet Ski customers, but say a number of motorcycle and atv owners swear by it.

The fight against E-15 Ethanol has been a hot issue for the AMA for the last couple of years, way too many carbureted motorcycles and atvs that could suffer engine damage

[HanesAnizer]

Ethanol is no bueno...it's certainly not better for the environment or our equipment, but our lovely politicians are snowed (or paid off) by lobbyist.

[Savage]

What is a good stabilizer? Might be something i should look into.

[Bronco]

Had to rebuild carbs in my weed eater and leaf blower this spring despite winterizing with Stabil. Had to replace all fuel lines in weed eater too the line in the tank crumbled in my hand. Using non ethanol premium in all my small engine items and the last tank of the year in watercraft and bikes. Girlfriend using it in her old Vette that only gets a few hundred miles a year. New style Quik Trips are a good source for the fuel. Where else are you guys finding it?

[rycomm]

My brother who is a boat mechanic, recommends the "Starbrite" fuel conditioner. It's blue. I've seen it at autoparts stores. It is not a fix all, but he has noticed fewer problems from engines that have been run with it. He doesn't rebuild carbs any more. If they have an ethanol related problem, the whole thing gets replaced. I use only ethanol free premium in my lawn equipment, and my Rotax powered aircraft. If my motorcycles are going to sit for for than a week, I also fill them with non ethanol fuel. My bikes are all newer fuel injected, and supposedly designed for e15.

Ryan

[rycomm]

My brother, who is a boat mechanic, recommends the "Starbrite" fuel conditioner. It's blue. I've seen it at autoparts stores. It is not a fix all, but he has noticed fewer problems from engines that have been run with it. He doesn't rebuild carbs any more. If they have an ethanol related problem, the whole thing gets replaced. I use only ethanol free premium in my lawn equipment, and my Rotax powered aircraft. If my motorcycles are going to sit for for than a week, I also fill them with non ethanol fuel. My bikes are all newer fuel injected, and supposedly designed for e15.

Ryan

[Savage]

Alright I bought some Starbrite today. Put an once in the ole Honda's and took them for a rip out in the field. I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell a difference or not.
I've bought bikes with gummed up carbs, but never had it happen to one of mine.

[Jeff K]

In Salina I can get non-ethanol gasoline at the 24/7 gas stations. It's not high octane.
All of our small engines get the non-ethanol gasoline along with some stabil.
The chainsaw requires high octane, so I started using the Stihl brand fuel in cans. It's not an economical choice, so hopefully a better source comes along.
We had a bike that sat quite a bit with Ethanol in it. We had to rebuild the carb on it every year. Finally the carb became so bad that a professional told me I had to buy a new carb, or sell the bike. I sold it, cheap.