E10 petrol

[peterengland]

It seems our bikes are not compatible with this stuff but is my understanding correct that they will still sell the super grade? and will all stations stock it I wonder...

[fogrider]

I read an article a couple of years ago, that when fuel went to E5, Shell stated that it meant up to E5, not a minimum. I also saw a quote from Shell that their 'super duper' was ethanol free, I always use Shell super in my 'best' bikes and have had no problems whatsoever.
Maybe it will be clarified, minimum E10 or up to ?

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

It seems our bikes are not compatible with this stuff but is my understanding correct that they will still sell the super grade? and will all stations stock it I wonder...

I believe the main problem is with seals & none metal  pipework on cars & bikes Super Unleaded is the way to go.

Interestingly one of the reasons for the extra Ethanol content was to help the environment - it's a fact that fuel consumption is increased by the move from 5% to 10% ??

[royhall]

Yes it's up to E10 content, same with E5. Up to six months ago BP Ultimate in the North West contained no Ethanol at all (the rest of the country may have Ethanol depends on the distribution centre). I have personally been testing this on an annual basis and can verify that is correct. I will test BP Ultimate again when E10 takes over, my guess is that it will go to E5. Ethanol is a big no no on our bikes for the reasons given above.

[peterengland]

Looked at this on the net and it says the bikes will 'run' on E10 but with 'reduced driveability in cold weather'

[royhall]

It seems our bikes are not compatible with this stuff but is my understanding correct that they will still sell the super grade? and will all stations stock it I wonder...

I believe the main problem is with seals & none metal  pipework on cars & bikes Super Unleaded is the way to go.

Interestingly one of the reasons for the extra Ethanol content was to help the environment - it's a fact that fuel consumption is increased by the move from 5% to 10% ??

It also absorbs water. Over a winter lay up the water from the atmosphere sinks to the bottom of the tank and rots it away. After 3 to 4 seasons of that your looking for a new tank. Suzuki tanks are the worst for that as they use very thin gauge steel, Honda's are quite a bit thicker. That's why a lot of new cars have plastic tanks.

[4wDaz]

Ethanol can be removed, theres loads of youtube videos about it, not ideal I know but it is one solution
   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9mLbuUSt-0

[royhall]

We covered this about 5 years ago in this thread.   Removing Ethanol with the Ethanil kit. (sohc.co.uk)

Since then I haven't had to use the kit as BP Ultimate in my area has remained Ethanol free. I now use the container as a very expensive Jerry can with the added plus of being able to easily see what's in it. Another problem was adding water to the petrol is actually exactly what you don't want to do as it's very difficult to get all the water back out again. Hence you are doing just the same damage as the Ethanol was doing, as far as the water problem is concerned.

[amx1992]

If you live in the south, Power petrol stations are still selling E0 at the moment

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

It seems our bikes are not compatible with this stuff but is my understanding correct that they will still sell the super grade? and will all stations stock it I wonder...

I believe the main problem is with seals & none metal  pipework on cars & bikes Super Unleaded is the way to go.

Interestingly one of the reasons for the extra Ethanol content was to help the environment - it's a fact that fuel consumption is increased by the move from 5% to 10% ??

It also absorbs water. Over a winter lay up the water from the atmosphere sinks to the bottom of the tank and rots it away. After 3 to 4 seasons of that your looking for a new tank. Suzuki tanks are the worst for that as they use very thin gauge steel, Honda's are quite a bit thicker. That's why a lot of new cars have plastic tanks.

After having to replace the Petrol Tank on my old Yamaha XJ900 I started to use Wynns Dry fuel every winter lay up. Mercedes & BMW have been using plastic tanks for some years. Our Merc was made in 1997 - its a plastic tank - they say it is better in a crash as it deforms further than steel before it splits.

[JezzaPeach]

Our Esso Super says E5 but is E0 for now. Worth doing some digging on corporate web sites or asking their customer support people as localities vary. Ethanol water lightly rusted my tank which I had to line.

[fogrider]

In another club I'm in , for older bikes, a number of members add a splosh of two stroke oil in the fuel. It burns off no problem and owners say they never experience rusting or stale fuel. Others say Castrol R is very effective, but it's also very expensive !
For winter, it's a case of completely empty the carbs and fuel tank, or, fill the tank right up so there is no condensation room. Bikes I don't empty I add a measure of Briggs and Stratten fuel fit, it's for storing lawnmowers for a long winter. It works a treat.

[royhall]

The problem with filling to the top, especially in a damp garage, is it will still absorb moisture from the air. To make matters worse it can overflow your tank all over your nice candy paint. If that happens under a cover that's not removed for 4 or 5 months again your tank is toast. I like the Briggs and Stratton thing though, that's definitely worth a look into.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

https://www.wynns.co.za/product/wynns-dry-fuel/



In my experience it does what it says on the bottle.

[K2-K6]

"add a splosh of two stroke oil in the fuel"

Running different devices with and without premix two stroke oil I feel that the mix definitely has better preservation qualities than straight petrol with virtual absence of system corrosion.  Probably the easiest and most cost effective initial step to consider if you do nothing else.

That's with generally available and almost exclusively E5 Fuels.