Topic: Reign of the V-twins

[Retro Rocket]

If you can get straight gas Frank i'd use that, ethanol is crap, it absorbs moisture and eats rubber parts for breakfast....

[eigenvector]

Dude, that Kawi is the schtuff (or something) and I don't mean that 2008+ Kawi KLR that Kawasaki inexplicably make look worse.  Far as I'm concerned 2007 is the end of the line - although I heard a rumor they did manage to make the seat somewhat tolerable.

[scottly]

If you can get straight gas Frank i'd use that, ethanol is crap, it absorbs moisture and eats rubber parts for breakfast....

There hasn't been straight gas anywhere around here for years, much less when out on the road. All that's available is queer gas.

[Retro Rocket]

If you can get straight gas Frank i'd use that, ethanol is crap, it absorbs moisture and eats rubber parts for breakfast....

There hasn't been straight gas anywhere around here for years, much less when out on the road. All that's available is queer gas.

I hear theres a huge movement growing in the USA in protest to compulsory Ethanol in fuel, the Bike, boat and other communities are gathering pace in their opposition, hope it gets somewhere... We have to have straight gas pumps here, there are warning signs at gas stations warning not to use ethanol fuel in boats, small engine manufacturers have the same warnings...

[Desert-SOHC]

There are fuel stations around here and where my son lives in Oregon that carry non-ethanol premium.....but you have to ask.

[Bailgang]

There is a marina here that sells ethanol free gas but the only actual gas station that had it was at least 20 miles away, finally though a gas station a few miles away has it. Can only get it in 91 octane so it costs a bit more but it's still cheaper than the marina so it's popular with the boaters and bikers.

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, ethanol isn't kind to bikes, this is a tank off a Fugly BMW R1200C (BMW's version of a Cruiser from back in the 90's) that the female owner ran with 5% ethanol fuel, then left the shidt in the tank over winter.

 She took it to a motorcycle shop (not a BMW dealer) who told her that the tank had pinholes, hence the leak, and offered to replace the tank and pump for only $4500, plus labour.   

Once I'd cleaned it out, (POR-15's phosphoric acid initially to get rid of the big rust deposits) I filled the tank with white vinegar and let it soak for a week to clean off the lighter rusty residue, and surprisingly (not) the tank didn't leak, so, so much for the dealer's "pinholes".

What had really happened is that the ethanol swelled the "O" ring that sealed the fuel pump assembly's baseplate into the bottom of the tank, causing fuel to bypass it.

The only problem I have now is that the OEM BMW liner is falling off in big chunks, and I'm trying to work out how to remove it without any chance of damaging the paint on the outside of the tank. Any ideas? Cheers, Terry.  

[BPellerine]

heard that you can separate the ethanol from gas with water,but have never tried it,never heard of straight gas in Canada anymore.bill

[754]

My buddy drives fuel truck, through BC And Alberta..
 They probably supply at least 50 percent or more of the market.
 He said unless I run premium, all the gas has some ethanol in it..    #*+@;/$?

[Retro Rocket]

My buddy drives fuel truck, through BC And Alberta..
 They probably supply at least 50 percent or more of the market.
 He said unless I run premium, all the gas has some ethanol in it..    #*+@;/$?

Oh well, up the compression and run premium....