Since moving back to Ohio I have lost easy access to ethanol free gas. I can get it for winter storage, but the pump is far away to make it pain to fill up during the summer. I've heard all the stories about E-10 killing motorcycles and causing all kinds of havoc, but none of my friends have ever mentioned it causing a problem in their bikes specifically. Has anyone had a personal experience where E-10 was the definitive cause of a problem with their bike?
E-10 personal experiences
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I've never had any trouble with it. Probably depends on the bike.
I did have to replace the rubber fuel line from the tank to the carb as it was flaking on the inside. I don't know what caused it, maybe the E10? Pretty easy fix, of course. There are other rubber parts in the carb but I guess they are OK so far.
Maybe mix that 2 stroke WR3 oil to help lube things, or they have some ethanol specific products for gas treatment.
I've seen two cases on small equipment: a string trimmer and a hedge trimmer. Both were older, and the switch to E10 turned some molded rubbery parts (prime buttons and other fuel fittings) into gummy mush. Unlike generic fuel line (which I've also replaced), these were irreplaceable parts and the tools were turned into scrap.
I've also seen rust on carb bowls, but that can prevented by using fresh gas with fresh corrosion inhibitors. And it's not immediately fatal.
On older bikes it can create more problems. As mentioned the older materials were never designed to stand up to ethanol. Newer stuff however is designed to be used with ethanol blends. However, when you are looking at storing the gas, I find its best to double dose with most stabilizers or use something like the blue Stabil which is more potent.
If you own a Ducati with a plastic fuel tank the E10 was known to warp them. I have several KTM's with plastic tanks and never personally had a problem with E10 in them.
my 13 tacoma truck HATES e10. serious pre-ignition issues with it. at least at the 87 octane rating, the 89 sometimes knocks as well and ive had no issues with 91+. i go to different brands of gas stations just to see what knocks and what doesnt
the vfr gets only premium and ive not had any issues...that i know of.
the race bike - yz250f gets only various race fuels (howell 002, vp ms103, t4....) that has no idea what pump swill even is.
I have had to replace fuel lines on my chainsaw, line trimmer and riding mower due to the ethanol in gasoline.
Now my motorcycle, the Heritage in my signature, is supposedly designed for E 10 and so far, no problems. Then again, the two atvs we own, an 04 Yamaha and an 09 Honda, will not run right if left to sit for a month or more. I wind up pulling the carbs on both a cleaning the bowls and jets.
I've had to replace fuel lines and had rubber parts get gummy years before ethanol was ever put into gasoline. As long as the water absorption is handled in storage with a suitable stabilizer, there is more blame around about the E10 than knowledge.
No one has reported any E10 problems on the Suzuki V-Strom forum--lots of worry and myth, but no real problems. My Honda mower sat all winter with the petcock closed, carb run dry last Fall, and stabilized E10 in the tank. Opened the petcock and started on the first pull.
I have run lots of the E-10 in my 2007 Honda VFR800 Interceptor.
Mostly the midgrade 89 octane. No problems, even with the bike loaded up heavy for long highway trips. That said, I use NO ethanol if I can get it and run Stabil or other fuel stabilizer almost the year around. Winter storage is with pure gasoline.
Also have never had any problems I am aware of in the 04 Civic (203K miles) and my 01 Tundra (142K miles).
What I HAVE noticed is that generators run noticeably smoother and seem to regulate voltage better on pure gas.....and the bike and Civic seem to have more power on pure gas; I think it is more than imagination.
Bottomline: if you have a vehicle made for E-10 it "works OK", but given a reasonable option to use pure gas, I would.
"Your results may vary."
Actually ethanol/alcohol should create more power in higher amounts than pure gas. I know if you look at F150 specs, and I did when I sold Fords, they had two sets of numbers...one on pure gas and one with E85, and on E85 the 5.4 put out more horsepower. However, if the vehicle does not adapt well to changing fuel blends, then it might run worse. But that is more the vehicle than the fuel causing it.
The only problems I've ever had with E-10 gas has been in long term storage situations. The cars get used all the time so no old gas in there, and I try not to let the mower sit longer then 6 months with it in there. The bikes get used at least once a month during the winter ,so old gas gets used up and new gas gets a dose of treatment.I've seen older weed wacker fuel lines get soft and mushy, so they get replaced with the new type.Weve had E-10 for a long time here, can't even buy real gas in New Jersey anymore.,,
Having owned many motorcycles over the years, what kills them is lack of use and old gas that eventually varnishes up the carb(s). Seen it before E10 came about.
Being from MO, ethanol gas is a fact of life for me. There is one station in town that supposedly sells pure 91 octane premium. It was $3.84/gal. while 87 regular (my normal fuel) with E-10 was $3.39. I filled up with the 91 octane pure gas, felt absolutely no power increase and my mileage went to [censored] (31mpg). I went back to 87 E-10 and my mileage went back up to 38. By the way, my bike is a 1999 1500 Kawasaki Drifter and Kawasaki recommended a minimum of 90 octane. I have never had any problems with 87, no pinging, no overheating, no power loss. I think the motorcycle companies recommend premium for their big twins because their customers lug the [censored] out of those big, torque motors. Sure, they will pull it, but it's not the correct way to ride them. My Drifter is at its' torque peak and maximum charging system capacity at 2,800rpm and that's where it gets ridden. It does not hurt the mileage but it makes your motor a lot happier.
Does your Kawasaki say it needs 90 octane or did the dealer say that? I know my Triumph dealer told me to run premium ehtanol free high octane gas, but my manual says 87 is just fine and 10% ethanol is okay.
Here in iowa, all gas over 87 octane has ethanol, even premium.
Kawasaki says 90 octane, it had a sticker right on the gas tank when it was delivered. But Kawasaki also lists ridiculously low gear shift points and they want the rider chugging along in high gear at 40mph. My bike rarely sees 5th until 65mph and no, it doesn't hurt my mileage. This means I spend a lot of time on secondary roads in 4th gear. My ex-brother-in-law used to have an old Harley shovelhead and he would chug around the streets in Kansas City in high gear at 25mph and you could hear the pinging and hammering of the lower end above the noise of his pipes. He didn't ride much or he would have wasted that motor. If you ever tore my Drifter's motor down, I'll bet the valves and combustion chambers would be almost as clean as brand new. My bike also runs HARD and has caused some of my Harley riding friends to spend a lot of money on cams, big bore kits, etc. I've never had a bike that used oil or needed any repairs other than one speedo cable on my Drifter. That one was my fault because I hadn't lubed it. Now all my cables get Dri-Slide twice a year and work flawlessly.
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did that 90 octane sticker say RON or MON or R+M/2 ?
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Actually ethanol/alcohol should create more power in higher amounts than pure gas. I know if you look at F150 specs, and I did when I sold Fords, they had two sets of numbers...one on pure gas and one with E85, and on E85 the 5.4 put out more horsepower. However, if the vehicle does not adapt well to changing fuel blends, then it might run worse. But that is more the vehicle than the fuel causing it.
Originally Posted By: smokey422
Being from MO, ethanol gas is a fact of life for me. There is one station in town that supposedly sells pure 91 octane premium. It was $3.84/gal. while 87 regular (my normal fuel) with E-10 was $3.39. I filled up with the 91 octane pure gas, felt absolutely no power increase and my mileage went to [censored] (31mpg). I went back to 87 E-10 and my mileage went back up to 38. By the way, my bike is a 1999 1500 Kawasaki Drifter and Kawasaki recommended a minimum of 90 octane. I have never had any problems with 87, no pinging, no overheating, no power loss. I think the motorcycle companies recommend premium for their big twins because their customers lug the [censored] out of those big, torque motors. Sure, they will pull it, but it's not the correct way to ride them. My Drifter is at its' torque peak and maximum charging system capacity at 2,800rpm and that's where it gets ridden. It does not hurt the mileage but it makes your motor a lot happier.
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