Ethanol going to 10%... the rot sets in for good

[vibrac]

The FBHVC has a Survey
https://paulc1.typeform.com/to/Bt7HKS
To help put pressure on the people bent on introducing E10 ethanol petrol and the phasing out of 97 octane by 2020
I have been a little complacent recently buying my ethanol free Esso Premium but I know that supply could cease at any time
Even if I did not have a vehicle built more than 25 years ago I would be worried about all that land going to make the stuff instead of food
Please enter the survey to support the FBHVC and protect your Vincents vitals

 

[Mr. Boring]

I did the survey using the usual tactics to helpfully slow the process from my computer here in the states. We still can purchase non ethanol fuel from specialized suppliers but it bit of a chore if you haven't plotted out your route before hand. The shelf life of the ethanol added fuel seems to be a one to three months before the float bowl start to collect the fossiled jelly. I wonder how it would taste on toast if you could get by the odor. A bit of a bitter Pterodactylus with a over refined corn finish.

 

[Colin]

Whilst in France last year I witnessed a French 2CV owner accidentally put 85% ethanol pe……. (I very nearly put " petrol " there) into his car and his subsequent "conversation" with the garage. To say he was not happy, would be the understatement of the millennium.
5% of the crap did some damage to my "A"

 

[vibrac]

I have been very happy with premium Esso on my fleet, but I have just bought a low mileage early (83) K100 (Yes I know but it was too good to miss and we loved touring on the previous one ) and I think because of its design age I shall use some real TEL (Tetraboost) in every other tank full because redoing valve seats on a brick (so Ben tells me) is not as easy as my fifties bikes.

 

[Mr. Boring]

I think the K100 should do okay with the seats it has already, they were for the unleaded fuels already. I've helped in the machining of them to install on a few A series minis.

 

[vibrac]

Unleaded did not go on sale untill mid 1986 in UK and I believe west Germany earlier that year so 83 is a bit early for unleaded seats you may be right but my original handbook says leaded 98
Incidentally I found out the EU reduced the amount of benzine allowed in petrol to 1% recently who knows what noxious stuff they replaced it with.

 

[Bill Cannon]

From personal experience, as a BMW dealer, I can say we've never seen a problem on K series valve seats.
Come to that we've never seen a problem on airhead boxers either although early ones were not designed for unleaded.
Bill

 

[vibrac]

Here is a good item for reading on ethanol found on a VMCC forum link
http://www.lcbamarketing.com/phase_separation_in_ethanol_blen.htm
soon be time to drain the tanks....

 

[Bill Thomas]

I wonder how long it will take to upset the storage tanks in the petrol stations ?. Cheers Bill.

 

[ClassicBiker]

If you think that E10 is bad, just wait for the corn growers association to start pushing for the gov't to mandate E15 (and higher) and the representatives whose districts they are in back them up. I empathize with you. Right now, the Ethanol Producers are urging the EPA to up the amount of biomass required in our fuel. The representatives and senators are backing them up. The irony of this is no motorcycle, atv, or garden equipment is certified to run on E15. Doing so voids warranties. Also fueling on certified vehicles or equipment on E15 is considered a federal crime. As we have blender pumps, pumps where multiple types of fuel may be dispensed, E0, E10, E15, or even E85 the gov't response to the possibility contaminating your fuel selection by residual fuel left in the pump and hose is to make your selection and purchase a minimum of 4 gallons.
It's only going to get better from here.
Steven