ethanol CH3CH2OH

[Zombie Master]

What problems are airheads having with this stuff.

I’m in British Columbia Canada.

Used to be, I could buy non ethanol gas from certain stations.

The government has now forced all fuel to have it.

So far I've had no problems with my 84 R00.

Any thoughts on preventing problems?

Thanks!

[JohnT]

In the UK we have E5 and E10. The only thing I notice is it the idle speed is higher with E5, more combustible?

[r67boxer]

Not sure where on Vancouver Island you're located but I buy ethanol free fuel at Vancouver Island Marina in Sidney. Bit of a walk on the dock with a 20l jerry can but well worth it.

K

[Rob Frankham]

I've not seen any problems using up to 10% ethanol beyond the expected increase in fuel consumption. BMW state that all of their bikes going back to the year dot can run on current ethanol fuels without issues. In the UK, all fuel sold for road use has an ethanol rating, even the 'higher' grade has up to 5% ethanol. If you're using aftermarket fuel components, of course, that may not apply.

My belief is that the issues with ethanol in petrol are (as usual) vastly overstated but, you pays yer money and takes yer choice.

Rob

[melville]

When I lived on the coast in a place about as wet as Victoria and could only get ethanol fuel, I'd run the float bowls dry every time I parked the bike for more than a day. Just turn off the taps about a mile from home and let it idle until it stops when you get home.

If the bike was going to be parked seasonally, I'd park it with a full tank treated with Startron. The one time I failed to do this (winter of 2018-2019) the bike failed to proceed due to bad gas in a sketchy neighborhood and I had to have my son come get me with the truck.

This led to an uncomfortable situation with my (then) very recent ex. She followed my son to my new place (she didn't know the exact house before this) and hopped out and asked, "Can I do anything to help?" "Yes, if the bike starts to fall off the ramp, please throw yourself under it!" Then she invited herself in for a tour of the new house. I think she was disappointed that the only things in the house were my bike and gear.

So anyway, be sure to take measures to mitigate the effects of ethanol in fuel if only to avoid uncomfortable situations with former lovers.

[Rob]

When I lived on the coast in a place about as wet as Victoria and could only get ethanol fuel, I'd run the float bowls dry every time I parked the bike for more than a day. Just turn off the taps about a mile from home and let it idle until it stops when you get home.

I shut mine off 1/4 mile from my destination all the time.
I also drained my fuel tank every winter.

[barryh]

Evaporation loss from a vented float bowl is significant on an infrequently used bike and the most volatile fractions which help with starting go first. These days I shut my fuel off as a matter of course before reaching home so that when they refill before the next start I've got a larger percentage of fresh fuel in the bowls. I didn't do this when the bike was used every day because it wasn't necessary and at the other extreme I'll empty them completely for a lay up of over a few months in winter.

This turning off the fuel some distance from home illustrates something about a carbs sensitivity to fuel level in the bowl as it can appear to run fine as you potter along the last half mile until you come to a stop and find the idle speed is low or it it fails to idle at all. The engine is most sensitive to low fuel level in the bowl at idle and at wide throttle openings. In between it's surprisingly tolerant to a falling fuel level.