Alcohol Proof Floats

[Garnet]

I know this has been covered before, but I have never paid much attention as we didn't have ethonol in our gasoline up here in the frozen wastelands of Canukistan. That is starting to change now, and I should get ready for impending doom.

How well do our modern little white Bing floats stand up to the new gas? Do I need to go with the Bing twin floats?

Why can't we just have alcohol in our beer and our Scotch as the good Lord intended?

Why is Ken in Idaho?

[Chuey]

Why can't we just have alcohol in our beer and our Scotch as the good Lord intended?

Why is Ken in Idaho?

Heck! I always heard that you Canadians have lots of alcohol in your beer.

And we down here in the US, in spite of our problems, let our citizens go all over the country unless they are under house arrest. (And that's usually celebrities) Now, Ken may be a celebrity to us but he's not been in the national news so that's not the kind of celebrity I'm thinking of. So you see, he's there because he wants to be. And, as you well know, that is something that one can only do if one is a US citizen. All other governments are too repressive, or too socialist, or too something.

Chuey

Yes friends, it is quite possible to go from alcohol proof floats to Socialism in one post.

[Major Softie]

Why can't we just have alcohol in our beer and our Scotch as the good Lord intended?

It's "Whisky."

Why is Ken in Idaho?

For the potato vodka?

[Garnet]

Ah yes,the sound advice I'm used to on the old Boxerworks.

I'll have to do some highly scientific experimenting of my own. I'll take a spare float and throw it in a mug of good local beer and see how long it lasts. Problem with this test, all my beer mugs are in the freezer, and I'm sure that the beer will disapear from a frosty mug long before the float sinks.

[Major Softie]

It's hard to know the answers (except for the ones I already gave ). Certainly, the one-piece floats still hold up in the alcohol laden fuel. Do they gain weight faster? Hard to tell. Certainly lots of people have had trouble since the fuel started getting alcohol, but lots of bikes were getting to be 30 years old at the same time. Who knows if it's just normal age or alcohol?

Last I saw, the difference in price made it worth going with the one-piece floats, even if they only last 10 years.

[Jeff in W.C.]

FWIW, Bing has two types of "alcohol proof" floats. The individual floats, which have been known to be more troublesome than they're worth. Or, so at least I've heard. And, the more recent single hinge floats, which is a direct replacement for the white ones (i.e. no special kit with new bowls). They are a bit more expensive. I have pair waiting to be installed when I rebuild the carbs.

[Major Softie]

FWIW, Bing has two types of "alcohol proof" floats. The individual floats, which have been known to be more troublesome than they're worth. Or, so at least I've heard. And, the more recent single hinge floats, which is a direct replacement for the white ones (i.e. no special kit with new bowls). They are a bit more expensive. I have pair waiting to be installed when I rebuild the carbs.

I would certainly go for those if they are available to you, but I'd take a pass on the twin floats.

[Garnet]

Yup, I'm gonna check those out............ soon as I'm done this beer......... or the next one.

[Manfred]

I've read about and heard about the horrors of corn liquor gas and airhead carb floats. I've been running this low-class fuel in my bike for the 2.5 years I've owned it and have had no issues with my floats getting drunk or absorbing gas and sinking, etc. I do ride it just about every day and wonder if this problem doesn't pose a risk more for bikes that sit with with this corn liquor in them.

[Garnet]

I've read about and heard about the horrors of corn liquor gas and airhead carb floats. I've been running this low-class fuel in my bike for the 2.5 years I've owned it and have had no issues with my floats getting drunk or absorbing gas and sinking, etc. I do ride it just about every day and wonder if this problem doesn't pose a risk more for bikes that sit with with this corn liquor in them.

That is good to hear.

I wonder if this is one of those old urban legands that had a base is the 70s. We had all kinds of problems back then with atuomative floats, and the only solution at the time was brass. Eventually styrafoam flaots where OK, but cars don't have carbs anymore.