Ethanol Gasoline

After a few issues with carburetors - on my Triumph, my dad's BSA and even my lawnmower, im convinced that a lot of it is due to running this ethanol gasoline. There are only about 2 places in my area that carry ethanol free, so im going to start trying to use those only. As you know, you should never let your bike sit for any period of time with gas in your tank, but especially with ethanol gas even for short periods of time, because youll end up with some damage to your carburetor and fuel lines. Most pumps say 10% ethanol, but ive learned from an industry guy that its actually 18%, and from what i understand the levels of ethanol in gasoline are only going to increase

 I grabbed this write-up about it from http://www.motorcycle-accessories-wiseguy.com/ethanol-motorcycle.html

There are certain potential hazards and unwanted side effects associated with using E10 in your motorcycle. Your vehicle will consume more fuel especially if you use E85 which officially and generally stated by the ethanol industry as a 25% to 30% drop. This is because ethanol contains less energy than gasoline despite a higher natural octane number. The fact that it does help loosen sludge in your fuel tank can cause problems with clogged lines and filters as well as block carburetor jets and fuel injectors. After all those loosened particles have to go somewhere.

Be careful if you don't ride a lot. Using ethanol motorcycle fuel in bikes that will be stored for lengthy periods of time can be troublesome. The fact that ethanol motorcycle fuel can absorb some water is beneficial but there is a maximum to what it will absorb. Large amounts of condensation will induce the ethanol and water to separate inducing the water to gravitate to the bottom of the tank where the fuel pickup is located.

Make certain, no matter what type of gas is used, that if you are going to store your motorcycle for a prolonged period of time that you take precautions. It is advisable to either completely empty your tank or fill it all the way up to help reduce potential damage to your gas tank. Please be aware that there are many other elements involved in properly preparing a vehicle for storage other than just the fuel in the gas tank. Also don't forget to add gas stabilizer to your gas should you decide to leave gas in your tank.

Another potentially serious problem with ethanol is that it can be incompatible with older rubber compounds. Also in higher concentrations it can cause corrosion to steel and aluminum that is a part of older motorcycle fuel systems.