Reversing effects of 10% Ethanol in fuel

[ScooterCommuter]

Lower BTUs in the mix to be sure,  but bear in mind that (taking into account the densities, as energy content is per weight and the mixing is by volume) in a gallon of 5% ethanol you lose BTUs equivalent to having 2.7 ounces less of gas. Up that to 10% and the addition of the ethanol is costing you 9.3 ounces worth of "pure gas BTUs" for each gallon in your tank.

I'm honestly not sure that minor diff is worth getting into snake oil territory to try and undo.

[Vivo]

I don't want to get into the nitty gritty of things... I might hurt my head like Crossbolt....


Three things are important to me...

1. I can get from point A to point B with no problems...
2. I can get there fast enough... car or scoot...
3. I can afford present fuel prices...

High or low octane, high or low BTUs, I don't care... I'm happy... 

[SonicSix]

I use Sta-Bil Ethanol Treatment in both my bikes.  It makes a definite difference, and the gas I buy is almost always major brands unless I have no other choice.

My bikes are a 2012 Kymco Like 200i and a 2012 Can Am Spyder RT-S SE5.

[08087]

I use Sta-Bil Ethanol Treatment in both my bikes.  It makes a definite difference, and the gas I buy is almost always major brands unless I have no other choice.

My bikes are a 2012 Kymco Like 200i and a 2012 Can Am Spyder RT-S SE5.

How does it make a difference? Do your bikes sit for periods of time without use? If so how long and what problems have you had with "E" fuel?

[Vivo]

I had first hand experience/problems with E-fuel when our small province was used as a guinea pig by our country in experimenting with Gasohol or Alcogas as we called them in the mid 1970's... I was in high school then and my car was a 1973 Dodge Colt and used daily...

Problems encountered...

1. Vapor lock when car sits under the hot sun for several hours. Hard starting.

2. Fuel ate the check valves of the fuel pump. I had to replace the valves every other week. Good thing these old school fuel pumps are repairable.  (Yes, I was already tinkering with engines in my early teens)

3. Fuel in the fuel filter became "milky" which indicated water presence. I replaced the fuel filter also almost every month.

4. Fuel destroyed the small metal screen inside the carburetor fuel inlet. I just removed it and left it as is.


After about a year, the Gasohol project was stopped... everybody happy... 

 

[SonicSix]

How does it make a difference? Do your bikes sit for periods of time without use? If so how long and what problems have you had with "E" fuel?

The only time the bikes sit for long periods is in the winter, and the stabilizer is absolutely necessary.  However, even when I ride often, the ethanol treatment is necessary.  For example, I usually ride my scooter when the wife is not with me, so the Spyder sat unridden for several days (I was out of the ethanol treatment for that last 2 fill ups on it).  It was very hard to start after sitting for less than a week. Once I got it started, I immediately went to Walmart and bought a bottle so I could add some to the gas.

Again this week, I have ridden the scooter only.  When I went out yesterday morning to start the Spyder to go on a Patriot Guard ride, it fired right up because I had the ethanol treatment in it.

The ethanol in the gas is crap, just government mandated garbage to help special interest groups.  My bikes run significantly better when I add the ethanol treatment.  You may not have any troubles with the 10% ethanol fuels, but I do so I do what I can to counter it.  Thankfully, the scooter only requires half an ounce each fill up, the Spyder needs 2 ounces per fill up.  Both bikes require 93 octane and the only ethanol free gas near me is 87 octane.