Ethanol-free gas question

[jimigalahad_imp]

I had a 2001 gs500e that really benefited from ethanol-free gas. It started easier and ran smoother. I guess it was supposed to help keep the tank and fuel system healthier too. Now that I've got the very modern CB1100, should I keep with the ethanol-free if I can?

 

[the Ferret]

The CB can handle up to 10 % ethanol, but if gas were available without ethanol, I 'd use it personally. You should get a little better mileage on 100 proof.

 

[Inline4_imp]

The CB can handle up to 10 % ethanol, but if gas were available without ethanol, I 'd use it personally. You should get a little better mileage on 100 proof.

oooooh. Hundred Proof!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously though, that's good to know ferret. There is one place around here that sells ethanol-free gasoline. It's an old, run-down station that also sells some pretty decent ham too. Folks come from all over the place to buy it.
They keep some strange hours though. I guess I should buy a couple 5-gallon cans and fill them with the good stuff.
On my last ride I took a picture of their store hours.............................
Monday thru Friday 6am - 3pm
Saturday 6am till noon.
At least I can re-fuel there on Mondays!

 

[oldyaler_imp]

This may help you find the good stuff: Pure-gas.org - ethanol-free gasoline in the U.S. and Canada

 

[the Ferret]

The CB can handle up to 10 % ethanol, but if gas were available without ethanol, I 'd use it personally. You should get a little better mileage on 100 proof.

oooooh. Hundred Proof!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously though, that's good to know ferret. There is one place around here that sells ethanol-free gasoline. It's an old, run-down station that also sells some pretty decent ham too. Folks come from all over the place to buy it.
They keep some strange hours though. I guess I should buy a couple 5-gallon cans and fill them with the good stuff.
On my last ride I took a picture of their store hours.............................
Monday thru Friday 6am - 3pm
Saturday 6am till noon.
At least I can re-fuel there on Mondays!

oooooh. Hundred Proof!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously though, that's good to know ferret. There is one place around here that sells ethanol-free gasoline. It's an old, run-down station that also sells some pretty decent ham too. Folks come from all over the place to buy it.
They keep some strange hours though. I guess I should buy a couple 5-gallon cans and fill them with the good stuff.
On my last ride I took a picture of their store hours.............................
Monday thru Friday 6am - 3pm
Saturday 6am till noon.
At least I can re-fuel there on Mondays!
Ham and gas .... Hmmmmmm.

No need to fill 5 gallon cans, its really no biggie. Your motor is designed to accept 10 % ethanol. Now if they ever force that E 15 on us though, we're fooked.

 

[Gypped_imp]

The CB can handle up to 10 % ethanol, but if gas were available without ethanol, I 'd use it personally. You should get a little better mileage on 100 proof.

oooooh. Hundred Proof!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously though, that's good to know ferret. There is one place around here that sells ethanol-free gasoline. It's an old, run-down station that also sells some pretty decent ham too. Folks come from all over the place to buy it.
They keep some strange hours though. I guess I should buy a couple 5-gallon cans and fill them with the good stuff.
On my last ride I took a picture of their store hours.............................
Monday thru Friday 6am - 3pm
Saturday 6am till noon.
At least I can re-fuel there on Mondays!

oooooh. Hundred Proof!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously though, that's good to know ferret. There is one place around here that sells ethanol-free gasoline. It's an old, run-down station that also sells some pretty decent ham too. Folks come from all over the place to buy it.
They keep some strange hours though. I guess I should buy a couple 5-gallon cans and fill them with the good stuff.
On my last ride I took a picture of their store hours.............................
Monday thru Friday 6am - 3pm
Saturday 6am till noon.
At least I can re-fuel there on Mondays!
Ham and gas .... Hmmmmmm.

No need to fill 5 gallon cans, its really no biggie. Your motor is designed to accept 10 % ethanol. Now if they ever force that E 15 on us though, we're fooked.

I just had a talk with a guy about this the other day when I stopped for coffee and he saw me on the CB. He's restoring a 60's Honda of some sort, and couldn't figure out why his fuel line kept getting eaten up. He was around my age (in his early 30's), and had no idea that ethanol was bad for engines that weren't designed for it. Around here, the only pure gasoline is usually sold for boats, it's 89 octane and they charge out the nose for it. It's one of the few reasons I like going up to Iowa to visit family.

 

[Obliviontoad]

Up here, the one ethanol free place is around $4.09 a gallon for 91 octane.They intend the stuff to be used in boats and the like. Its on the pump way out in the open with no cover. I filled up last night, and I'll be damned if the engine didn't seem sprightlier. Its probably just my imagination, but thats just how it felt. Ethanol is stupid.

 

[oldyaler_imp]

Up here, the one ethanol free place is around $4.09 a gallon for 91 octane.They intend the stuff to be used in boats and the like. Its on the pump way out in the open with no cover. I filled up last night, and I'll be damned if the engine didn't seem sprightlier. Its probably just my imagination, but thats just how it felt. Ethanol is stupid.

It's not your imagination. Ethanol reduces horsepower and gas mileage, not to mention destroying carburetor seals in older vehicles but the gub'ment won't admit it.

 

[jimigalahad_imp]

Thanks. Next tank will be the good 100 proof stuff!

 

[Scoobynut_imp]

I guess I'm fortunate to live where I live, then -- at least as far as fuel goes. Around here every pump has one nozzle with the three grades of regular unleaded and then a separate nozzle with 89 octane ethanol. I won't touch the stuff if I can help it. One of the worst features of ethanol (among many others) is how quickly it degrades over time. Ethanol is hygroscopic, meaning that it will attract water from the air, which is absorbed into the gas -- which can mean very bad things to a vehicle that is stored long-term, such as over the winter, even if that vehicle is designed to handle ethanol on a day-to-day basis. No vehicle is designed to run on a blend of corn alcohol, gasoline and water.

I've read some good things about Star Tron neutralizing the bad effects of ethanol, so those of you who are concerned about it might considering using Star Tron or something like it. Here's a link to their ethanol info sheet:

http://mystarbrite.com/startron/content/view/14/37/lang,en/

My honest opinion is that the whole ethanol thing is a huge scam that's been foisted upon us by the government -- an answer to a question no one was asking. I have also read that its overall environmental impact, when you consider all the resources and energy used to produce it, is actually WORSE than that of traditionally produced gasoline. Not to get too far off topic with a rant, but this kind of naive, 'well-intentioned' (not to mention expensive) stupidity just makes my blood simmer, if not boil...

 

[CA200_imp]

I used to sell a lot of Startron it works. I once talking to a rep. who also
had spent time in Europe with some of the motorcycle supply people.
Their thoughts were that the we were crazy for putting food in our fuel

 

[Scoobynut_imp]

A lot people don't know it, but we are using fully 1/2 of all our corn supply for ethanol. It has drastically reduced the amount of corn we can export to developing nations -- and has, in some cases, caused food shortages and even famine in some of those countries. The fuel issues are one thing, but when enviro wackjobs are so hell-bent on 'saving the planet' (even though it's been proven that ethanol does no such thing) that humans then end up suffering due to 'good intentions,' I get just plain angry. The thing that gets me is there's never any repercussions for these wackos, it seems as if they just get a pass, because, wait for it...they're 'saving the planet.'

Anyways, sorry everyone, I don't want to turn this into an off-topic rant fest, but I think most folks aren't really that aware of some of the backstory on ethanol.

Hey Guth, maybe we need to create an off-topic section for stuff like this? Probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Y'all could send me there when I misbehave.

 

[oldyaler_imp]

A lot people don't know it, but we are using fully 1/2 of all our corn supply for ethanol. It has drastically reduced the amount of corn we can export to developing nations -- and has, in some cases, caused food shortages and even famine in some of those countries. The fuel issues are one thing, but when enviro wackjobs are so hell-bent on 'saving the planet' (even though it's been proven that ethanol does no such thing) that humans then end up suffering due to 'good intentions,' I get just plain angry. The thing that gets me is there's never any repercussions for these wackos, it seems as if they just get a pass, because, wait for it...they're 'saving the planet.'

Anyways, sorry everyone, I don't want to turn this into an off-topic rant fest, but I think most folks aren't really that aware of some of the backstory on ethanol.

Hey Guth, maybe we need to create an off-topic section for stuff like this? Probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Y'all could send me there when I misbehave.

+1.

 

[OldF7Guy_imp]

A lot people don't know it, but we are using fully 1/2 of all our corn supply for ethanol. It has drastically reduced the amount of corn we can export to developing nations -- and has, in some cases, caused food shortages and even famine in some of those countries. The fuel issues are one thing, but when enviro wackjobs are so hell-bent on 'saving the planet' (even though it's been proven that ethanol does no such thing) that humans then end up suffering due to 'good intentions,' I get just plain angry. The thing that gets me is there's never any repercussions for these wackos, it seems as if they just get a pass, because, wait for it...they're 'saving the planet.'

Anyways, sorry everyone, I don't want to turn this into an off-topic rant fest, but I think most folks aren't really that aware of some of the backstory on ethanol.

Hey Guth, maybe we need to create an off-topic section for stuff like this? Probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Y'all could send me there when I misbehave.

+2 Dont even get me started on this.

 

[tbone455_imp]

I'm a Cessna pilot. I ran my Goldwing on 100LL (low lead) gas for years. It was a definite improvement. You can still get it at your local airport. It has a small amount of lead in it and is 100 octane. But I don't know if it is right for a cb1100

 

[Randy B]

Not with a catalytic converter its not.

 

[Gingersdaddy_imp]

Yeah, any amount of lead will melt down and destroy the cat and its not very good for the 02 sensor either. It would be good for older bikes as the lead lubricates the valves. That's why todays engines have to have hardened valve seats, the lack of lead in the fuel.

 

[tbone455_imp]

Yeah, any amount of lead will melt down and destroy the cat and its not very good for the 02 sensor either. It would be good for older bikes as the lead lubricates the valves. That's why todays engines have to have hardened valve seats, the lack of lead in the fuel.

I'm glad we talked...thanks!

 

[Dakota_imp]

A lot people don't know it, but we are using fully 1/2 of all our corn supply for ethanol. It has drastically reduced the amount of corn we can export to developing nations -- and has, in some cases, caused food shortages and even famine in some of those countries. The fuel issues are one thing, but when enviro wackjobs are so hell-bent on 'saving the planet' (even though it's been proven that ethanol does no such thing) that humans then end up suffering due to 'good intentions,' I get just plain angry. The thing that gets me is there's never any repercussions for these wackos, it seems as if they just get a pass, because, wait for it...they're 'saving the planet.'

Anyways, sorry everyone, I don't want to turn this into an off-topic rant fest, but I think most folks aren't really that aware of some of the backstory on ethanol.

Hey Guth, maybe we need to create an off-topic section for stuff like this? Probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Y'all could send me there when I misbehave.

Ethanol is not the reason why people go hungry. Blame ineffective and corrupt governments.

Whether or not ethanol is a net gain depends on whose study you read and whether or not the study looked at it from a global view. It is far from settled and each author injects their own bias.

 

[Red Mist_imp]

The backstory on ethanol is certainly a good thing to know. Politics, of course, are a big part of that. However there is no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater here. Ethanol seemed like a good idea at the time and it's taking its proponents a while to let go. With the discovery of vast petroleum and natural gas resources in North America, ethanol is just generally a non-starter now. One of my cars will run up to E85 but there are so few stations that carry it, and it's so expensive -- not to mention less mileage -- that it is hardly worth the effort.

As far as ethanol being bad for you motorcycle or car, well, tens of millions of drivers have put billions of miles on cars and motorcycles with E10 or less and never had any issues. I can personally attest to this. All the manufacturers are making their fuel systems compatible with E10 or less and have been for a long time. The last thing GM or Toyota or Honda, et. al. need are massive warranty issues due to E10 fuel. If anything these vehicles are over-engineered with a substantial ability to handle greater than 10 percent ethanol.