What Gas: to Ethanol or Not to Ethanol

[Milan]

What is the consensus for Gas.
Searched the forum and not much found.

So Do you go Ethanol free, no matter what octane
Or do you go Shell Nitro 93 with whatever ethanol it has?
(Nothing higher that 93 here in central Florida)

Also, with the new oils, is 32 to 1 still the standard mix ratio for street.
Or can 34 to 1 or less be used.

M

[m in sc]

all my bikes and cars are tuned to run on 91-93 ethanol pump gas. I dont buy into the hype ethanol free is necessary, at all. My 67 kaw sat for over a year and ran just fine with it. IF they sit, use about 1 -2 oz or premix per 2 gallons of fuel, it will stabilize it better than any snake oil additive. I even do this to my 4 strokes.

Does non ethanol and leaded fuel and race fuel etc run better in certain situations? of course.  But they will run just fine in a street bike tuned for pump 91-93.   

[SoCal250]

If you have a choice and the octane is similar I would go non-ethanol. Ethanol attracts moisture and it will attack rubber. If left too long it will even eat brass. (And as an added benefit your fuel mileage will increase slightly.)
I've had a different experience with old gas than Mark, but I assume that it's due to our ultra-shitty blends we get in CA. If I left anything here sitting for a year with gas in it, it would be a real mess. I would need to replace jets, fuel lines, filters, petcock, and do some serious cleaning of the tank and carbs.

[m in sc]

cali gas is absolute shit, this much is true.

[rodneya]

Same here. After a month sitting with ethanol gas its not going to start. All the bikes I bought as well as my mower and snowblower needed the carbs stripped and all the crap scraped out.
Luckily 93 without ethanol is readily available.

[gardenhosebusabottle]

I actually saw a VP gas station in Salem, OR!   

We have clear 93 octane @ 4 different places nearby in WA state.

For the UJM Z1000?   87~89? octane ethanol.  133,000 miles and counting.  Only had to replace the oil/wp on that bike. (check your 4 stroke bike manual for the correct octane).

The RD125 sat for at least 6 months on ethanol.  no problems starting up so far.

[Inov8]

Our Ethanol blended gas here in Florida is crap as well. I think it probably has to do with the climate and getting the "Summer blend". My personal policy is if I'm not going burn through the tank in 30 days it gets non-ethanol. Unfortunately, 93 octane non-eth can be tough to get in some areas.

I find this site handy:
https://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=FL

Worst case is you go to your local airport and buy Avgas; typically 110 octane. Even when mixed 50/50 with 87 octane non-eth you end up with 98 octane. As a bonus, Avgas is leaded; which helps with cooling and lubrication. Not as expensive as you might expect.

You can also find higher octane non-eth at a lot of marinas. Price? Well, let's just say you should bring your own Vaseline because they don't provide any. 

[DesmoDrew]

I burn the same gas as you (Central Fla). 93 w/ethanol pump gas runs fine in all my motorcycles. I do run and ride them all regularly, so they are using up the gas in their tanks. I keep ethanol-free around for the small power equipment and generator.

40/1 pre-mix is fine on the street with a high quality modern oil.

[AAAltered]

Milan - if you are in Palmetto, take your cans right down Lakewood Ranch Blvd at the corner of SR70.  The station there has ethanol free *and* race gas at the same pump.  For about $30 I get 1 gal 110 mixed with 4 gal 90, a lovely 94 octane brew my R5 loves.....

NJ is another story, ethanol free is very difficult to get so I have switched over to Shell 93.

[Greaser Greg]

Milan - if you are in Palmetto, take your cans right down Lakewood Ranch Blvd at the corner of SR70.  The station there has ethanol free *and* race gas at the same pump.  For about $30 I get 1 gal 110 mixed with 4 gal 90, a lovely 94 octane brew my R5 loves.....

NJ is another story, ethanol free is very difficult to get so I have switched over to Shell 93.

I'm so gonna try this! Small airport 3 miles away.  That 110 pump!

[Milan]

I have found a Murphy station in Palmetto.
Just in front of Walmart.
92 octane Non-Eth.

The only problem I see is if you are out riding, and then need gas.
you have to have a list handy of where to go.


Ok What about oil mix ratio
40 to 1 the consensus?

I have 32 to 1 in it now & smokes alot, and plugs foul when trying to tune
Using Maxima

[Inov8]

I would simply offer this for your consideration, there are full synthetic oils available (several name brands) that spec 100:1 ratio for even air cooled 2Ts. They're considered "smokeless" and provide a written warranty against oil related failure. That being said, these oils could be run at 50:1 and still be twice as rich as recommended. You may want to investigate some of these as options in addition to what has already been suggested and do what makes the most sense for your situation.

The only problem I see is if you are out riding, and then need gas.
you have to have a list handy of where to go.

Consider carrying a spare volume of premix just in case you get caught between stations needing gas. You can buy dedicated containers for this purpose. I like the newer Stainless drinking water bottles. They come in a variety of sizes, double wall constructed, and silicone seals. The seals on some may dry out after a while but replacements are cheap and available from Amazon.

[pidjones]

Happily, I live 3 miles from a non-alcohol 87 octane and about 6 miles from two different 91 octane non-ethanol pumps. So, I can gas up either the GL1000 (87 octane) or the RD400c (91 octane) at them. Yesterday, I drove to one of the 91 octane stations and bought 5 gallons in a plastic can with Stabil in it. Filled the RD400c from that for its first ride (although its first start and idle was on 87 octane 30:1 pre-mix.

[Milan]

From reading above i see:
50 to 1
40 to 1
32 to 1
30 to 1

Alot of range for mix.

Problem with finding the right ratio.
If its too little.
Your engine will sieze.

Can slowly reduce mix, until a small amount of smoking is seen.
This wont work tho with the smokeless oils.

Any other ways to tell?

[m in sc]

read the plugs.

40:1 is safe in everything with good oil. 50:1 and 100:1 is a no go in my book on a street motor. but thats just me. Ive also never seized one on oiling issues.