Regular or Premium Gas

kerinorton · May 3, 2015

htown16 said:
MBTE was originally mandated in gasoline by the EPA in major metropolitan areas that had smog problems. When it was phased out ethanol took its place. That's why you only find stations selling ethanol free in predominantly rural areas. I've used e10 in Brit bikes for over ten years with no significant problems. I do use the stayup floats, new Amal internals, modern petcocks and gas line. One bike has a por15 treated tank and has had e10 in it continously for over ten years with absolutely no deterioration. IMHO like the loss of lead, the problems with e10 may be overstated, excepting fiberglass tanks.
I should also add I am against ethanol for a host of other reasons, it's gouging the taxpayer/consumer and enriching big ag and it's an environment disaster. Google the "gulf of mexico dead zone" and you can see the impact of increased runoff and pesticide use on marginal ground in the midwest. It also doesn't seem right to burn food in vehicles when not everyone on this planet is well fed.

Your are obviously not a friend of David Blume. Alcohol can be a Gas.

Lannis · May 3, 2015

It's funny.

Here at home, you can buy ethanol-free fuel for about 15% more than E10 fuel.

In my Moto Guzzi, which measures its own gas mileage (and I check it at the pump), I get 40 miles per gallon with E10, and 46 MPG with pure gas.

That means that the ethanol is simply a volume filler that is the equivalent of putting water in my gas tank. It contributes nothing to propelling me down the road.

It's nothing but a scam to pump money to big agri-business companies that sell billions of tons of corn. Maybe the country will wake up some day ....

Lannis

htown16 · May 3, 2015

I might actually be a fan of some of what David Blume is saying. From what I read about him, he his talking about a smaller scale substainable production of ethanol from waste plant material. Again, I need to investigate further but this sounds totally different from the corn to gas scam.

kerinorton · May 4, 2015

It is true that you will get less economy out of alcohol as it has a lower energy content. 46 to 40 mpg is not right though. Something is off there. I would expect you to get 2% less distance out of e10 but that is a guess. Grow your own alcohol for big vehicle use but for a motorcycle it is not practical unless you modify it to do so. Higher compression is needed, higher advance and heated fuel are required as well as bigger jets to accommodate the thicker fuel. [ and of course, a steel fuel tank ].
We have 91 and 95 octane unleaded fuel here in NZ and Norton's will run on either under normal riding conditions. If I am going to do heavy hill work and fast riding I will use the 95. When my bike was new in 71, the recommended fuel was 99, and we only had 83 and 93 leaded in NZ at the time. Unleaded fuel is now a bonus as the exhausts don't rot out now.
Dereck

lrutt · May 4, 2015

Ethanol free 89 Octane then I add octane booster, stabil, and 100:1 syn 2 stroke oil. My special mix.

Octane is up, top end, petcocks, carb slides all get superior lubrication, gas tank doesn't rust. Bike runs great. Been doing this for 15 years on all my classic bikes and my MG TD. works great. Hate that ethanol.

ILLF8ED · May 4, 2015

lrutt said:
Ethanol free 89 Octane then I add octane booster, stabil, and 100:1 syn 2 stroke oil. My special mix.

Octane is up, top end, petcocks, carb slides all get superior lubrication, gas tank doesn't rust. Bike runs great. Been doing this for 15 years on all my classic bikes and my MG TD. works great. Hate that ethanol.

Do you carry all the cans of additive with you when you need to refuel away from home such as traveling more than one tank round trip distance? That's always been my problem using anything I can't get at the pump including use of race gas.

worntorn · May 4, 2015

Chevron Canada still has this at all of their stations, of which there are a great multitude. It try to use only this ethanol free supreme, however if some of the corn syrup gas must be used I make sure to drain it and refill with the Supreme for winter storage.

dragonfly · May 4, 2015

Aren't fuel stations required to post the pumps with stickers informing us of booze in the gas...or not?

MikeM · May 4, 2015

Yellow_Cad said:
My 850 is basically stock and recently rebuilt. I run good quality premium gas in it. After reading that the oil companies now use ethanol to get the extra octane, I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better for the bike to run good quality regular. Any thoughts. Jim

Its my understanding (possibly wrong) that ethanol has nothing to do with octane. Its added, at least in this area to support the corn crop and help keep the farmers in business.
Im all for the farmers but not at the expense of my engine, fuel lines etc. I also have an old Camaro and the floats fuel lines etc are not happy with ethanol.
I would like to at least have the choice of a non ethanol added fuel. I am not really looking to go to the airport for a fill up, and I think the octane of aviation fuel would be too much for the bike.
What about lead additives for the valve seats in the older Commando engines. Should a lead additive be used?

Anonymous · May 4, 2015

Hi MikeM.
Re your: "...What about lead additives for the valve seats in the older Commando engines. Should a lead additive be used?"

Lead is required for cast-iron cylinder heads that have the valve seats cut directly into them.
http://www.classicrallyclub.com.au/docs ... _facts.pdf
Commandos have hardened valve seat inserts and therefore do not need lead additives to protect the seats.
Using lead additives as an octane booster is contraindicated due to neurotoxic health risks (and it fouls the bike plugs).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-123/pdfs/0603.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1008084/
Ta.

MikeM · May 4, 2015

needing said:
Hi MikeM.
Re your: "...What about lead additives for the valve seats in the older Commando engines. Should a lead additive be used?"

Lead is required for cast-iron cylinder heads that have the valve seats cut directly into them.
http://www.classicrallyclub.com.au/docs ... _facts.pdf
Commandos have hardened valve seat inserts and therefore do not need lead additives to protect the seats.
Using lead additives as an octane booster is contraindicated due to neurotoxic health risks (and it fouls the bike plugs).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-123/pdfs/0603.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1008084/
Ta.

Thanks for that. Its what I thought. At least the seats will survive. Now, about that Fiberglas tank................. next change for me.

kerinorton · May 4, 2015

Ethanol wont hurt your Norton Commando engine. It has an effective higher octane rating than petrol. The big wigs in the early oil industry threw money to the prohibionists so that could promote the gangster era in the states. Shit even the great and noble George Washington, had poor farmers murdered by the army because he passed a law the made everyone who produced less that x amount of alcohol shut down their stills. { old Georgy baby was the biggest supplier of Alcohol in the states. }
Henry Fords model T was designed to run on alcohol.
The bigwigs in the oil industry have a lot to answer for but money talks [ and stops talking ].

the poor ol folks in the states can run E85 without too much problem, but you need that 15% petrol because Alcohol has a lot higher vapour pressure, and needs to be heated to vaporise more easily.

As they say here, stick that in yer pipe and smoke it.

Dereck

ps read about David Blume

Anonymous · May 4, 2015

Keep in mind that Viton is fine with petrol/gas but swells with alcohol.
Not usually a problem for fuel lines and O-rings but float needle tips may be adversely affected.
Ta.

gortnipper · May 4, 2015

Lannis said:
It's nothing but a scam to pump money to big agri-business companies that sell billions of tons of corn. Maybe the country will wake up some day ....

Lannis

htown16 said:
I should also add I am against ethanol for a host of other reasons, it's gouging the taxpayer/consumer and enriching big ag and it's an environment disaster. Google the "gulf of mexico dead zone" and you can see the impact of increased runoff and pesticide use on marginal ground in the midwest. It also doesn't seem right to burn food in vehicles when not everyone on this planet is well fed.

Funny, I just watched Food, Inc.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food,_Inc. the other day

The second segment looks at the industrial production of grains and vegetables (primarily corn and soy beans) and shows this as economically and environmentally unsustainable. Let alone the fact that these two products are not so great at all for our health and are proliferate in so much of what we eat these days, due in large part to Big Agri, who have responded to the needs of the Fast Food Nation in force.

/rant

kerinorton · May 7, 2015

think we are getting of the Norton Commando topic here.

I heard that McDonalds buy NZ beef [ grass feed and free range ] because the shit they feed the American stuff on is not so good [ grain feed???? ],. Better of turning into alcohol and selling it to the poor folks like us.

I don't think McDonalds uses Norton Commandos in their fleet either.

Dereck

Regular or Premium Gas

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