GAS TYPE????????

old biker dude , do you realize how much water 4 teaspoons per gallon actually is in a 3-4gallon tank? what are you doing emptying your water bottle into the tank? my god if you had that same amount of water in plain gas your bike wouldnt even run!

and as for the fuel line issue there is a reason cars have steel fuel lines bud and yet even plain gas will start coroding those steel lines. gas by itself will also eat away at your factory style fuel lines just not as fast because of the detergent properties inherent in ethanol which is a good thing for your engine . it helps keep carbon buildup down and also acts as a lubricant as well making your engine last longer, see deisle engins which use bio fuel getting in some cases up to a millon miles ir more on their engines without any major issues

horsepower loss with ethanol isnt even anything a normal rider will notice and even though the fuel economy drops slightly the price difference makes up for it.
the "added particles" are already in your engine ethanol just helps break it down.
and honestly i wouldnt leave plain gas in my tank very long for storage either it may take a bit more than 2 weeks but it can and will turn into varnish and destroy all of your gaskets and hoses too

plus like you said only ONE station sells "clean" gas so what do you do on a run? or a trip? do you carry a 5 gallon can with you the whole time???

 

I run Mobil gas only in cars, mowers, bike, etc. It has no ethanol in it here. It is one of the few...screw ethanol...it is Satan's fuel

 

Most places in rural N.Y. there is no choice. all most all brands have up to 10% It doesn't help in any way to stem foreign oil its just a political tool if you look in to the way most in the us is produced it burns more fuel to produce.
Like it or not it is here to stay so adapt like me changing all the carb gaskets and floats in my 86 Chevy truck or by a newer bike that is made to run on it.
I actually want to see e85 at the local pump so I can run high compression heads on my truck.

 

Same with me. In Maryland it's a state law that all gas must contain 10% ethanol. I have to keep a bottle of Lucas Oil ethanol stabilizer on my bike whenever I fill up. My bike hates starting after a few days of sitting with ethanol gas and no stabilizer.

 

I guess I am lucky. First I ride everyday, maybe I miss one day a week. Second, I haven't had any issues related to gas. No matter the brand or type. My XJ650 seems to run fine with regular or supreme.

 

Reading through all the posts here, it seems that the some experience issues with Ethanol others don't.
Let me ask this then, what are some suggested remedies for preventing possible gumming up of the carbs? I understand that the next best step is simply to clean the carbs.

Thx

 

Once they ARE clean, stick to name-brand gas. Run an in-line fuel filter. Avoid ethanol-laced gas if possible. Use Sta-Bil when the bike is stored for the winter.

And expect to do a "basic carb cleaning" every couple of seasons anyway (depending on mileage, etc.)

 

It depends on your state laws-In Arkansas they are only required to say "this fuel might contain up to 10% ethanol", but there is a gas station near my house which advertises in big letters on their marque "Absolutely No Ethanol in Our Gas in Any Pump." It's true I checked with the owner and tracked down his supplier to be sure. And this is a private station NOT name brand. This wasn't the case a few years ago so clearly the message is getting out that consumers don't like ethanol, and I would say most mechanics hate the crap as well based on my conversations with them.

As far as dealing with it when it's in there, you have at least a couple of options. The auto store has an ethanol re-mediator which combines with it and prevents it from gumming up or varnishing, you can also use an upper cylinder lube like Stabil, SeaFoam, or STP's new engine treatment-or clean your carbs more often.

As to the threads topic: octane required is dependent on engine compression and altitude. Higher compression needs higher octane to prevent detonation, higher altitude requires lower octane due to decreased atm. pressure and less oxygen for the burn. According to most of our bikes compression numbers at sea level we should generally run 89-91 octane.