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Fuel E10 going to end old bikes?
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Can’t believe this is still going to happen that fuel companies will convert to supplying E10.
This is a major worry as 2 of my bikes won’t be able to run it. Not sure if anyone knows anymore info as the bike companies are telling me sorry but don’t use.
Major problems is it causes rubber to disintegrate due to the ethanol content. Fuel pipes, injector seats, carb gaskets, head gaskets 
So I guess all old bikes from 70’s to 90’s will not be able to run
Any views? |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"The super unleaded fuel will still be E5, its just the cheap stuff that's changing"
Yeah heard the same and to be honest I always run Super Unleaded any-hoo. |
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By *ombikerMan
over a year ago
the right side of the river |
Apparently you can fill a container with petrol. Mix in some water and the ethanol absorbs the water and sinks to the bottom.
You can then drain off the water and ethanol from the bottom or syphon the “real” petrol off the top |
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By *aznpaulCouple
over a year ago
yiewsley |
As was the same when leaded fuel was stopped .. you could convert your bike to run on the new fuel but not as easily or cheaply as the unleaded adjustments... just run it on super unleaded .. a lot less drama |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Can’t believe this is still going to happen that fuel companies will convert to supplying E10.
This is a major worry as 2 of my bikes won’t be able to run it. Not sure if anyone knows anymore info as the bike companies are telling me sorry but don’t use.
Major problems is it causes rubber to disintegrate due to the ethanol content. Fuel pipes, injector seats, carb gaskets, head gaskets
So I guess all old bikes from 70’s to 90’s will not be able to run
Any views?"
Check this site out.....
https://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-1524-lead-replacement-other-additives.aspx |
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By *amish SMan
over a year ago
Eastleigh |
"E10 can destroy some alloys that are used in carbs and throttle bodies.
It can also affect some plastic fuel tanks what old bikes have plastic fuel tanks?"
Some Norton commando's are GRP.
E5 and E10 can attack alloy tanks as well, it rots the welds, this just coming to light.
Many manufacturers saw E10 coming well over 10 years ago so I suspect even though some bikes fall into the 'bikes older than' bracket does not mean that they will not be able to use E10.
The problem the country has is where all this Ethanol is going to come from, with E5 we did not produce enough nationaly, and many pumps with E5 are 'can contain upto' not 'actually contains' we would need to import ranker loads of the stuff to even achieve E5 let alone E10. HMRC fuel data spreadsheets show this.
My old Norton is 46 years old and fully compliant with E10. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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If you have the skills DuPont make Vito rubber.Vito is ethanol resistant.it does mean a carb strip though.
If you are not confident I can do it for a few Mars bars.  |
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Its not just older Bike and Car engines it will knacker, a hell of a lot of boat engines, inboard and outboard are over 10 years old and wont run on the stuff.What the hell are this government doing. Its ok if you are a millionaire, you can just buy a new vehicle but for the rest of us minions, they do not care.
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By *ickawitchCouple
over a year ago
Away with the fairies (Liverpool to you) |
"Its not just older Bike and Car engines it will knacker, a hell of a lot of boat engines, inboard and outboard are over 10 years old and wont run on the stuff.What the hell are this government doing. Its ok if you are a millionaire, you can just buy a new vehicle but for the rest of us minions, they do not care.
"
That’s always been the way . They pay lip service to the common man . The the reality is they don’t give a shit so long as their pockets are lined |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Apparently you can fill a container with petrol. Mix in some water and the ethanol absorbs the water and sinks to the bottom.
You can then drain off the water and ethanol from the bottom or syphon the “real” petrol off the top"
There is a problem with this technique 1) the petrol left behind will be lower in its octane rating and may be an issue for anything with a normal or higher comparison ratio as the ethanol is is a higher octane rating than petrol and is used in the "Blend" and to create the standard octane rating of the E10 fuel of 95RON.
2) some of the water will bond to the ethanol in suspension and not leave in its separation so you still have some ethanol but some water too.
In most parts the E10 thing most people probably are overreacting. it's going to affect plastic and rubber parts in the fuel system way before any metallic issues and and the small amount ethanol is far less likely to affect things than running pure ethanol. Some of the mix up is probably also to do with Methanol that has been used in the past as a racing fuel.
You may have old fuel hose that will be effected and let's face it a market of conversion parts will emerge for anything of interest or value.
I'll also point out take apart a carburettor that been left with old petrol that had tetraethyl lead residue in it and that will eat the aluminium/zinc away if left  yet you don't hear people crying about 4* and actually the opposite.
Do not stress too much some premium fuels well not contain ethanol or have a small amount like 5% if you had anything particularly old it would probably still need lead or an additive anyway there's also another way around this is to go to your local airfield and buy some aviation gas which would contain no ethanol and still have lead in it.
Other way is to look into controlled racing fuels but it's costly
Personally I would just use the E10 and sort the bits it effects in time. The whole world didn't grind to a halt in the early 90s when we phased out leaded fuel like the scaremongering made you believe?
Plus the environment is important.
Regards from a qualified automotive engineer and electrician   |
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By *amish SMan
over a year ago
Eastleigh |
Many old classics can use unleaded. Bikes from the 80's 90's would most likely have had hoses, gaskets and seals replaced with ethanol compatible items, so I doubt there will be many problems.
Ethanol in fuel is not new, used in the UK in the past century and the US for decades. |
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