E10 fuel

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A few posts ago we were talking about UK verse US E10 - does anyone have a bad story about E10 in the US? I wonder if the alcohol used in the US and UK are different in some way.
 
marshg246 said:
A few posts ago we were talking about UK verse US E10 - does anyone have a bad story about E10 in the US? I wonder if the alcohol used in the US and UK are different in some way.
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Might be, the Dutch use a different ethanol I do believe.
 
marshg246 said:
A few posts ago we were talking about UK verse US E10 - does anyone have a bad story about E10 in the US?
Click to expand...
A good friend has a 72 combat interstate with a fiberglass tank. It's been sealed with Kreem or equivalent some time in its past. I painted it for him using BASF Glasurit, one of the best and most expensive paint systems on the planet. Within 2 years the paint was blistering from underneath. :mad: He now has an aluminum tank.
 
maylar said:
A good friend has a 72 combat interstate with a fiberglass tank. It's been sealed with Kreem or equivalent some time in its past. I painted it for him using BASF Glasurit, one of the best and most expensive paint systems on the planet. Within 2 years the paint was blistering from underneath. :mad: He now has an aluminum tank.
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I'm no paint/fiberglass/gelcoat/tank sealer expert by any means so I am NOT disputing you - I just have questions. How do you know it was the ethanol? Was the fiberglass itself damaged? If either, how did the sealer let it happen?
 
Fast Eddie said:
Hell yeah…

Yours is ice cold and fizzy, like a kids soda.

Ours is room temp and flat. Like it’s supposed be.
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Reminds me of a time we were in the bar, a good friend headed to the bathroom to take a leak and we had the waitress put his Newcastle in the microwave. Well when he came back he knew right away when he picked it up, took a big drink looked at all of us and smiled. So we all tried a pint warmed up and I can say it was good, I think I may have one this winter as I now live in Colorado and it can get quite cold here. One thing nice about Colorado is I can buy 91 octane e-free fuel and am using it this time of year to flush out all the e-10, then last tank I add the sta-bil.
 
marshg246 said:
I'm no paint/fiberglass/gelcoat/tank sealer expert by any means so I am NOT disputing you - I just have questions. How do you know it was the ethanol? Was the fiberglass itself damaged? If either, how did the sealer let it happen?
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He's had the bike since before ethanol came onto the scene, and his paint was always pristine. When he started using ethanol fuel the paint that was on the tank started showing signs of deterioration. It took a number of years before it got ugly. That's what prompted him to seal the inside, but it obviously didn't work. We've seen reports here over and over that the sealers are just temporary and they merely slow down the process. I honestly don't have an answer for why that is. The tank is otherwise in perfect condition (no leaks etc).
 
Based on my experience - of ONE FG gas tank ;) I suspect that if you seal a tank BEFORE it has ever had fuel in it, there is a good possibility that it will be ok. BUT, if it has had fuel in it before sealing, there is a much reduced chance of the sealer adhering well enough to be proof against ethanol.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Hell yeah…

Yours is ice cold and fizzy, like a kids soda.

Ours is room temp and flat. Like it’s supposed be.
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Have to agree, English ales are the best beers around.

Breaks my heart to go into a UK pub and see the regulars all ordering lager.
 
Hortons Norton said:
Reminds me of a time we were in the bar, a good friend headed to the bathroom to take a leak and we had the waitress put his Newcastle in the microwave. Well when he came back he knew right away when he picked it up, took a big drink looked at all of us and smiled. So we all tried a pint warmed up and I can say it was good, I think I may have one this winter as I now live in Colorado and it can get quite cold here. One thing nice about Colorado is I can buy 91 octane e-free fuel and am using it this time of year to flush out all the e-10, then last tank I add the sta-bil.
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My last big Motorcycle trip was in 2019. We toured BC, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah.
Ethanol free all the way.
It was cheap too!
Not so much now:(
 
MexicoMike said:
Based on my experience - of ONE FG gas tank ;) I suspect that if you seal a tank BEFORE it has ever had fuel in it, there is a good possibility that it will be ok. BUT, if it has had fuel in it before sealing, there is a much reduced chance of the sealer adhering well enough to be proof against ethanol.
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My experience too. I would add that I've successfully sealed old tanks which have previously been used, but a long time ago with ethanol-free fuel.
Also worth mentioning that some tank sealers were never intended to be ethanol-proof; I believe they were intended to fix corroded steel tanks?
 
B+Bogus said:
My experience too. I would add that I've successfully sealed old tanks which have previously been used, but a long time ago with ethanol-free fuel.
Also worth mentioning that some tank sealers were never intended to be ethanol-proof; I believe they were intended to fix corroded steel tanks?
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What sealent do you use? I have "petseal" in my commando tank and "slosh " in my BMW tank
Both have been fine with e5 and were done years ago
Not sure if E10 will get at them?
Hence my question
 
baz said:
What sealent do you use? I have "petseal" in my commando tank and "slosh " in my BMW tank
Both have been fine with e5 and were done years ago
Not sure if E10 will get at them?
Hence my question
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I use Tank Care Products predominantly, and have also used Caswell.
My only gripe with Caswells is they tend to under-estimate how much is needed to get good, even coverage.

My understanding is that any epoxy based sealer should be OK, but as they say 'read what it says in the tin'.
Some brands were around way before ethanol fuels became an issue, and appear to have evolved to meet the need.
 
B+Bogus said:
I use Tank Care Products predominantly, and have also used Caswell.
My only gripe with Caswells is they tend to under-estimate how much is needed to get good, even coverage.

My understanding is that any epoxy based sealer should be OK, but as they say 'read what it says in the tin'.
Some brands were around way before ethanol fuels became an issue, and appear to have evolved to meet the need.
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The "slosh" that I put in the BMW was just a single pk
You just pour it in
Swill it around and tip the excess away and leave it out in damp conditions and it went off like ceramic
Just wondering what will happen if I put E10 in there!
 
It's a very mild mid 50s f day here today, perhaps the last nice riding day for this year.
I might empty the 94 octane Chevron Supreme ethanol free from the MK3 tank and replace it with 94 octane 10%ethanol for a hill run.
It will be interesting to see if there is a measureable power difference between the two.
The Ethanol free will definitely be going back in for winter storage, as always.
Glen
 
Lots of paranoia in most UK classic magazines at the moment. The USA has had E10 for quite a while and the only problem is fibre glass tanks rotting through apparently. No problems at all with E5 (steel tank, Amal premiers, ethanol proof hoses) so not expecting any drama's with E10. Personally I wouldn't wear a 50 year old fibreglass crash helmet, same goes for a fibreglass fuel tank on a motorbike. Worse case scenario; crash, tank splits, fire. Good luck with that.
 
"The USA has had E10 for quite a while and the only problem is fibre glass tanks rotting through apparently"

No.
Nope.
There is way more to ethanol.
It is corrosive. It creates CORROSION in a relatively SHORT period of time. Like in seasonally used engines. Unlike the varnish deposits left behind after LONGER storage of real gas, it cannot be removed with solvents.
For storage, Fuel stabilizer must be used. I also add 2-cycle oil to further reduce the corrosion tendency.
 
Less of the self-righteous attitude please. Not my experience, even in my spare bike which stood for 12 months (partly due to lockdown), started up no problem. I don't store bikes anyway (why would you do that?) both of mine are always ready to go 12 months of the year. Ultrasonics work well for cleaning. Like I say, lot's of paranoia.
 
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