jharpphoto
Member
Is it safe or desirable to use ethanol free gas in my 2013 RT. Are there any benefits? I use 93 octane as recommended but I'm curious about using the ethanol free in my bike.
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Ethanol free gasoline
- Thread starter jharpphoto
- Start date
pglaves
#13338
Ethanol is a witches brew that does no good except to ConAgra, Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, and some other distiller's stock price and bottom line. It does your engine no good whatsoever.
Provided you can get the appropriate AKI (Anti-Knock Index - ie: octane) without ethanol go for it, every opportunity.
p.s. Some friends of corn farmers will disagree with me but they know I'm right if you ignore corn profits. Corn is food, not fuel.
mikegalbicka
Back in the saddle again
I try to only use ethanol free in my 07RT. Once in a great while I am forced to put a little ethanol brew in because of location but I do so sparingly and top it off with non-ethanol as soon as possible. I find I get better gas mileage that way as well.
On a 7000 km trip, my buddy and I each rode R1100RTs. Mine pulled my one wheel trailer which besides my gear carried his very large tent, his sleeping bag,air mattress plus a bit more. It wasn’t until the trip was over that he told me he had kept track of fuel fillups. Apparently my bike always took one litre less than his at each gas stop except on two occasions when mine took 2 litres less.
Same bikes, although mine was more heavily loaded, with his bike always filled with ethanol laced fuel whereas mine always used ethanol free gas. Although he normally has a heavier throttle wrist than me, on that trip, with him being an American, I was the lead rider as most of the trip was in Canada.
I put the difference in gas mileage to him using watered down fuel.
Last edited:
pglaves
#13338
I still have my Haynes Manual for the classic K75 and K100 bikes which warns not to use "fuel adulterated with alcohol".
The dictionary definition:
"verb
past tense: adulterated; past participle: adulterated
render (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance, typically an inferior one.
"the meat was ground fine and adulterated with potato flour". "
The dictionary definition:
"verb
past tense: adulterated; past participle: adulterated
render (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance, typically an inferior one.
"the meat was ground fine and adulterated with potato flour". "
Ethanol laced fuel is less efficient
The octane ratings may be the same but it takes more energy (fuel & heat) to burn ethanol laced fuel which results in less fuel efficiency, more engine heat produced and more exhaust emissions. Ethanol laced fuel will also destroy some fuel system components if it is left to sit for extended periods of time. Down here in South West Fla Dah they have found fuel tanks on many boats and marine craft have delaminated due to the ethanol laced fuel. They should place warnings on all ethanol laced fuel dispensers regarding the harmful effects of it.
The octane ratings may be the same but it takes more energy (fuel & heat) to burn ethanol laced fuel which results in less fuel efficiency, more engine heat produced and more exhaust emissions. Ethanol laced fuel will also destroy some fuel system components if it is left to sit for extended periods of time. Down here in South West Fla Dah they have found fuel tanks on many boats and marine craft have delaminated due to the ethanol laced fuel. They should place warnings on all ethanol laced fuel dispensers regarding the harmful effects of it.
glenfiddich
TravelsWithBarley.com
I don’t worry about 10% on my trips as I burn right through it. But at home or anywhere I’m going to stay a few days I always go with pure gas
Pete
Pete
jharpphoto
Member
ALL gas stations in my area have ethanol with the exception of a few stations that sell no ethanol gas. I've run "regular" gas with ethanol in my 4runner for 15 years with no issues what so ever.
riderr1150gsadv
Well-known member
Been using non-ethanol for many years as most outboard engines can't run on corn syrup. I ran a fishing charter business in the Florida Keys for almost 30 years and I actually had severe engine damage from it, so I know first hand that ethanol is crap. 
Many other boat owners that owned older boats with fiberglass fuel tanks had even bigger issues as ethanol dissolved the tanks and that mix ended up in their engines, completely destroying them. Besides new engines they also needed new fuel tank$$$$$$$$$$...
Only idiots burn food as fuel...
Every time I fill up my bike with REC 90 as non-ethanol is known down here, the bike runs better and gets much better gas mileage and thus pollutes less, a huge side benefit btw.. YMMV
Many other boat owners that owned older boats with fiberglass fuel tanks had even bigger issues as ethanol dissolved the tanks and that mix ended up in their engines, completely destroying them. Besides new engines they also needed new fuel tank$$$$$$$$$$...
Only idiots burn food as fuel...
Every time I fill up my bike with REC 90 as non-ethanol is known down here, the bike runs better and gets much better gas mileage and thus pollutes less, a huge side benefit btw.. YMMV
dduelin
Unregistered User
I've used 10% ethanol fuel in cars, motorcycles, contemporary cars, and boats with no issues whatsoever since we started using it in the 1970s. My boats never sat long enough for phase separation of water to happen and the tanks were polypropylene plastic or Monel. Let fuel sit unattended or untreated in boat fuel tanks and you deserve to have fuel problems as they are not required to have fume and venting controls like motor vehicles do and are wide open to moisture accumulation from condensation and humidity. Owner or operator neglect is the reason boat fuel has problems not 10% ethanol in and of itself. Now, small engines in weed eaters and trimmer/edgers I have had problems with disintegrating fuel lines but that was years ago.
In other words, I don't seek out ethanol free fuel for my motorcycles.
In other words, I don't seek out ethanol free fuel for my motorcycles.
jharpphoto
Member
What I'm hearing here is that NON ethanol is superior to any ethanol fuel. Correct?
915e
Member
You are correct. Non ethanol fuel is more efficient and less corrosive......it will not eat your fuel strip. BMW didn't/doesn't have fuel strip problems in Germany because farmers do not get subsidized by adding that crap to the fuel due to lobbyists and resulting government mandates. Not being political here because it doesn't matter who is in control.
It's the same with diesel fuel, I have to buy the bio laced crap most of the time for my truck.
burnbender
Member
I try to use non-ethanol whenever possible. Fortunately I have a good local source. On longer trips I generally burn through several tanks of gas so the worry of leaving ethanol in the tank for extended periods doesn't exist. Thanks for the tip for the Pure Gas app. I found the app. does list the octane but the map leaves little to be desired.
fmdualexhaust
Member
All my small engines, motorcycles, and sports car drink pure gas.
The Jeeps get ethanol.
The Jeeps get ethanol.
