ethanol annoyance

[whiterabbitt]

just a little rant regarding the effects of ethanol.

last spring i rebuilt my vm26ss carbs with the cycle o-rings kit and new gaskets. went for a couple of rides and then the bike got parked due to unrelated reasons and i didnt get back to it until recently.
Now the insides are coated in green stuff and all the new o-rings are shrunk and cracking! wtf. before moving to texas I never had to replace the orings, now i have had to do it twice in 4 years.

no, I didnt drain the carbs, but the tank was off because I did drain the fuel out of it.

the last time I had to replace them I had removed the carbs and pulled the float bowls before storage, and while the carbs were clean all the orings were decayed when i went to ride again a year later.

ethanol sucks, but you all knew that already

ps. anybody know a way to prevent this from happening again?

[chuck hahn]

I drain tanks and bowls for all my bikes for long term storage. My Cooley sat for 15 1/2 months. Put fuel in, PRIme at the petcock, and rode away like the day it was put away. No cracked orings or leaks of any sort. But here in OK we have tons of 100% pure gas at the pumps so we dont get ethanol problems...if they are prepped right for storage.

[whiterabbitt]

when I got my first gs I was in nebraska and only used uncut fuel. I rode it for almost 5 years there, and never did any prep to winterize, I just parked it and come springtime I just fired it up and rode.
since moving to texas I cant get uncut fuel and have had to clean the carbs everytime it sits a month or two and replace the orings everytime it sits for a year( thanks to electircal issues and getting hit by cars it has sat more than not since 2013). not to mention going from 50+ mpg to less than 40. no matter how long I have spent tuning it, i cant keep power and economy like I had before.

but i digress...

[tom203]

I've used stabil marine (blue stuff) in boats,cars ,etc.with good results for six + months of idleness. My bike starts right up come springtime with no complaints. An $8 bottle goes a long way

[Tom R]

Is it possible there’s something else in your local fuel blend causing this? We’ve had ethanol in our gas around here for as long as I can remember and have never had problems like that. Some years I’m better at winterizing than others and my various machines usually start right up in the spring.

[bobgroger]

I suspect it is more the Texas heat. The gas in the bowls evaporates and leaves the green gunk. Ethanol causes the most damage in wet or humid climates where it can absorb water. I have had white scaly residue clog pilot jets in as little as 2 months, but O-rings last forever here because it never gets much above 80. I found a station nearby that sells non-ethanol premium and use it whenever I can, certainly as winter approaches.

[Cipher]

10% blend here never a problem with o ringsnor a problem with winterizing just use stabil
bikes gone weeks without a start and always starts without a problem and runs fine

[Guest]

I live in Newport News Va. classified as subtropical. I use Startron in all my small motors and motorcycle and have had very good luck with it. Most of the boat guys down here use it. I don't think anything will help very much if all the fuel is allowed to evaporate though.

[mustangflyr]

For a list of stations that carry non ethanol fuel refer to www.pure-gas.org

[Brendan W]

We have a Coleman gas camping stove. In it's second season it started blowing past the seals.
Replaced them with locally sourced and it's holding up well.

[Mosquito13]

I use non ethanol in everything but my post 90's vehicles. There is a big power loss using ethanol fuel. Not to mention its corrosive effects on alloys, breaks down fuel lines if not updated, water absorption... so many things bad about ethanol. If I am out on the road and need to buy it I try to only get what I need to get home. The fuel additives are all bandages. Go on any boating forum ... Wonder what it does to your carbs, go to any racing forum and search for posts from the guys running alcohol. This has been beat to death . Do a google. To answer the original question "ps. anybody know a way to prevent this from happening again?" JUST SAY NO !

[81gs7501166]

I use Lucas additive, kinda new,comes in a can that resembles sea foam.
I also try to start using only pure gas the last few rides of the year.
Then at least once a month start them and let them run a minimum of 20 min.usually do a short ride.
I also add just a tad of atf,mabe an Oz or less to each tank before parking.