| Author | Message | ||
     Indy_bueller |
Gasoline refiners are going to replace the MBTE additive with Ethanol next month because Congress did not grant them protection from lawsuits. So, acording to what I read, all gasoline from now on will be 10% ethanol. Is this going to affect how well our bikes run? Are we going to need to start buying octane booster? | ||
| Diablobrian |
A lot of octane boosters on the market will very quickly (in minutes)damage your o2 sensor. If you do use an octane booster be SURE it is safe for the sensor. meaning NO LEAD (Message edited by diablobrian on April 02, 2006) | ||
| Chainsaw |
All the gas around here is 10% Ethanol and has been for years. Your bike will run fine, and get better mileage than with MTBE. We used to have MTBE in the gas here, seems it reduced emissions slightly less than it reduced mileage, so you had to burn more gas to go the same distance, and ended up producing more overall pollutants! | ||
| Mkenn |
This is all from the 2005 Lightning Owner's manual: Ethanol <10% is OK. Can also click here for the manual: http://www.buell.com/om/99474-05Y_en/file-3.asp#hdtopic000015 Your motorcycle was designed to get the best performance and efficiency using unleaded gasoline. Most gasoline sold is blended with alcohol and/or ether, to create "oxygenated" blends. The type and amount of alcohol or ether added to the fuel is important. Do not use gasoline that contains methanol. Doing so can result in fuel system component failure, engine damage and/or equipment malfunction. (00148a) Gasoline containing METHYL TERTIARY BUTYL ETHER (MTBE): Gasoline/MTBE blends are a mixture of gasoline and as much as 15% MTBE. Gasoline/MTBE blends can be used in your motorcycle. ETHANOL is a mixture of 10% ethanol (Grain alcohol) and 90% unleaded gasoline. Gasoline/ethanol blends can be used in your motorcycle if the ethanol content does not exceed 10%. REFORMULATED OR OXYGENATED GASOLINES (RFG): "Reformulated gasoline" is a term used to describe gasoline blends that are specifically designed to burn cleaner than other types of gasoline, leaving fewer "tailpipe" emissions. They are also formulated to evaporate less when you are filling your tank. Reformulated gasolines use additives to "oxygenate" the gas. Your motorcycle will run normally using this type of gas and Buell recommends you use it when possible, as an aid to cleaner air in our environment. Do not use race gas or octane boosters. Use of these fuels will damage the fuel system. You may find that some gasoline blends adversely affect the starting, drivability or fuel efficiency of your bike. If you experience one or more of these problems, we recommend you try a different brand of gasoline or higher octane rating. | ||
| Jkhawaii |
here in hawaii we just switched over to a E10 blend I havent needed to refill my tank in a while because it has been raining a lot in the last month! so I have not been able to see if there is a performance differnance or not maybe it will reduce the bikes pre-ignition when hot. hmm.. 10% in a tank of gas would be just over a quart of ethenol | ||
| Race_pirate |
They have been running that blend here in NY every winter, I notice a drop in fuel mileage but no other side effects. This whole Ethanol craze is crap, gas should be cheaper as it takes MORE alcohol to get the same power. Gasoline burns effectively at 14.7:1 and alcohol fits in the 5.0-7.0:1 ratio, thus requiring MORE alcohol. The only plus is 2 identical engines (one alky and one gas) the alcohol produces more BTU's in turn more power then the gas engine, BUT your flowing alot more alcohol. IMO Marvel mystery oil may make a comeback!!! 10% ethanol is not alot and the lubricating properties of the 90% gasoline should suffice, BUT Alcohol is inherinantly bad on rubber lines, gaskets and seals. Setting up a true alky engine requires running oil in the fuel and flushing out the fuel system when your done racing. The other thing is a alcohol runs cooler, so thankfully a smart fuel injected engine should be able to compansate for the difference. Again 10% Ethanol isnt that much. I dont think you will notice anything with the new fuel.... |
