Additives of all types are really just intended to protect the fuel tank itself right? I'm actually more concerned with protecting the vacuum petcock and carburetor rubber components. Since I do not know or trust how additives react with todays fuel or the components. I simply just put ethanol free premium in the tank and leave the carbs empty. Drains out.
I occasionally do a startup through out the winter and then drain the bowls again..
 
I've been using Sta-bil successfully for eons on all my machines, for about a 4 month winter span.
They always start right up in the spring.
This currently includes 6 motorcycles, 3 yard machines, chain saw, snowblower, whacker, and a sportscar.
Non-ethanol premium year-round.
I don't bother to drain the gas, and I just plug in the tenders.

Bob, have you tried the marinas around you? I see a number of them on the map. Boaters insist on non-eth gas around here.
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Ya know... I'm sittin here thinkin' back to my youth... yeah, I can still remember that far back... :rolleyes: ... anyway, we used to let bikes, mowers.... any manner of internal combustion contraptions sit over winter, fire 'em up in the spring and other than topping the tank to prevent condensation, never did anything else. With the gasoline's of yore, that's all that was needed. It just plain worked that way. Don't think the fancy scmancy additives had even been invented back in the pre-EFI days. Just fire it up in the spring and off you go. So that'sa what I'm gonna do. Straight gas. No ethanol... no additives... nothin'.
Just talked to a buddy and he said Quick Trip has ol' fashioned gas. Went down there... less than a quarter mile from my house :whistle:... and they have 2 pumps with red handles. Pure high test, no alcy.... Score!! Just poured off 10 gal. at $2.40 per. Enough for the 'mergancy generator, mower and bike. Life is good. :D
 
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marinas implies boats and they normally require water in significant quantities....

but....in ARIZona? :D
Bob has got 3 rivers and Lake Pleasant in his neighborhood:

Lake-Pleasant-10001-1.jpg


lake-pleasant3-screenshot.jpg
 
Bob has got 3 rivers and Lake Pleasant in his neighborhood:

I did a quick Google search on marinas in AZ and while I agree nothing like the area where Dude and I live I did get at least twenty hits.

Seems like in this area close to half the stations have non-ethanol, at a premium price but fairly common.
 
Ethanol has a subsidy. So, you have to add $.30 per gallon for E0. Then, there's the extra freight for recreational (Rec) fuel. Those who live rural get it cheaper. For me, it's just over $2.00 and E10 was under $1.70 when I filled on Saturday. Vote with your wallet and buy it!
 
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Ya know... I'm sittin here thinkin' back to my youth... yeah, I can still remember that far back... :rolleyes: ... anyway, we used to let bikes, mowers.... any manner of internal combustion contraptions sit over winter, fire 'em up in the spring and other than topping the tank to prevent condensation, never did anything else. With the gasoline's of yore, that's all that was needed. It just plain worked that way.

Yep, I cannot recall the number of old cars and bikes that I acquired that had been sitting for ages and would start up with old petrol in them. On several of them the petrol smelled stale but it would still fire up. Still a good idea to get some fresh petrol in asap, though.
I think I remember one that wouldn't, but the petrol in that was truly old.
A few years ago a fuel dump was discovered on the outskirts of an old RAF bomber base. The wartime aviation gasoline was still good, according to those who tried it. Given there were several thousand gallons of it, it was hard to keep it secret. I know I'd have treated it as my personal stash.
 
Drained the tank and bowls, and refilled with non-alcy hi-test. Rode around for about an hour and she seemed happier... very subjective I know, but there it is. :whistle:
My plan for the big sleep is just that... and nothing else. If ridin' days pop up here and there, all I gotta do is fire 'er up and go. We'll see how this works out come spring. :smoke:
 
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Central New York had 3 inches of snow the last couple of days, but things are looking just peachy for the coming week :)
I guess I'll be doing a second round of Sta-bil and hi-test in at least a few of the bikes !

7-Day-Forecast_Web_PM-435.jpg
 
Central New York had 3 inches of snow the last couple of days, but things are looking just peachy for the coming week :)
I guess I'll be doing a second round of Sta-bil and hi-test in at least a few of the bikes !

7-Day-Forecast_Web_PM-435.jpg
Yep hope to be able to get at least one short ride in one or more of those days!
 
I was just getting the run stand ready to take outside and run it. Since it last ran on Aug 15th... a little over 3 months ago, I drained the fuel from the bowls to see how it looked... it's 10% ethanol gas. What drained out reeked of varnish and had flakes of sediment in it. Wtf!? After just 3 months? That's convinced me to never run ethanol in my bike ever again. Don't know if the pure gas will fare any better, but it certainly can't be any worse. Cleaned the bowls out, drained the tank and refilled with hi-test. I'll check the bowls every few months and see what's what.

z drain.jpg


z sediment.jpg
 
I was just getting the run stand ready to take outside and run it. Since it last ran on Aug 15th... a little over 3 months ago, I drained the fuel from the bowls to see how it looked... it's 10% ethanol gas. What drained out reeked of varnish and had flakes of sediment in it. Wtf!? After just 3 months? That's convinced me to never run ethanol in my bike ever again. Don't know if the pure gas will fare any better, but it certainly can't be any worse. Cleaned the bowls out, drained the tank and refilled with hi-test. I'll check the bowls every few months and see what's what.

View attachment 179204

View attachment 179205
That's just bad !:wtf:
I can get ethanol free gas all over where I live so that's what all the small engines get
But what's it doing to a modern vehicle that sits for a long period of time like a RV
 
That's just bad !:wtf:
I can get ethanol free gas all over where I live so that's what all the small engines get
But what's it doing to a modern vehicle that sits for a long period of time like a RV
I contacted John Deere years ago about this issue regarding my lawn tractor, and they advised to keep running the engine periodically during off months to rotate the gas in the carb. Instead I moved to using ethanol free gas in all of my vehicles, not just the bikes.
Its a bit pricey.
 
Rec fuel in my neck of the woods is running $3.35 a gallon, but when the weather starts to turn that's what I run until I can't ride any longer. Then I just fire up the bikes about once a month in the winter. Rotate a trickle charger like gggGary. Today was probably the last day for riding. 58 degrees and sunny. Had to put in 30 miles for one last trick today but I don't really like to ride when the bucks are in full rut. Funny how I only see big bucks when out riding, but nothing from my hunt stand. Need to figure out how to mount my 30.06 to my XS incognito. Back in the 40s and rain going forward. Back to my no buck seeing hunt stand.
 
For one winter's storage in my unheated garage, I've never used or needed stabilizer. I fill the tanks and drain the carbs. Although I now use the good non-alcohol gas, this routine always worked fine for me even when I was using gasohol. Where I do need and use the stabilizer is in my snow blower. Apparently, sitting through a hot summer does break the gas down. Jim, that's probably what happened on your test rig, the heat got to it.
 
In any of my small engines I drain the fuel tanks and carbs for off season storage. Also fog the engines with storage spray ant bring the piston to tdc. Knock on wood, have never had an issue with any of my equipment - fuel related. Another great product (although expensive) for your two stoke small engines is the newish synthetic, premixed fuels like Tru Fuel and Stihl. If you have a machine that you don’t use often but still use it once in a while, these fuels have an extremely long in-tank life. Ideal if you only burn maybe a tank a year. Around here it’s about $10.00 cdn / L iirc. But that’s only $.50 usd. :).
 
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