Good vid, thx for sharing Pete.
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Fuel System Winterizing.
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
Ethanol has ~1/2 the BTU content of pure gasoline. IIRC ~60000 BTU/ Liter ethanol v ~120000 BTU/ Liter gasoline. Thus 10% Ethanol "fuel" has ~95% the energy of straight gasoline. Your mileage will go down 5%. However, if your vehicle has electronic monitors (O2 sensors and knock sensors, or if you have jetted your carbs for E10 or E15) you total power should be pretty equal.
Coming up on the big snooze here.... again. 
The SG is getting the usual, top the tank and park it. That'll prolly happen this week. Still thinkin' there's a few riding day left... we'll see.
The newly acquired F650 beemer will get the same. I drained the tank of the ethanol blend that was in it and topped it off with ethanol free. Didn't drain the float bowls... but I did putter around on it for about an hour, so it's ready to top off the tank and park it.
The SG is getting the usual, top the tank and park it. That'll prolly happen this week. Still thinkin' there's a few riding day left... we'll see.
The newly acquired F650 beemer will get the same. I drained the tank of the ethanol blend that was in it and topped it off with ethanol free. Didn't drain the float bowls... but I did putter around on it for about an hour, so it's ready to top off the tank and park it.
Yup - that is all I do.Coming up on the big snooze here.... again.
The SG is getting the usual, top the tank and park it. That'll prolly happen this week. Still thinkin' there's a few riding day left... we'll see.
The newly acquired F650 beemer will get the same. I drained the tank of the ethanol blend that was in it and topped it off with ethanol free. Didn't drain the float bowls... but I did putter around on it for about an hour, so it's ready to top off the tank and park it.
- fill it with the best fuel you can find - right to the brim (to eliminate air in the tank and reduce the chance of moisture combining with oxygen which = rust)
- pump up the tires
- put the battery on a maintainer
- park it.
Isn’t draining the carb bowls on the list ?
Normally I just fill the tank and air up the tyres.... no tender.
I may rethink that this year. The SG battery is coming up on about 5yrs since new. Not sure on the Beemer, so I might tender it too.
I'll have a toke on the peace pipe and ponder it a bit, I suppose....
I'm also guessin' it's been about 4-5yrs since the bowls have been off or drained.
AUTOMAN
XS650 Addict
Full and run a bit.
Or empty with a splash of oil beforehand.
cliff
Or empty with a splash of oil beforehand.
cliff
Yes - I always shut off the fuel using the petcocks and run the engine till it stalls (in fact, I am so busy at work that I do that every time I ride these days because I never know when the next time might be) - but some bikes don't have petcocks.
When I had a bike with EFI, I simply did the above steps but now that I have only carb-equipped bikes, I would shut-off the fuel and run them dry.
Having said that, it isn't fuel in the carbs for a few months that is the issue - it is fuel that contains moisture and the presence of oxygen. If you fill it with no-ethanol fuel there won't be much water around and I doubt there would ever be much of an air space in a carb float bowl.
Pete
A '97. Under 20k on the clock... appears to be very well taken care of. Pulls like a friggin tractor down low and completely content at highway speeds.
Plan is to do a new seat, some mods and a repaint this winter... as this will likely be a keeper.
Plan is to do a new seat, some mods and a repaint this winter... as this will likely be a keeper.
yes! 
I just fill the tanks and since I have other batteries to maintain I just move it to one battery or another when I think about it
When I put the tender on a battery it only takes a minute or 2 and the light is green so they should be good to go
When I put the tender on a battery it only takes a minute or 2 and the light is green so they should be good to go
Nice bike... Randy.An F650 (original series) is a nice cold weather bike , your legs are warmed by the engine / body .. try it
Selling my 98 F650 5 years ago, was one of the worst decisions made.
Enjoy yours!
Alternative to filling the tank with gasoline is use an un-lit propane torch to fill the tank. Propane will displace the air. Or nitrogen if you have a source. Good way to store paint can too.
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For the XS I top it up with ethanol free fuel with stabilizer and run until it dies. I then pull the plugs from the fuel bowls and empty them out. Then spark plugs out and fog with storage oil spray. Plugs back it, bring to TDC and see you next spring. This year the bike will be in an unheated (but dry) shed with no power so battery needed to come out. I’ll charge that once a month.
For the Moto Guzzi, I add fuel stabilizer, top up the tank with ethanol free then put it on the bike lift with the center stand down (that’s a chore as it requires jacking up the bike up to get the rear tire off the ground), then once it’s on the center stand, place a block of wood under the sump to raise the front tire off the ground. Btw, the MG is very unfriendly for places to jack the bike up. To quickly explain the process: Bike on lift with front wheel in wheel chock; wooden block under front of swing arm and raise high enough to put blocks under rear tire; lower jack and remove blocks under swingarm, then remove jack; lower center stand; reinstall swingarm jacking blocks and scissor jack; jack high enough to remove blocks from under rear tire; lower jack and remove with blocks (bike is now on center stand and front wheel chock); reposition jack under forward part sump, add wooden block and rubber pad; raise to take weight off of front tire and suspension - done!
Comment - these motorcycle scissor jacks are great. Can’t imagine doing what I did without one.
Are my efforts described above excessive? Absolutely, but it gives me something to complain about having to do, peace of mind and to date I have never had springtime start up and running issues on any internal combustion engines I’ve owned (Cars, bikes, lawnmowers, chainsaws, string trimmers, snowblowers (in the fall))…
Pics of the MG getting all jacked up..
For the Moto Guzzi, I add fuel stabilizer, top up the tank with ethanol free then put it on the bike lift with the center stand down (that’s a chore as it requires jacking up the bike up to get the rear tire off the ground), then once it’s on the center stand, place a block of wood under the sump to raise the front tire off the ground. Btw, the MG is very unfriendly for places to jack the bike up. To quickly explain the process: Bike on lift with front wheel in wheel chock; wooden block under front of swing arm and raise high enough to put blocks under rear tire; lower jack and remove blocks under swingarm, then remove jack; lower center stand; reinstall swingarm jacking blocks and scissor jack; jack high enough to remove blocks from under rear tire; lower jack and remove with blocks (bike is now on center stand and front wheel chock); reposition jack under forward part sump, add wooden block and rubber pad; raise to take weight off of front tire and suspension - done!
Comment - these motorcycle scissor jacks are great. Can’t imagine doing what I did without one.
Are my efforts described above excessive? Absolutely, but it gives me something to complain about having to do, peace of mind and to date I have never had springtime start up and running issues on any internal combustion engines I’ve owned (Cars, bikes, lawnmowers, chainsaws, string trimmers, snowblowers (in the fall))…
Pics of the MG getting all jacked up..
Hey if it's on the internet it must be true.
Shoot, my strategy of winterizing came into play after work in the cold dry sunshine. I’m in the club of removing the tank, completely emptying the fuel, putting the remaining Ethanol free fuel into my pickup, and storing my rust free tank under the condo in the strange one room under ground dry climate controlled empty room. (I’m not a prepper)
However, it can’t be that simple. See those vacuum petcocks which I have praised and like have finally disappointed
I knew there was a continuous slow drip from one so I decided to remove the pair and attempt to get a good seal back.
Dang!! Upon removal I found one of the in tank filters wasn’t even attached, how many months? IDK but that condition renders “on” & “res” useless too.
All in all it’s feels good to have both found and acted on these issues.
I’m going to install a pair of after market manual petcocks in the spring.
I prefer all fuel components to be stored dry. It’s not just rust in the tank which is the concern. For me it’s corrosion in components such as petcocks and carburetor bowls. Doesn’t seem wise to leave brass floats and brass pilot jets in a wet environment if that can be easily avoided.
-R
However, it can’t be that simple. See those vacuum petcocks which I have praised and like have finally disappointed
I knew there was a continuous slow drip from one so I decided to remove the pair and attempt to get a good seal back.
Dang!! Upon removal I found one of the in tank filters wasn’t even attached, how many months? IDK but that condition renders “on” & “res” useless too.
All in all it’s feels good to have both found and acted on these issues.
I’m going to install a pair of after market manual petcocks in the spring.
I prefer all fuel components to be stored dry. It’s not just rust in the tank which is the concern. For me it’s corrosion in components such as petcocks and carburetor bowls. Doesn’t seem wise to leave brass floats and brass pilot jets in a wet environment if that can be easily avoided.
-R
Before the days of ethanol, it was pretty much normal to let gas sit in a vehicle over winter. All manor of mowers, motorcycles.. and whatnot. Never hurt a thing.
Back in the early nighties I got deployed on short notice over to the Middle East. My '76 Trans Am sat in
It's the ethanol.
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It is the Ethanol! Ethanol is not even cost efficient to produce from the corn.
For some reason as a young guy I learned to drain the carburetor on things such as lawn mowers and my rototiller thinking that small volume of fuel goes “bad” much faster than the larger volume of fuel in the tank.
And it does, even farmers ATV’s which came into the Honda shop were in need of a carburetor fuel purge. The smell is obvious.
For some reason as a young guy I learned to drain the carburetor on things such as lawn mowers and my rototiller thinking that small volume of fuel goes “bad” much faster than the larger volume of fuel in the tank.
And it does, even farmers ATV’s which came into the Honda shop were in need of a carburetor fuel purge. The smell is obvious.
I got sidetracked with any number of my other bikes and projects and let my first 70 XS-1 sit for way longer than I care to admit.
Walked in the shop one Summer morning and immediately smelled it in the air...ripe/turned fuel!! I had to start doing an investigative walk around to see where the odorous stench was emanating from.
Then it dawned on me, last time I rode the un-original paint XS-1 I didnt bother to put non-ethanol fuel in it!
.Funked up the tank, the carbs, the petcocks....grrr.
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