Yup - ethanol has a lot less chemical energy than gasoline and so any ethanol blend is bound to reduce your fuel economy because you must burn more to go the same distance. In cold climates Canadian government tests (
and who would know more about cold sh!tty weather than the Canadian government??) has also found that car heaters and defrosters don't work as well either - for the same reason.
Fort-Nine did a really good study on fuel treatments for winterization etc. and he found that none of them do much of anything and some are actually harmful (see below):
He concluded that to keep your bike in good shape:
do what Jim did, namely,
- fill your fuel tank right up (air space will allow condensation to form which will promote corrosion).
Remember that
corrosion (i.e., rust) requires
oxygen and
moisture -
no air space in the tank >> no air >> so no oxygen >> no corrosion.
- fill it with non-ethanol fuel (not easy to find everywhere - but worth it).
For me, non-ethanol fuel is always preferred, but
not essential
during the riding season because the fuel is not sitting in the tank for very long, so rust generally doesn't form. Also, I always store my bikes full of fuel after a ride - so again,
no air >> no air space >> no oxygen >> no corrosion.
I will admit that I also always such my petcocks off as I ride into the driveway and then I let the bike die as I take off my gear so that the float bowls are empty - but as Jim has noted, that is not likely necessary.
BTW - RyanF9 is one of the most authoritative and reliable sources of motorcycle-related information on the web (IMO). He does the work
AND he understands the science and engineering behind it. He presents his results clearly and concisely without a lot of BS or stupid music blaring in the background. He has also done great work on helmets, gloves, jackets, boots, Bluetooth helmet communicators etc. - and his videos are usually quite funny as well. He did a great expose on Harley-Davidson's devious corporate stock manipulations and also a hilarious and illuminating test of the Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive Scooter - which makes me want one so I can humiliate Sportsters in drags.
He is the most
un-Scotty Kilmer of the non-Scotty Kilmers on the web - followed closely by Wes Jonson of
Watch Wes Work whose YouTube videos are also excellent and educational.
Pete