ascothawk

here's a link to a site to find alcohol free gas. Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada . If you have tried alcohol free gas please post your opinions. better economy? smoother running ? The closest station for me is 50 miles away. Thanks

Apocalypse

I always try and run ethanol free gas in my hawk not only for the better economy but because it helps keep the carbs way cleaner and in the long run smoother running. 50 miles is a bit of a jaunt to go get gas though but if you have a Chevron in town they may sell ethanol free premium they just started doing that in my town.

Wolverine

I've seen a bunch of reports of stations claiming to sell eth-free but actually aren't. They always blame it on their supplier. There is an easy way to check for yourself, search it on youtube. Before you spend piles of money, make sure they are legit.

I have a place bout 10 miles away that has it. Tried it once and noticed absolutley no diffrence, seat of the pants. Too expensive to use regularly [for me].


I've run 87/89 in mine the entire time I've owned it with no fuel issues to speak of. She's usually laid up in hybernation for 4-5 months @ a time. Sometimes I use Stabil, sometimes I don't.

smokinjoe73

The biggest drawback to the ethanol is worse fuel economy and terribly fast breakdown. It goes bad very quickly and varnishes carbs quickly. Many older vehicle hoses and gaskets get destroyed by the stuff.

You can remove it yourself by adding a small amount of water to a 5 gal can an shaking it. The water bonds to the ethanol and sinks to the bottom.

Nowhere near me has the good stuff.

tomb393

The Marathon in Ottawa , Il. is on my route to Starved Rock which I will probably ride on Saturday. I'll check the mileage.


Most gas stations I hit in The Driftless region of Wisconsin sell ethanol free gas. It has something to do with the state being HOG heaven.

CruxGNZ

You would think so, but no on both parts.

captainchaos

Yeah that used to be fine with the good stuff years ago, but the last time I let a superhawk sit for a few months the next time I went to start it it puked orange gas all over the floor and one of the floats was stuck. I always use something that's supposed to not only preserve the fuel but fight the ethanol crap as well, like Starbrite or Lucas now makes a similar product (and I'm a huge Lucas fan). I'm afraid to let the bikes sit that long without it.

98VTRrider

I've been interested in this for a while. Any insight into the ratio of Water:Gas to remove the most of the ethanol?...With too little water I'd assume the water could get "saturated" by the ethanol. I might be making my own water removal bottle with a petcock at the bottom for easy water removal.

smokinjoe73

Looking for the tech article that describes the process. I am almost sure it is 5% water by volume..

Here is another great ethanol article

And here is why ethanol is such a rip off. It burns with way less energy than real gas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2BXuI52fOI

xeris

Here is an article I found while wasting time on the web.
file:///C:/Users/Owner/Documents/Eth...ngdocs.com.htm
Not worth the trouble, for me anyway.
My truck is flex fuel and I have used the E85 a couple of times. The loss of fuel economy and power is less than a break even price wise.
Have been wanting to try ethanol free gas, but the only place that I can get it is an hour away at an airport.

xeris

Here is an article I found while wasting time on the web.
How to make your own ethanol-free gasoline ? GL1800 DIY Articles ? goldwingdocs.com
Not worth the trouble, for me anyway.
My truck is flex fuel and I have used the E85 a couple of times. The loss of fuel economy and power is less than a break even price wise.
Have been wanting to try ethanol free gas, but the only place that I can get it is an hour away at an airport.

CrankenFine

Only in a country where corporations are people would this government program make complete sense... oh I forgot...I am in a country where corporations are people!

Bustin

I try to keep the ethanol out of every gas powered machine I own, with the exception of my late-model pickup. The single biggest reason is due to the fact that it breaks down so quickly (google "phase separation" for the science) that it can have you yanking and cleaning carbs after just a few weeks . Also , if you still rock any two-strokes, ethanol laced fuel is a really bad call.....unless you enjoy rebuilding top ends.

My Superhawk runs like crap on ethanol... as do my older air cooled I4 bikes. If I'm forced to I will use E10 in them , but I make sure to run it all through before it has a chance to turn sour and gunk anything up. My newer Kawi I4 doesn't seem to care as much about alcohol , probably because it was designed to run on the stuff.

There are some handy web sites for looking up local sources for pure gas, but in general, stations that primarily serve either marine or agricultural markets are going to be the best place to start your search. Around here (Seattle area) some of our local farmer's co-op supply (Cenex) have pure gas available, as do a few marinas.

COLE