- Joined
- Jan 6, 2002
- Messages
- 12,129
- Reaction score
- 146
Cut and pasted........
That’s not E10’s only problem, either. Ethanol is hygroscopic, which means absorbs and mixes with water, even drawing it in from the air around it. That’s one of the reasons it can cause corrosion, since it means parts of fuel systems that were never designed to be in contact with water are suddenly exposed to it. On top of that, ethanol is a solvent and that means rubber, plastic and fibreglass parts that were designed to be in contact with pure petrol can melt once exposed to E10. Since many bikes have plastic fuel tanks, that’s a worry. A few years ago, there were issues in America – where E10 has been in use much longer, with bikes including Ducati Monsters, Sport Classics and Multistradas suffering distorted plastic fuel tanks as they reacted to ethanol in the fuel.
Although the water-attracting properties of E10 aren’t necessarily a massive problem if you’re constantly using a vehicle and running through tanks of fuel, they can be amplified when a vehicle is left unused with petrol in the tank.
That’s a particular issue for bikes, since many are either laid up over winter or used sporadically with long idle periods. During that time, E10 has a reputation for going stale and undergoing ‘phase separation’ when vehicles aren’t used. That means the ethanol falls out of solution with the petrol as it absorbs more water. The result could be an engine that won’t start until the fuel is replaced, and some suggest this phase separation can take place in as little as three months.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Just something to be wary of from September...especially if you own a PD !!
That’s not E10’s only problem, either. Ethanol is hygroscopic, which means absorbs and mixes with water, even drawing it in from the air around it. That’s one of the reasons it can cause corrosion, since it means parts of fuel systems that were never designed to be in contact with water are suddenly exposed to it. On top of that, ethanol is a solvent and that means rubber, plastic and fibreglass parts that were designed to be in contact with pure petrol can melt once exposed to E10. Since many bikes have plastic fuel tanks, that’s a worry. A few years ago, there were issues in America – where E10 has been in use much longer, with bikes including Ducati Monsters, Sport Classics and Multistradas suffering distorted plastic fuel tanks as they reacted to ethanol in the fuel.
Although the water-attracting properties of E10 aren’t necessarily a massive problem if you’re constantly using a vehicle and running through tanks of fuel, they can be amplified when a vehicle is left unused with petrol in the tank.
That’s a particular issue for bikes, since many are either laid up over winter or used sporadically with long idle periods. During that time, E10 has a reputation for going stale and undergoing ‘phase separation’ when vehicles aren’t used. That means the ethanol falls out of solution with the petrol as it absorbs more water. The result could be an engine that won’t start until the fuel is replaced, and some suggest this phase separation can take place in as little as three months.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Just something to be wary of from September...especially if you own a PD !!
