Replacement Ethanol 'E.10' Fuel in U.K (Eating Rubber Carb' Gaskets/'O'-Rings) ?

[Hornchurch]

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As per the term "Progress", our respective Gov't's ARE trying to introduce "New Fuels" to meet/reduce emissions.

Am told that 'E.10' Fuel is the new 'in-thing' & rollout is happening 'now', as of Sept' 2021

Great "if" you're loaded & can go out & buy a "NEW" (2021), car or motorcycle....

Not so effing great, "if" like me, you own/run/ride "classic" motorcycles, here in the U.K

Don't forget folks, even tho' this MAY be predominantly a U.S.A orientated forum, I'm sure YOU guys will face this, too.

Plenty of "talk" & alarming discussions abound  -  Muggins here just heard of this, last-night (Am slow on uptake 


When I (recently, Aug' 2020), bought my own super-low, low-mileage GS500 (K2), (which bought me to THIS website), I did read about "gummed-up-carb's"  =  something that I've NEVER had to deal with before (as no-other bike I owned HAD been 'laid-up')

This forum's sage-advice was.... "DON'T USE ETHANOL" basically because it literally "eats" anything rubber...
As in Rubber Gaskets, rubber 'O'-rings, rubber fuel-pipes....
Basically ANYTHING in ANY of my FIVE privately-owned "classic" bikes - (motorcycles, which ALL run on carb's)

Now they're rolling out this "new" fuel, it's clearly (partially) done, to ensure "older vehicles" are FU&KED
Partially also to "aide & abet" the switch-over to NEW Electric Cars (& presumably, bikes, too ?)

All done under the convenient umbrella of "Global Warming", "Reduced Emissions", "Carbon-Footp..."
... Ahh bollocks, you get the jist.

Am pretty sure you lads/lasses in America & Canada etc face the exact same kinda deal ?

Over here, it appears that it's likely to "crock" older vehicles, such as my beloved Suzuki GS.1000 (1978) & my 1979 CB.900-F (Bol-D'or)

Are there ANY 'additives' out there, which will neutralise the 'Ethanol' content(s) in this new 'E.10' fuel ?

How long will 'RON.98' or 'Super-Unleaded' remain available, for ALL these "Pre-2003" Cars & Bikes, to run "safe" ?

Or am I (now) looking at owning some very-fine, "nice-looking" Japanese 1,000cc "paperweights" ??  (from 1979 & 1978)

Most of you reading this, will, like me, be ALSO running "Pre-2003" bikes, etc.

Throwing it open for discussion, esp' to those who own/drive/ride ANYTHING "Pre-2003" that either might or WILL be affected...

.

[Meukowi]

i'm assuming you think the e10 is replacement for e5 97+ octane. But what i've read in the news it's just a additional 'greener' version to fill up the tank, Idk what petrols you have available but here in finland we've got e10 and e5 for 10+ years already, i use 95e10 on my cars and 98e5 on bike, lawnmover, chainsaw etc. small engines...

[chris900f]

Alcohol doesn't eat the rubber, so much as it penetrates it and dries it out.

In Canada regular gas is 15% ethanol, mid-grade=10% and some premium is ethanol free. I use the Shell V-Power which is ethanol free, but not all stations carry it and it is getting harder to find. Also I paid $1.64/L on my last fill-up so...ouch.

If you can't avoid the ethanol:

In NA there is a product called Marvel Mystery Oil, which you can add to gas or oil (just the gas in bikes re: wet clutch)
It has a minty smell to it because it is loaded with methyl salicylate AKA wintergreen. If you mix MMO with equal parts
alcohol, the mixture will soften and recondition rubber parts because of the wintergreen. I've soaked old carb boots this
way using isopropyl alcohol/MMO and it's pretty amazing. It took about a week to go from garbage to re-useable parts.

So, if you can get this product in the UK, I think it will offset the effect of the alcohol and protect the rubber parts.

[Bluesmudge]

I think you are getting worked up over something that's not much of an issue. Most of those quotes seem to be from people who don't understand what's going on and are just afraid of something different. E10 has been the norm in the US for at least 15 years. As long as you actually RIDE your motorcycle its totally fine. Just don't let carbureted motorcycles sit for more than 4 months and expect them to run without some carb cleaning. Keep your tank topped-up too before you let it sit because ethanol attracts water and water = rust. Again, not an issue if your just RIDE the motorcycle.

IMO, the talk of ethanol eating rubber is also exaggerated. The rubber parts and fuel lines on my 2006 GS500F carburetor lasted 14 years before they were rebuilt for an unrelated reason. That's despite 40,000 miles of using E10 almost exclusively. When it comes time to replace o-rings make sure they are made of Viton, which resists ethanol and should last much longer. The brass and other metal parts in the carb shouldn't mind the ethanol. I have a 1980 GS1000 that I am bringing back to life and used Viton rubber O-rings in the carbs when I rebuilt them. Since all the original rubber parts lasted 40 years (including 1/3 of its life running on E10), I should be nearly dead before the stuff Viton wears out.

As chris900f mentioned, there are also many products that negate the harmful effects of ethanol and can be added to the fuel before prolonged storage. Or just drain the carbs and tank and oil fog the tank before storage. I don't know how the law will be implemented in the UK, but here its just a mandate that a certain % of the total fuel volume be from ethanol. As a result you can usually still find small local fuel stations that sell a "clear premium" product that is 100% gasoline. Not worth the trouble for every day use but good for piece of mind before storing the bike or for lawnmowers and chainsaws that see little use. 

And just as a side note, adding ethanol to gas does reduce the amount of unburned hydrocarbons coming out of the tail pipe, especially in older vehicles with less sophisticated or worn out fuel delivery systems. Better air quality and reduced GHG emissions for an entire country's fleet is totally worth a few older vehicles having to replace a handful of O-rings. Most people hanging on to 40 year old cars or 20 year old motorcycles should know how to work on them by now.