Ethanol
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,718
Likes: 11
From: Punta Gorda,FL
The first few years I was able to fill my 2005 Se Fat Boy,103 with non-ethanol. Then all the local stations switched to ethanol. I hated having to use ethanol, but I have never noticed any difference in performance or fuel mileage.
I fill my boat, riding mower and leaf blower with non-ethanol fuel from a place that supplies mariners with fuel. They have non-ethanol 90 octane for about $.20 more a gallon then what it cost for the ethanol fuel at regular stations. I go there and fill 4 to 6, 5 gallon cans at a time.
It's a bit out of the way for me, so I never considered filling my bike there.
Tom
I fill my boat, riding mower and leaf blower with non-ethanol fuel from a place that supplies mariners with fuel. They have non-ethanol 90 octane for about $.20 more a gallon then what it cost for the ethanol fuel at regular stations. I go there and fill 4 to 6, 5 gallon cans at a time.
It's a bit out of the way for me, so I never considered filling my bike there.
Tom
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 3,385
Likes: 252
From: Southern California
I've been running ethanol blends for something over 30 years now with no ill effects. Back in the late 70's and early 80's a lot of manufacturers used Buna-n rubber for accelerator pump cups in the carburetors (Rochester carburetors in particular). If the content of ethanol went significantly over 10% the Buna-n polymer would have problems. (It would swell and become soft; at which point the accelerator pump would stop functioning.) But in static applications (not accelerator pump cups) Buna-n wasn't a problem. Now since the early 80's everyone went to a Viton based polymer and that was the end of any problems with ethanol. I suspect that a lot of "supposed" problems with ethanol are caused by other issues, but are blamed on ethanol for lack of any real understanding of the chemistry . . . this forum like many others has it's share of psueduoscientists and conspiracy theory fans. My personal belief is that all the cows (steers actually) have gotten together to promote the sale of ethanol so that there will be less corn to fatten them up for market thus extending their lives significantly.
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