I've always used some type of stabilizer during winter hibernation on all my bikes. I will say I ran through that first tank pretty fast. I remember reading the stabilizer will increase the gas consumption.

I ran the first tank down to empty before filling up.

 

No additives in any of my toys or cars/ trucks be it winter or summer. Never an issue. I always add fresh fuel as soon as possible. My snowmobile sets for 8 months at times and fires right up.

 

I use all the additives 1/2 cup in the tank and it repairs the fuel pump replaces the valve guides and adds 50 hp.
Seriously gas is such **** these days it gells up in a couple of months again put the lawn mower bikes camper away for 4-6 months up north. I've started to use a stabilizer
Steve

 

I hear you guys...but I have also read that the ethanol component (10%) is not only hydroscopic but can decay and turn bad in a matter of months....is this not true?

 

i've never had a problem with my bike or other vehicles but i have had some problems with my wood splitter, lawn mower or smaller engines not starting after sitting through the winter months. thought it was because of the ethanol they blend with the gas. heard if you can get straight gas its not a problem. there isn't any of that in this part of maryland for over 100 miles.

 

Anytime gas/equipment is sitting for longer than 30 days pretty much all engine/Bike/Equipment manufacturers recommend using a fuel stabilizer. All of your major tier one gas manufacturers use additives that keep ethanol blended fuel fresh for about 30 days before the oxidizing and gumming process begins. That’s not to say that your gas is bad and can’t be used in 30 days, it’s just that the process of degradation really starts to take effect. A number of factors can contribute to that shelf life including the quality of fuel you started with and the environment the gas is store in, meaning if you keep your bike stored in a nice climate controlled environment your fuel is going to stay fresh longer than if it’s stored under a tarp next to the house.

Something that you have a limited control over is the light ends of fuel, that’s the stuff that really makes it fire off great and quick. You can only keep a reasonable amount of light ends in your fuel for about 2 years at the most. After that it’s going to take some more effort to get that older gas going. This is less of a concern when it comes to your motorcycle as normally it’s got an electric start and you can just crank it until there is enough fuel in the system to finally go. However if you’re into the classics and trying to kick start it you’re going to be kicking a heck of a lot longer until that bike fires up. Remember bad gas will burn it’s a matter of can you get it initially to start going without flooding it, and from there how gummy of fuel are you running and what might your be clogging up. We’ve all been to a car show or bike cruise where you can smell the bikes that are running older fuel. Running stale fuel is a great way to clog up injectors, needle valves and fuel filters.

What it comes down to personal preference, if you use a product that works for you, keep doing it. If you use nothing and are happy with your results keep doing it. From my somewhat biased towards STA-BILŽ point of view we do tons of product testing in many different markets from motorcycle, marine to automotive and I absolutely run an ethanol treatment in all my toys that are going to have fuel in them for more than 30 days. If you cycle that gas through your tank enough and ride all the time do you need a fuel additive, probably not.

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Have a great day!