Gasoline (not price of)

[dbelch]

So a Hog Driver was telling me the reason that the Harley burns out their valves at such low mileage (40,000km for this fellow) was due to the ethenol content in all gasolines nowa-days ( I think 10% is standard--in Canada anyhow).  Says the older bikes were not designed to ingest it.  The only way to avoid it is by filling up with (way-to-expensive) Shell premium.

Is there need for an older FJ pilot to worry about burning out expensive things with cheap(er) ethenol blends?  Or is this Hog Driver blowing wind to justify putting up with his bucket of bolts?

I'd love to hear some opinions from those who truely appreciate  well engineered and quality constructed pieces equipment.


Thanks

Bye the way..sorry guys, but I just picked up a '83 Honda Interceptor 750..sure rides bad compared to the FJ

[Pat Conlon]

Harleys have a hard time with cooling. They always have and they always will have. The rear cylinder has a exhaust valve at the back of the motor that gets very little air flow. That's the valve that burns.
The fuel injected Harleys are better, more precise, they can run the #2 cylinder fat(er). Synthetic oil helps the motors, but still the cooling issue remains. Harleys run the highest octane available to prevent predetonation due to compression and heat from poor cooling.

Hot summer days here in Palm Desert, 115*f with street temps over 130* many Harleys have cooked their exhaust valves idling from one stoplight to another along Hwy 111.... About 3 stoplights would do it......

Bye the way..sorry guys, but I just picked up a '83 Honda Interceptor 750..sure rides bad compared to the FJ

Yea, I test rode a 750 and 500 Interceptor before I decided on buying my FJ. The Honda's had no Kookaloo...at all.

[dbelch]

Thanks for the reply, now I'm curious, how does the FJ do siting at the stop lights in that kind of heat?  My Hog driving buddy says he has to avoid cruising the congested beach roads in the middle of the summer heat. 

[Pat Conlon]

To a degree, all air cooled motors struggle when there is no air flow, Harleys are the worst, a BMW boxer twin probably the best.
Inline 4's like the FJ where the exhaust valves are in front, thereby getting plenty of air, cool down nicely once underway but still...
You do not want to let a air cooled motor (any motor) sit and idle for long. Stuck in traffic idling is the worst. In Calif. we can lane split so that's what I do.....I've had plenty of hot weather riding with my FJ with no problems. A crankcase full of fresh, good quality synthetic oil will do wonders.

[dbelch]

So, in your opinion, do feel the ethanol content is a none-issue...would your response correspond with say, someone from Iowa?

[Pat Conlon]

No, the blend of the gas can be a issue. i.e. not all gas is the same, some better, some worse. 10-15% ethanol is no big issue.
You're not talking about running E85 are you? That's a whole different bag of worms.

If you worry about gas quality vs. the FJ, don't worry. I run 89 octane in the summer just fine.
If you want to do something that will help your FJ in hot weather running, change out your oem 38.5 pilot jets to 40.0 and set your mixture screws to 2.5 to 3.5 turns out. The richer your fuel air mixture is at idle, the cooler your motor will be....(to a point)

[1tinindian]

So, in your opinion, do feel the ethanol content is a none-issue...would your response correspond with say, someone from Iowa?

Hey, Speaking of Iowa, guess where I live? LOL!

I choose NOT to burn the ethanol fuel because of possible problems with the fuel systems on ANY of my vehicles.
Call it superstition, but I feel better knowing that I'm not using it.
Of course, I know other people use it for everything and have no problems with it.
I don't think there are any problems with the valves that I have ever heard of by using ethanol blended fuels.

If that is all you have to burn, you should be fine, but as of now, I still have a choice, so I don't use it, even though it is a little cheaper.

[carsick]

I choose NOT to burn the ethanol fuel

But Leon, The Corn! You have to support the corn! What else would we do with it all?

[SlowOldGuy]

Indy cars make plenty of power burning ethanol.  They fail for a variety of reasons, but ethanol is not one of them.  Same with high horsepower Sprint Cars.  They run on Methanol.

DavidR.

[weymouth399]

NO. The pump says 10% it's closer to 15-20%. Ethanol is bad stuff sell corn as food = $ then buy fuel
The snowmobile racers were blowing motors up big time here in New England and Canada.
They were doing all the calculations for jetting and missing it every time. (based on 10%)
One day my VP friend did some sampling of pump gas from different retailers 15-18% in the US and 17-20% in Canada is what he found this was 2 years ago.
So don't be surprised, if jetting will need to richend up a little bit. Boats, lawn mowers, most small engines are having trouble with it.
When in storage it seperates, it absorbs moisture all the time, I can go on. (I have)

As for heat, my legend car runs 100 plus degrees hotter than my bike ever has in Maine.
So around here you would have to start it in your garage, forget about it, then run out to it when you did remember it, to white smoke coming out of it. And then you will try to sell it.

Bob W

[SkyFive]

Many years ago when ethanol was just arriving at the gas pumps, General Motors issued a technical service bulletin regarding varnish in the cylinders and valves from continual use of ethanol fuels of 10% or greater. As I recall they stated that the varnish, a by product of ethanol combustion, would lead to sticking valves, poor ring to cylinder seal and eventually oil consumption.  They were pretty adamant about the owners not using ethanol fuels in GM cars except in an emergency.

[1tinindian]

I choose NOT to burn the ethanol fuel

But Leon, The Corn! You have to support the corn! What else would we do with it all?

I guess we could EAT it, but it gives me the shits, so I stay away from it for that reason, also!!

[weymouth399]

I choose NOT to burn the ethanol fuel

But Leon, The Corn! You have to support the corn! What else would we do with it all?

I guess we could EAT it, but it gives me the shits, so I stay away from it for that reason, also!!

Thats a completely different type of gas, Thanks Leon That was funny.

[1tinindian]

I choose NOT to burn the ethanol fuel

But Leon, The Corn! You have to support the corn! What else would we do with it all?

I guess we could EAT it, but it gives me the shits, so I stay away from it for that reason, also!!

That's a completely different type of gas, Thanks Leon That was funny.

You're right, that would be methane, right? LOL!

[billwest]

Have a look at this website, with reference to the motorcycle list towards the bottom of that page.

Bill.