This fuel is killing me is there an additives that will help?

[Mini Trail]

I put a new kickstart shaft in my Cl100 three weeks ago and started it with just a splash of fuel in the tank. The carb was in pieces for two years. Tonight I was trying to sort out an electrical and the throttle started sticking. I pulled the slide and there was varnish on it after 3 weeks.

My 750 keeps clogging up on cylinder #4. I haven't had a decent chance to ride it so I try to start it every couple of weeks. Every time it has a miss on #4 and I have to pull the bowl and clear it out. I don't know why, #4 it is the highest carb when on the side stand.

I was figuring on getting some stabil at the hardware store but thought would check with the brain trust to see if something else will work. I remember some old timers adding marvel mystery oil or Klotz 100 to 1 to their tanks. It doesn' the seem to affect my newer bikes but I have been riding them more too. It seem to affect my cheap weed eaters but not my Still saw. Same with my cheap Poulin tiller but not my mower.

[Qaz]

I use Berryman B-12 at a rate of 3/4 ounce per gallon. Run it for 2 tanks and then as you feel the need. I have pulled off many carbs after running this stuff and the bowels are clean! This is good stuff.

[Low Budget]

We have tried them all, this is the best. Three years of use now, no ethenol issues, no gum up or water problems.

No idea how it would clean things, as we go through everything by disassembly, then run the startron after everything is good and clean.


http://mystarbrite.com/startron/

[Precis]

Ethanol is almost certainly to blame; you don't say how old your bikes are, but looking at E5 and E10, the Australian Government had this to say: "The essential thing to note however is that if your car is a performance car, especially turbo or supercharged, than ethanol fuel may not be for you."
Funnily enough, American-made vehicles are the most impervious to ethanol fuels - including Harleys; Japanese motorcycles don't like it much.
If you're near an airfield, AvGas has NO ethanol in it and retains its volatility for months.
There's a message in that, right there!

[caponerd]

Originally Posted by Precis

Ethanol is almost certainly to blame; you don't say how old your bikes are, but looking at E5 and E10, the Australian Government had this to say: "The essential thing to note however is that if your car is a performance car, especially turbo or supercharged, than ethanol fuel may not be for you."
Funnily enough, American-made vehicles are the most impervious to ethanol fuels - including Harleys; Japanese motorcycles don't like it much.
If you're near an airfield, AvGas has NO ethanol in it and retains its volatility for months.
There's a message in that, right there!

Good luck getting any airfield fueling station in the US to sell you a can of avgas, let alone, put some in your bike.
Some years ago, a well-known motorcycle magazine editor was literally begging an airport attendant to sell him a tank of avgas for a BSA that he'd just purchased, and was trying to ride home, only to discover the hard way that it was running 11:1 compression.
The airport guy didn't care.
By the time he made it home on the 92 octane that we call premium, the engine was pretty well ruined by detonation.

The solution (depending on what state you live in; Oregon is one...) is to go to a local marina or a gas station near a lake, and buy some of the fuel reserved for boaters. They'll will happily fill a gas can, and at least in Oregon, if you drive or ride up with an older car or motorycle, they'll sell you some.

[Steve G.]

This is your best bet: http://pure-gas.org/

Looking in your area: http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=TN

Steve

[Mista Vern]

Great idea for a thread and thanks, everyone, for the links.

[caponerd]

Originally Posted by Steve G.

This is your best bet: http://pure-gas.org/

Looking in your area: http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=TN

Steve

Nice. Thanks for the link. That really opens up options for riding our old bikes.

[Cogswell]

On my old bikes with petcocks I just turn the tap off on the last bit to the house, once home run the carb completely dry. No fuel in the bowl, no varnish.


Mike

[groop]

Originally Posted by Steve G.

This is your best bet: http://pure-gas.org/

Looking in your area: http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=TN

Steve

30 million plus and we have five gas stations in the state selling pure gas

[Mini Trail]

It strikes again, I must have gotten into a bad batch somehow. I went to start my mower Saturday and the engine just turned. I thought it was the seat switch, but it checked out, pulled the wires they were sparking, pulled the plugs they were very wet but sparking, pulled the plastic and air filter, carb looked fine, pulled a valve cover and...



Both intake pushrods were bent. Baffled I hammered one straight, put it in and adjusted the valve. When I got to the other side the valve was stuck. I tapped the spring retainer with a hammer and the valve stuck in. Great, I somehow bent a valve. I started to pull the head and just as I was getting to the second intake bolt I noticed the intake valve had sprung back a little. I shot some carb cleaner on the guide and out it popped. I hosed it pretty well, threw it back together and mowed a couple of acres with no discernable problem from the wavy pushrods.

I must have run some bad gas through it a couple of weeks ago and the varnish locked the intake valves to the guide. This happened a few years back when I tried to run some old gas through my 9n.

[Mini Trail]

Originally Posted by Precis

Ethanol is almost certainly to blame; you don't say how old your bikes are, but looking at E5 and E10, the Australian Government had this to say: "The essential thing to note however is that if your car is a performance car, especially turbo or supercharged, than ethanol fuel may not be for you."
Funnily enough, American-made vehicles are the most impervious to ethanol fuels - including Harleys; Japanese motorcycles don't like it much.
If you're near an airfield, AvGas has NO ethanol in it and retains its volatility for months.
There's a message in that, right there!

The county airport is just a couple of miles from my house. I rode my 750 there just yesterday and was wondering if they would sell me a couple of gallons. I may go next Saturday and ask. They also have a huge tank of Jet A which I thought was odd since I have seen exactly two jets land there in the 13 years I have lived in the landing path. I suppose the helicopters use it too.

[mark1305]

Yeah, jet turbine copters use Jet A also....

But back to the Avgas topic. My local airport here on the Island will sell me 100 octane LL in my gas can no problem. I use it primarily in my lawn equipment which sits longer than the bikes do. My neighbor around the corner uses it exclusively in his 70s Bonneville.

It was tedious getting me set up in their computer since I didn't have a tail number, but we got it set up.

I also have marina less than 2 miles away that is listed on the website as having non-ethanol gas, but I haven't checked it out yet.