Global Moderator sorkyah Posted October 17, 2015 Global Moderator Share Posted October 17, 2015 Let's keep in mind that the 10% ethanol (that's what it should be, but who knows) they add to the gasoline already carries 5% water. It's very expensive to remove that last bit of water that distills off with the EtOH - remember the word azeotrope from high school chemistry? Combine that with the fact that ethanol is hydroscopic ( maybe not as bad as brake fluid, but ) so it can absorb more moisture from the air. I wish it wasn't necessary, but the gasoline these days is such junk, I also resort to Stabil. And if you think water does harm to a steel tank, you should see what it does to a PA nylon tank that can absorb 10% its weight in water. It cost Ducati a fortune in that class action lawsuit to replace "plastic" tanks that would not seat back down properly. Aprilia is still paying. As for the battery, there are 2 things that kill a battery prematurely - heat and letting it get discharged resulting in the plates getting sulfated. As I take the bus to work, my 2 bikes and the car do some sitting during the week. 3 Optimates run pretty much 24/7 when the vehicles are not in use. My car's battery is now 7.5 years old and going strong. a quick and easy way to check. get an automotive paint mixing bucket, fill it with 100ml of fuel from your tank. add 50ml of water. the differential line between the two will tell you the percentage of ethanol in your fuel. the limit is 10% but can be as high as 18%. and the term is hygroscopic not hydroscopic. i doubt we're looking through a reversed periscope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygroscopy ATGATT... ATTATT, two acronyms I live by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 and the term is hygroscopic not hydroscopic. i doubt we're looking through a reversed periscope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygroscopy oops, absolutely correct. some day I'll type and proof read better. That measurement test would be better done in a graduate cylinder (tall and narrow - as well as graduated). The bigger the diameter of the bucket, the harder it 'll be to "read" the volume change. Unfortunately, knowing the percent added doesn't fix the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator sorkyah Posted October 17, 2015 Global Moderator Share Posted October 17, 2015 and the term is hygroscopic not hydroscopic. i doubt we're looking through a reversed periscope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygroscopy oops, absolutely correct. some day I'll type and proof read better. That measurement test would be better done in a graduate cylinder (tall and narrow - as well as graduated). The bigger the diameter of the bucket, the harder it 'll be to "read" the volume change. Unfortunately, knowing the percent added doesn't fix the problem. It cant fix the problem, but using it you can easily get the proper fuel stabilizer additive mixture If you really want to, you can use that method to remove ~90% of the ethanol in the fuel via suction on the top layer of ethanol/water mix... just need a bigger container I used to use that skim for my water/meth injection solution... Damn... now i miss my talon ATGATT... ATTATT, two acronyms I live by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 The ethanol is not really the problem. It's the water that comes with. i play with chemicals and solvents every day at work. Adding more water to separate out the ethanol seems way more pita than it's worth (well, at least until they start calling it E20!!) Think I'll just continue addind the recommended amount of Stabil and cross fingers. The PA66 plastic tank on my Futura is still on pretty good shape after 13 years - no blisters or obvious swelling. I try to fill it in november with as much fresh fuel (I add the Stabil at the gas station) as possible and then the bike will sit covered until March or so in a cold garage. It's always started right up in the spring, as did the FZ after its 1st winter in the rust belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yury Lo Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 thank you for the post, good for those who don't know what parts need to be maintained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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