Member Contributer Bent Posted March 22, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 22, 2016 VFR's (any gen.) run significantly better and make noticeably more butt dyno power on gasoline compared to "ethanol + gasoline" that we are mostly forced to buy. I've also found, for years, that Exxon ethanol + gasoline runs significantly better than any other brand of "ethanol + gasoline" and I know, it all comes from the same bulk tank. Nevertheless....... I can buy gasoline where I live and find it when riding away from home now and then. When I find it, I use it. Ethanol in gasoline is the biggest welfare program ever created by the feds. IMO. Vote. For what it's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted March 22, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 22, 2016 mpgs dropped 20% when going from pure gas to 10% ethanol on the 4th gen. Not sure about power increase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhenley17 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I live near a lot of rivers (with boaters), so thankfully, pure gas is easy to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer wagzhp Posted March 22, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 22, 2016 I wish pure gas were available here, but it's not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MaxSwell Posted March 22, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 22, 2016 Non-ethanol gas costs significantly more than the E10 around here. As much as $1.00/gal. more. That would cancel any mileage sacrificed for the E10. My first fifth gen went 105,000 mi before a deer KIA on E10 with no apparent effect on the machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Bent Posted March 23, 2016 Author Member Contributer Share Posted March 23, 2016 Non-ethanol gas costs significantly more than the E10 around here. As much as $1.00/gal. more. That would cancel any mileage sacrificed for the E10. My first fifth gen went 105,000 mi before a deer KIA on E10 with no apparent effect on the machine. I doubt if you care, fast MaxSwell (think a few years ago) , but I don't really care what unpolluted gasoline costs when I'm filling up a 5.6 gallon tank on a vehicle meant, to me, for fun only. I could care less about mpg on my VFR but I do care that it runs better with more power, perceived or real. I have a Honda car that gets about the same mileage on the highway as my VFR (Interceptor?) with much more horsepower FWIW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted March 23, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 23, 2016 I believe there is a member or two on here in the petroleum industry who can confirm that it is actually more expensive to produce E10 from the refinery than pure gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I have a chain of local gas stations in my area that carries 91 pure gas. Cost is about $.60 more per gallon, pretty much the same as e10 premium everywhere else. Love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted March 23, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 23, 2016 Here's some help . . . The website below provides locations in North America where zero ethanol fuel is available. Prices for it are all over the place. A local Unocal has regular E-10 for $2.05. Their non-ethanol is $4.65!! Fortunately there's another station about an additional 5 miles away where it's about $3.35. http://www.pure-gas.org/ Scroll to the bottom and click on a state or province - the list is by city. E-15 is starting to show up in very limited places and is awaiting approval in markets such as California. There are problems with it's blending, dispensing and storage. These kinds of steps will help the EPA ensure that older vehicles are eliminated from the road. Make it damaging or cost prohibitive to retrofit them, and to the scrap yard they go. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_the_United_States Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer TedJake Posted March 23, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 23, 2016 Interesting thread - looking forward to more responses. Our local Quiktrip's serve ethanol-free premium, currently for $2.05 a gallon. My research shows that with e10, I get ~10% drop in fuel economy, and while math isn't my best subject, it tells me that the corn squeezin's we're putting in the tanks might as well be water or air. If my bike ran as well or as far on alcohol, I'd be all for it, but all that corn used to fill a hole in my tank but basically zero performance in return? I don't see a benefit. Times are not bad for me now, so I pull up to the ethanol-free tanks at every opportunity for all my vehicles - mostly on principle, and on my VFR because my goal is close to a 200 mile range, which I *sometimes* get e-free, but *never* get with ethanol. I'm a Kansas boy, but wish our farmers would stick to growing food, as well as our finding other ways to power our toys - I'm liking the trends on electric bikes, BTW... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhenley17 Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 It's around $1 more per gallon for me, and I try to use a Texaco - branded station more than the unbranded ones. When I'm getting 40-45 MPG, it's no problem paying a little more for peace of mind. If I wanted absolute practicality, I wouldn't have a bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted March 23, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 23, 2016 On one of my trips to Pasadena, I stopped at a Unocal station and found this at one of the pumps...100 Octane Racing Fuel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllWeather Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 In our little hatchback (Suzuki swift 1.4 ltr ) car we get up to700 Kilometers to a 40 liter fill on Normal non ethanol fuel On a 40 liter fill of ethanol fuel we can't get over 400 kilometers the price difference is usually 10-12 cents a liter cheaper to buy ethanol so it is not worth the extra consumption Both tanks are combined city / highway driving and the car seems even more gutless on ethanol fuel Luckily we can at this point in time get regular non ethanol fuel at most servo's My VFR will not see ethanol fuel unless the risk of having to walk is extremely high and then it will only see enough to get me to the next servo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Conedodger Posted March 23, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 23, 2016 I've been running ethanol mix in my VFR for 9 years and over 30K miles with no ill affect. Easily get 200 miles to a tank. Can't justify the cost and inconvenience to purchase ethanol free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer deltaboxii Posted March 24, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 24, 2016 The VFRs are much happier on pure gas. But just make sure that you are buying pure gas from a store that goes through a lot of it. Last year I ended up having to drain my tank from some pure gas purchased from a Country Mark here in Indiana. The store didn't go through much gas apparently, and it was already bad by the time I filled up with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted March 24, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 24, 2016 Yes. The EPA is trying to push E15. Because another 100 million+ perfectly functioning vehicles in a scrapyard is the environmentally friendly way to move forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJS Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Yes. The EPA is trying to push E15. Because another 100 million+ perfectly functioning vehicles in a scrapyard is the environmentally friendly way to move forward. Hey, hey, hey now, I'm confident they know what's best for all of us. Just like the TSA, CIA, NSA, well, all of our benevolent government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer CornerCarver Posted March 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2016 I've been running ethanol mix in my VFR for 9 years and over 30K miles with no ill affect. Easily get 200 miles to a tank. Can't justify the cost and inconvenience to purchase ethanol free. I would like to ride with you. With that trunk (I have similar mounted on a 6G) I cannot get over 184 to a tank and when I fill at that mileage I pump 5.4-5.5 gallons. Perhaps I would discover a more economic riding style but I would guess that soon enough I would return to my fuelish ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Mikey Posted March 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2016 Ethanol free premium gas just North of town, put it in all bikes and small engines. It would have been nice if PO had done the same with the VFR, didn't even notice corrosion on underside of gas cap until around the third fill up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 On one of my trips to Pasadena, I stopped at a Unocal station and found this at one of the pumps...100 Octane Racing Fuel! High octane gas is only useful in high compression ratio engines as higher octane are meant to avoid pre-ignition in such engines. It's kinda sad that the oil companies continue to sell high octane gas to people with "regular" vehicles with "regular" engines, always hinting that they will gain more power by using such...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted March 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2016 High octane gas is only useful in high compression ratio engines as higher octane are meant to avoid pre-ignition in such engines. It's kinda sad that the oil companies continue to sell high octane gas to people with "regular" vehicles with "regular" engines, always hinting that they will gain more power by using such......I hear you, I tried different grades of gas in my 6 Gen and found that the best mileage I got was from using 87. I thought this was odd to see 100 octane at a corner gas station, so I snapped a pic. Not sure if this area is known for having high performance vehicles fueling up and/or just a big demand for high octane fuel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gig Posted March 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2016 i would have times where the bike would run like a top, other times I would have more engine vibration, felt like the timing was a tic off. A year ago i found 89 non-E near me, has run like a top since. For me it made a big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted March 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2016 On one of my trips to Pasadena, I stopped at a Unocal station and found this at one of the pumps...100 Octane Racing Fuel! High octane gas is only useful in high compression ratio engines as higher octane are meant to avoid pre-ignition in such engines. It's kinda sad that the oil companies continue to sell high octane gas to people with "regular" vehicles with "regular" engines, always hinting that they will gain more power by using such...... The one nice thing about that setup is the ethanol and race gas use different hoses. Which means no mixing in the lines. They say that the pumps with one hose, it takes about 4 gallons for what the previous person was pumping to clear and for what you want to start coming out. Kind of makes sens, as there's probably a gallon just in the hose sitting there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer SamW Posted March 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2016 High octane gas is only useful in high compression ratio engines as higher octane are meant to avoid pre-ignition in such engines. It's kinda sad that the oil companies continue to sell high octane gas to people with "regular" vehicles with "regular" engines, always hinting that they will gain more power by using such...... I run the Turbo Blue 100 Octane in my RC30, just because I like the way it smells! If you want to know the real difference between E10 and Pure gas, fill two sets of carbs, one with each and let them sit 6 months or more then open up the carbs and take a look. When I bought my '95 VFR, it had been wrecked, but ridden home, kept in a garage for 2 years before I bought it. I had a heck of a time getting the carbs cleaned and sorted. When I bought my GL1000 years ago (per-E10), it was sitting in the back yard under a tree, under a tarp, half taken apart, got it home, put a fresh battery in it and had it running in under an hour with out ever taking the carbs apart. Same bike sat for a number of years when I moved to my current location, once again kept in a garage, I still have not gotten the carbs right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Conedodger Posted March 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2016 I've been running ethanol mix in my VFR for 9 years and over 30K miles with no ill affect. Easily get 200 miles to a tank. Can't justify the cost and inconvenience to purchase ethanol free. I would like to ride with you. With that trunk (I have similar mounted on a 6G) I cannot get over 184 to a tank and when I fill at that mileage I pump 5.4-5.5 gallons. Perhaps I would discover a more economic riding style but I would guess that soon enough I would return to my fuelish ways. And I would like to ride with you! I'm sure your roads are a little curvier and fuelish sounds like fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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