Hi folks, a short while ago a List member asked what people do about gas
over the winter, etc., but there wasn't much response. I meant to put
my two cents worth in on that.
Everyone's experience is different, but personally I've never bothered
with any "Sta-Bil" product in motorcycle or any other gas tanks in the
45 years I've been at it. And never had any trouble with any kind of
varnish or crud clogging up anything. However, I have been living down
here in Coastal Virginia for 37 of those years now, where even in
January and February you'll get some days warm enough to get your bike
out, so it doesn't sit for six or eight months dis-used.
The "counsel of perfection" used to be to keep your motorcycle gas tank
full during periods of non-use, and that would prevent internal rusting.
I always did so, plus put in an ounce of oil with each fill-up for good
measure. But my faith has now been shaken, because just in the last
year or so the inside of my '88 Baby Ninja's tank has started to rust a
little over the whole surface despite the above practice. I don't know
why this is happening, but I suspect that the New Wave in anti-pollution
pump fuel formulation, with alcohol, MTBE, ether, whatever, in it, is
effecting this new corrosion I'm now seeing. For which, Big Brother,
many thanks!
Oh well, since this particular bike has been a tremendous sales success,
and is being offered again for the 2002 sales season, unchanged since
1988, I can buy all the new or good used replacement tanks I'll ever
need, if rust eventually ruins my original tank. The bike has just
turned 70K miles incidentally, and runs like new, still cruises
effortlessly at 70-75 where legal(actually, nowhere right around here,
but it IS allowed).
I do know that for many years I have kept my lawnmower gas for up to two
years in the can, and it still ran normally. A sealed can, so the
volatile part of the gas can't escape.
I do agree that it is best not to keep your race gas longer than one
season, sealed in a can(it better be, or it will evaporate by the gallon
out of a vented tank rather quickly, which could be a fire hazard). If
any's left over I run it in my motorcycle or lawnmower, both of which
run the same on it as they do on 87 pump fuel, except that they then
display the light grey lead deposit in the tailpipe.
Someone mentioned snowmobiles and snowblowers as disposal systems for
leftover race gas. Such devices are not known hereabouts. One reason I
live here in the Dismal Swamp! Cheers Ardun Bill
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