Curious what is the best method to store your bike ..a dry or wet petrol tank

[jenkinov]

I have been around motor bikes as long as I can remember.. As a child I was told by my father to always leave petro! In the tank. I had an Excelsior consort and despite long periods stored at my grand parents stable this strategy worked well ....but that was with old petrol and today on both my jeep and the Excelsior in have found the fuel green and petrol tanks rusty 

Ethanol is hydroscopic so absorbs water.... So the question is should I be running the bikes dry or draining the tanks ..is this the best protective measure moving forward ?

 

Jenkinov

[No Signals]

My own take on this would be to fill them up with such as V-Power fuel.  It has E5, so isnt ethanol free, but past seasons have not proved a problem for me.  I would not drain/empty the tank as that just leaves a space which is begging to attract a damp atmosphere and cause rust issues.

[john1950]

I can only speak from modern experience, a 12 month period of not running of a Briggs and Stratton engine with test hours only. On a horizontal band saw, left 1/2 full of E5 petrol. When I came to start it several attempts proved fruitless. So I drained the tank cleaned out the brown gunge in the carburettor, refilled with fresh petrol and second pull off it went. I think the fuel in the tank was separating into layers of its constituent parts. This is just my thoughts and experience of using modern petrol.

[gordonb]

My experience is limited to my lawn mower, 15+ years old and left with random amounts of E5 fuel in it every winter. Stored in a wooden shed. Always starts quite happily each spring. It has a plastic fuel tank. Never serviced.

[ruxy]

I have Robin , Briggs & S.  + Honda with metal tanks - I normally just heavily dose at Autumn with Quicksilver stabilizer (Mercury outboards) , if I drain the metal tanks , then I leave cap off to let the petrol vap off and then just give the interior a good blast with the WD40 straw, spring - I just fill with petrol and fire up & go.

[Chris Hall]

This is going to vary by climate due to heat and moisture.
 

You can remove ethanol quite simply from the fuel, if you search YouTube there are a ton of videos describing the process.

 

For me, I’d drain the petrol, run the engine until the carb is dry and coat the inside with something, or fill with a stable fuel like Avgas if you can get it.

[ruxy]

7 hours ago, Chris Hall said:

This is going to vary by climate due to heat and moisture.
 

You can remove ethanol quite simply from the fuel, if you search YouTube there are a ton of videos describing the process.

 

For me, I’d drain the petrol, run the engine until the carb is dry and coat the inside with something, or fill with a stable fuel like Avgas if you can get it.

There is so much confliction on removing the ethanol , I had been considering this just for my small engines.  Yet there is other opinion on the internet (I don't know how 'expert' those for and against) that when you remove the ethanol - you also remove other chemical additive traces and end up with a "petrol" that will do more damage than if you had let the ethanol remain.

[CMP-Phil]

Hi

Good question,  my take on this from States, small tanks drain put in gallon of the non ethanol fuel with some 2 cycle oil then run the engine long enough to get the mix through the fuel system.   If possible slush the tank to coat the tank.  I've tried the various storage additives,  not impressed.   On my MVs I've been putting 2 cycle oil for a 100to1 mix drive truck around a little,  yes it smokes a little but less than you think. 

Cheers Phil  

[jenkinov]

Well interesting no one's suggested dry storage . So I will 'revert to wet storage but with a non ethanol fuel such as BP Ultimate.. It's octane rate is min 97 but up to 99 so just below aviation fuel which starts at 100 octane 

 

Jenkinov

[Ron]

Is there such a thing as non ethanol fuel at any pump these days? Ron

[Richard Farrant]

6 hours ago, jenkinov said:

Well interesting no one's suggested dry storage . So I will 'revert to wet storage but with a non ethanol fuel such as BP Ultimate.. It's octane rate is min 97 but up to 99 so just below aviation fuel which starts at 100 octane 

 

Jenkinov

According to the BP website, BP Ultimate is E5. I do not think we can get away without ethanol in petrol now unfortunately.

[jenkinov]

Oops I thought high octane was ethanol free ...I will have t o enquire and see if such fuel exists ?

[Alpina]

Esso Synergy Supreme+ is still ethanol free in most of the country; if you can find any at the moment!
 

https://www.esso.co.uk/en-gb/fuels/petrol

[Ron]

Well that's good to hear as It's what I've used for my old bikes for years. I wonder how long it will last like that?

Ron

[ruxy]

Over 30 years ago , before unleaded - I forgot to drain a Kawasiki generator that was infrequently used. After approx. 3 years  I drained the tank , it came out honey coloured and quite thick - I just put new petrol in and tried to start but it would not.  I found a small sedimenter bowl attached to the carburettor gummed up with the stuff, I just cleaned it out and it started and ran OK.    So - the next stage of deterioration  again about 1990 - I was similar lazy with a Honda genny , but old fuel had stood several years +   and remaining petrol had gone dry and base of the tank covered with brown granules that looked just like instant coffee.  Fortunately I was just able to get my hand in the filler cap aperture and clean it out.  It was difficult to remove (scrape off) all so aver a period of weeks I sprayed the inside with WD40 to soften it , after about three application and wipe out with a cloth - I checked the feed to carb , put petrol in and it fired up and ran OK.  With Ethanol - I would expect the water problem with aged fuel and tank to rust through.  I am now continuing to do a last run of year with a heavy dose of fuel stabilizer , I have three Bar-O-Mix and too much hassle to remove engines to invert & drain, same with lawnmowers etc. that can be drained at tap pipe to carb. tipped over easier to try & drain the carb..

[Chris Hall]

Apart from the water, the Ethanol will eat non treated rubber. If you have fuel lines, seals and pump membranes made before a certain date, it will turn them into a jelly.