Have been researching this for stored bikes, but would prefer definitive info from a fellow member. For those who SORN their bikes over winter, do you use a fuel stabiliser? I know the best method is to drain the tank of all fuel, but for me that's not practical as I like to run the bikes every few weeks. This means though, that some tanks might not be topped up for nearly 8 weeks. I have had no starting or performance issues, but it's sometimes the things we don't see (filters/seals etc) that are adversely affected. So, should I use a fuel stabiliser, and is there a preferred brand? Cheers!
I put a bit of two stroke oil in when the tank is full then run it till the fan comes on , never had a prob come spring time . Used to drain the carbs but found the rubber seals dried out and leaked when I put fuel in 5 months later ,I had to let it stand for a couple of hours while the seals swelled back and sealed, If you know what I mean
Used to have problems with the Wife's 2-stroke after a winter layup that frequently necessitated a carb clean. Last couple of years have been fine after using the stuff recommended on this post https://www.1000rr.co.uk/posts/86277/
Checked that and also found Honda do a stabiliser: http://www.justhonda.co.uk/honda-fuel-stabiliser.html I'll check this with my dealer tomorrow, knowing that high-performance engines might not tolerate some additives. Will up[date later.
I don't ride mine once the weather drops, never treated anything just stuck it in the shed and plugged charger in. Always give it a once over start of spring but never had any issues. Done with all my sports bikes over the years
Thanks Gav. Perhaps I'm overly worried about some reports of 'stale fuel'. I suspect many problems stem from condensation resulting in water in the fuel. I don't have that prob because of temperature control. Also, life experience tells us that some additives are merely a drain on the wallet (or lady purse) and offer little or no benefit. You might be interested in this which presents a few alarming points: https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp-country/en_au/media/fuel-news/petrol-life-vehicle-tanks.pdf *I note it is BP Australia and fuels will be subject to different environments and localised additives etc.
Only time I've had stale fuel was an old moped I bought off a woman who's husband had died 5 years previous. Takes a while to go off
Huh? The fuel or the husband?? I bought a small bottle of Motorex https://www.motorex.com/en-us/car-line/additive/fuel-stabilizer/ . I'm probably going overboard, but it might provide just a little added insurance. If we think back to the two-stroke mower days, a 4-litre can of fuel could sit in the shed for up to 12 months. Mowers still started first time every time. I know, because I used to watch my wife struggle with the pull cord.
Dare say the husband was gone off should be ok I'd say. I don't own a lawn mower so don't possess a petrol can either im a lazy bastard when it comes to gardening
My old gixxer sat up the shed then in the garage for nigh on 8 years without being started. Fuel went off and I had "varnishing" of the tank - a real pig to clean (diesel and pebbles believe it or not!); the other issue was the fuel pump was gunked up (bought a replacement) and the fuel injectors and fuel bar had to be sent off for cleaning So unless it's going to sit for years I'd not worry too much. I left the Blade without starting for about 3 months this past winter and she fired straight up without issue (used a trickle charger the whole time). I did read on here that periodic starting is bad since not everything gets up to running temperature which can then cause the dreaded condensation....I've probably not done the post justice there but bottom line - don't start it once a week over winter if it's being stored.
8 years! Even with my small collection, I couldn't go THAT long without riding one. Even during winter, I manage to find a couple of dry days here and there (West Midlands) so that puts me at an advantage of the northern guys and lass. But I'd never do the start and run for a few minutes thing. You're right, the condensation is a killer. It's rusted out many a muffler etc on rarely-started classic cars. So, the status now; NS is SORNed and stabilised; VF is stabilised until September for MoT; MV is stabilised because I prefer to ride my Blades!! Had to undertake the massive chore of giving the SP2 a run this morning.
If you ever need the sp2 taking a run just let me know if I could justify the money I'd have one, bad enough having 20k sat in a car without having a bike aswell doing note
Yeah, terrible isn't it I was still riding my other bike about the place & occasionally commuting on it (Honda NX650). Kept telling myself I'll get the gixxer out next week...but next week never came....
Excellent point of course. Justification. I have none. My only hope is that the bike does hold value over ensuing years. Any financial loss will be offset by the enjoyment of having owned such a fine machine. When we enter our twilight years, we tend to strive to recover things we craved for in our youth - but sacrificed because of marriage and family. (Hear the violins in the background?) This perhaps explains why old guys are driving Ferraris, Lambos, and Panigales to recover their youth, and women are booking flights to Thailand for breast implants and Botox to recover theirs.
I use Wynns lead additive with fuel stabalizer Nigel. They sell it in halfords, its cheap as chips and lasts for years. Fill the tank up, add as directed (its 1ml per 1 litre of fuel) and leave the tank closed until you need it again. I remove the batteries off the bikes and leave them in the house not the garage because of the cold. I've never bothered leaving the charger on constantly Instead once a month I will flick the charger on for 24hrs then disconnect it. Bikes get put away clean and bone dry using the bike dryer making sure I've not missed any bits. Cover them up and forget about them for 4 months. Bikes always start first time come March/April.
Thanks Charlie. I know Wynns has always enjoyed a good name. In pursuing this further, I found this, which might interest members: https://carcaretotal.com/best-fuel-stabilizers/ Have to agree though, a trip to Halfords is pretty easy for most of us. I keep my batteries in the house also - but the bikes are still attached to them!! Got a bank of 4 Optimisers flashing away!
Bike batteries are fickle things. When they've had enough they've had enough. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it whether you trickle charge them constantly, give them a blast every few weeks or charge them once before you bring the bike back out after winter. I've always had good longevity out of batteries from just charging them once a month over the winter. Car batteries on the other hand are amazing. I put a new battery in my car when I bought it 9 years ago, still going strong and, it even has 1 year left on its 10 year warranty! Can highly recommend Bosch 'silver' batteries.
The biggest issue you have is ethanol in the fuel. Simple advice buy Esso Synergy Supreme +, unless you live in the South West or Scotland, there is no ethanol in it, so for carbed bikes or bikes with plastic tanks, it’s a given to use it, it’s all I use in my carbed bikes for this reason. It also attacks the carb rubber gaskets. The Esso website tells you where it’s ethanol free. Storage, use Silkolene Pro FST, you will have no issues on restart, such as gum, varnish or fuel separation. Left bikes for over a year like this, and even stripped a carb bank down and they were spotless, so it does work.
Damn, a day too late. Just did this yesterday: https://www.1000rr.co.uk/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-bike-today.2209/page-372 Also, I had read about the Esso Synergy Supreme but wondered if it's a bit of a gimmick. However, with your recommendation, I'll give it a go next fill this weekend. You'll recall I have 2 carbed bikes (VF and NS); is there any merit in using it for the fuel injected bikes?
TBH I only stick it in the Blade if I am not using it in the worst of the winter weather for a couple of months, apart from that it gets bog standard unleaded, but those guys that run plastic tanks like the Triumph T595/955 found out the painful way when their tanks distorted due to the ethanol. Fortunately as the 595 was a mobile development project that the customers unwittingly took part in, I did not keep mine long enough to warp the tank, but it did dump a complete tank of fuel overnight in Austria when the faulty fuel tap seals gave way onto a hot bike. Yet another design fault they suffered with, along with the cracked frames and sh**ty Sagem fuel injection, the standing joke was more they had more maps installed than the Ordnance Survey had on sale.
