stabil

[blitzcraig]

hey all... sorry if this thread is a bit repetitive, but i haven't found the answer to exactly what i am looking for :spank:. in the next few months here in maryland, i'm not sure if i am going to be able to burn through an average of a gallon of gas a week. is it worth it/a good idea to add stabil to the tank? or is that stuff mainly just for long term storage?

thanks!! :thumbup:

craig

 

[Wildcard]

It won't hurt either way. I believe 1 ounce treats 2.5 gallons, so only put in a couple ounces.

Where you live. I can make sure you burn through more than that. I live with two other riders and we go riding a lot, especially in the Davidsonville area just west of Annapolis.

 

[notjohndavid]

hey all... sorry if this thread is a bit repetitive, but i haven't found the answer to exactly what i am looking for :spank:. in the next few months here in maryland, i'm not sure if i am going to be able to burn through an average of a gallon of gas a week. is it worth it/a good idea to add stabil to the tank? or is that stuff mainly just for long term storage?

thanks!! :thumbup:

craig

Gasoline is organic (i.e., it comes from rotten dinosaur parts). As such it wants to separate and break down over time. The lighter distillates evaporate and what you end up with is a thick substance... varnish. It'll gum up and clog the fuel injectors (or carb jets in a non fuel injected bike). Fuel stabilizers help prevent this break down... basically a preservative. If I knew I'd have the same tank of gas for several months, I'd go ahead and add some stabilizer. It certainly won't hurt.

The best thing to do is to run the tank pretty near empty, add the amount of stabilizer (it'll tell you on the bottle) that you need for the amount of fuel you'll have in your tank (tanks capacity), and then fill it up with high octane. The reason is that the fuel stabilizer will lower the effective octane level of the gas, so the high octane balances this out. Fill it up.

If it were to sit over winter I'd drain the gas then fill it up with fresh gas, but since you'll ride it... no big deal, it’ll work just fine.

 

[littlelamb]

The last guy said it perfectly. Additionally, this is what I do: run the engine for 15 minutes once a week so you won't have stagnant gasoline that could gum up. Then also always top the tank so you won't have much air that can condensate adding impurity to the gasoline. Maybe I am just anal.
My question to the last guy: don't you think emptying the tank completely would create problem in some bikes. I heard it could cause difficulty in starting, just like if you run out of gas completely in late year model cars. Is it true?

 

[notjohndavid]

The last guy said it perfectly. Additionally, this is what I do: run the engine for 15 minutes once a week so you won't have stagnant gasoline that could gum up. Then also always top the tank so you won't have much air that can condensate adding impurity to the gasoline. Maybe I am just anal.
My question to the last guy: don't you think emptying the tank completely would create problem in some bikes. I heard it could cause difficulty in starting, just like if you run out of gas completely in late year model cars. Is it true?

I think used to a lot of crud would sit at the bottom of gas tanks and when you ran the tank almost empty you'd start sucking the crud (mostly rust probably) into the fuel pump and fuel system. Today rust treatments are a lot better and I don't think this is an issue anymore. All I was getting at before was to add the Stabil to the tank before you'd fill up... this helps mix the Stabil with all of the gas. If you filled up the tank then added the Stabil it's just going to sit there... hard to mix it that way

 

[blitzcraig]

thanks guys... and thats cool you ride around dville wildcard. that area has some of the best riding roads around. i grew up in davidsonville actually. and you are right, i do need to get out there more. ever try birdsville road that connects central ave and rte 2? that's a good long one where you can really get your speed up should you choose to do so. i got some gripes from the guys at work this morning because i did not take the bike in (was running late) so i'm going home at lunch and gonna saddle up and ride back :thumbup: