Having fallen from grace, and ride a fuel-injected bike (note placement of comma for accuracy), I last rode a particular bike just over three months ago, but didn't drain the tank. Prompted by your post I just tested it, and it started right up. I love fuel injection. And electric starters.
p.s.
Not necessarily so. I use a siphon to empty the tank, which is arguably faster and less work than pulling hoses off petcocks and arranging for most of the fuel to go into a gas can with a minimal amount on my foot.
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I live a hundred miles north of NYC, and so am still within the radius of mandated E-10 fuel.
When the ethanol fuels first showed up here years ago, I watched the guys who make their living with carbureted engines, to see how they dealt with it.
These included the lawn mower guys, the brush cutters, loggers, etc.
The first couple of years they struggled, and were seemingly always rebuilding carbs.
Then they shifted to Stabil, SeaFoam, etc , for several years.
Currently, (for the last few years) they've shifted to using high test gas.
They've found it consistently more stable than regular and much less problematic, and simpler than using an additives.
But still anything in their gas cans more than 3 weeks gets dumped in the tanks of their trucks and cars.
Their trucks and cars are fuel injected, and they found exactly what you did, Bruce; the fuel injection isn't bothered by crap gas, self cleaning and self adjusting to whatever the fuel has morphed into.
Lazy sod that I am, I've followed them all along this path.
And whenever I travel further north, I bring gas cans with me, as about 30 miles further up the line non-ethanol gas can be purchased; the bikes like that fuel the best, I presume it's the extra BTUs.
And the high test is what goes in the tanks for last fill-up of the season, no startup issues in the spring.
Best-
George
When the ethanol fuels first showed up here years ago, I watched the guys who make their living with carbureted engines, to see how they dealt with it.
These included the lawn mower guys, the brush cutters, loggers, etc.
The first couple of years they struggled, and were seemingly always rebuilding carbs.
Then they shifted to Stabil, SeaFoam, etc , for several years.
Currently, (for the last few years) they've shifted to using high test gas.
They've found it consistently more stable than regular and much less problematic, and simpler than using an additives.
But still anything in their gas cans more than 3 weeks gets dumped in the tanks of their trucks and cars.
Their trucks and cars are fuel injected, and they found exactly what you did, Bruce; the fuel injection isn't bothered by crap gas, self cleaning and self adjusting to whatever the fuel has morphed into.
Lazy sod that I am, I've followed them all along this path.
And whenever I travel further north, I bring gas cans with me, as about 30 miles further up the line non-ethanol gas can be purchased; the bikes like that fuel the best, I presume it's the extra BTUs.
And the high test is what goes in the tanks for last fill-up of the season, no startup issues in the spring.
Best-
George
I concur. I left fuel in my fuel-injected Ducati ST4S petrol tank for a couple of years. Put a charged battery on and it fired up virtually straight away.
Modern fuels suit injected engines where the entire fuel system is enclosed, and not open to the environment like our early bikes.........yes you may be able to readily start your lawn mower or similar on stale fuel, but im also guessing you can spin it over just a tad faster than your Vin twin.
How many of you have walked into your garage on a nice warm day to be greeted by the lovely smell of fuel vapour?
Well given the petrol tank cap breather and the nice black tanks, the VOC s have a nice evapouration route to air.
This is leaving behind all the ethanol,water and the lower combustables.
Fresh fuel matters, getting ready to store your bike for winter think about draining or running your carbs dry.
I fill tanks with super unleaded before the winter and run mine through the bad weather letting the float bowls drain when finished.
I inevitably clean all the carbs pre use in the new year during service time always good to start with a clean system im a bit anal I even rinse out the tanks as they are off anyway.
The crap that is left behind from E10 is visible in the carbs, float bowls and tank.
A clean fuel system is a happy fuel system I do like the Redline fuel system cleaner which a cap full gos in all my bikes on there first tank full of the new year.
Injected bikes like this leaves the tank clean and injectors fresh and free.
Dont get it on the paint...
Al
Well given the petrol tank cap breather and the nice black tanks, the VOC s have a nice evapouration route to air.
This is leaving behind all the ethanol,water and the lower combustables.
Fresh fuel matters, getting ready to store your bike for winter think about draining or running your carbs dry.
I fill tanks with super unleaded before the winter and run mine through the bad weather letting the float bowls drain when finished.
I inevitably clean all the carbs pre use in the new year during service time always good to start with a clean system im a bit anal I even rinse out the tanks as they are off anyway.
The crap that is left behind from E10 is visible in the carbs, float bowls and tank.
A clean fuel system is a happy fuel system I do like the Redline fuel system cleaner which a cap full gos in all my bikes on there first tank full of the new year.
Injected bikes like this leaves the tank clean and injectors fresh and free.
Dont get it on the paint...
Al
I had same thought some years ago, turned out the fuel taps were gummed up, if they had been only part blocked it may have led to fuel starvation, overheating?
One of the problems with my old bikes (and 1930 car) is that the gas is constantly seeping past the shutoff valve. Over time, a lot of gas will get into the carburetor, evaporate, and leave behind a large accumulation of residue which plugs up the ports or causes the float and other parts to stick, etc. I have a Honda 4 that I cannot open the throttle - I suspect the needles are glued to the carb. jet and bowl. I find gas with Ethanol much more problematic so now go out of my way to get Ethanol free gas.