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Ethanol fuel in my S4RS

9K views 43 replies 10 participants last post by  Duc96cr 
#1 ·
Rode about 80 miles of curvy roads today to look at another Monster I might trade a bike for. All the places I was supposed to find ethanol free fuel were out of it ! I had no choice but to put ethanol laced fuel in my tank. How long have I got before the tank swells ? I'm going in the morning to see if I can find some the opposite direction. By the way, this thing is a fuel hog ! It's running great but I doubt I got 80 miles before the fuel light came on . Is this normal ? :0
 
#2 ·
I don't think it happens instantly... ;)

I've been putting Sta-Bil's ethanol additive in my plastic tanked Monster, it's supposed to knock down the corrosiveness of the ethanol and negate some of the other things... jury is still out on whether or not it works. I haven't pulled the covers off the tank to see if it's swelled yet... the previous owner had it parked in the garage for most of the last 2 years, I'm sort of afraid of what I will find.

Have you tried the Pure Gas app?
 
#3 ·
The swelling takes time. You'll never notice it happen until one day you want to take the tank off and see it's pushing against the ignition.

I average about 90 miles a tank when I'm spirited, less when flogging and I've seen almost 120 when being polite and riding in a straight line on the highway.
 
#4 ·
I used the Puregas website. Mobil stations 5 miles either direction from me. I stopped at one and they told me everyone is out due to high demand. I'm going to the other close station this morning. They're in a different county so maybe use a different supplier. Hoping to dilute the bad stuff.
 
#5 ·
Non-ethanol... let alone true conventional gas (vs RFG) is in VERY high demand. As the control areas push further and further out from the metro areas, the supply racks that store the fuel will quit storing it. Here in Dallas, I have to go 40-50 miles out of town to find a station.
 
#9 ·
Understand, in order to have non-eth fuel... they are using one of probably 3 or 4 storage tanks they have to do it, and it's likely they are getting upcharged from the supplier (for the same reasons, at the storage terminal.) I'm not saying there isn't a little profit in there, but it's not all of the cost. The real reason this is a problem lies 500 miles to your east.
 
#11 ·
Wrong. Big Government wins. Believe me when I tell you... the petroleum industry wants nothing to do with ethanol fuel, it's being forced on them by Washington. It is a goat screw from start to finish as far as pipeline, storage, and transport.
 
#12 ·
I have a 2007 S4R Testastetta. When i got it, the tank was badly swelled and deformed. I put in a claim to Ducati NA, which they denied due to beinfg out of warrenty, and outside the terms of the class action lawsuit.

I purchased a new tank, and I've been very particular with fuel, ONLY using non ethanol. It's sometimes difficult, as i get 80-100 miles a tank, which is a bit less than I'd like, but i have a non ethanol station a mile from my house, so it isn't hard to fuel up.

That said, when i discussed this with Ducati NA (when i bought the new tank), Here is what they said to me:

"Ethanol Phase separation and bike storage:
It has been Ducati’s goal to use to choose the best product for a particular purpose. Because of the extreme shape of the tank, plastic was chosen. We have found through extensive testing, tank expansion is not an issue when fuel is run through the system regularly. Ethanol blended fuels have a short shelf life. When fuel sits, ethanol separates from the petroleum base (Phase Separation). The separated ethanol can cause multiple issues; like clogging fuel injectors, fuel level sender accuracy, and expansion in plastic tanks. If you live in area where you are unable to ride year round, following standard cold weather storage procedures recommended for all motorcycles will alleviate ethanol separation. Below you will find an article explaining life expectancy and the separation process

http://www.fuel-testers.com/expiration_of_ethanol_gas.html

On page 67 of your Owner’s Manual, Ducati recommends draining the tank for storage.You may find in general motorcycle storage articles that recommend adding a fuel stabilizer additive to combat the separation process in ethanol blended fuels."


So...long and short of it: IF you use ethanol gas, ride it often, burn up tank fulls quickly, and don't let the gas sit in the tank more than a week or two. Thats not hard for me during riding season, and in the winter, I make sure that I drain the tank. And besides, i use the non ethanol

Hope that helps.

David
 
#14 ·
#15 ·
Update: With ethanol fuel diluted by refilling with a gallon of non ethanol twice during 3 weeks. So, assuming I'm really buying non ethanol ,the ethanol must be below 5%. My tank has swollen about 1/4-3/8". I added a little over a gallon of EF . Last time I looked at it, it wasn't any worse. Obviously I need to run that stuff out of there before I damage the tank.
 
#16 ·
Update; i ran more fuel out of it and added another gallon and a half EF. That means I have added 3 1/2 gallons of EF since using ethanol fuel, so the concentration must be very low. My tank is still swollen and if its shrunk back at all it must be a very small amount. CRAP ! I didn't think this would happen so fast. Not riding enough to use the fuel up quickly, but i have too much going on right now.
 
#17 ·
here is an update for me, too.

Since I got the new tank, all I've added was non ethanol fuel. I got caught on a ride pretty far from home when I got lost, and had to add some ethanol added fuel to get home. I added about a half a tank, got home with about maybe a 1/4 of a tank, or maybe a little less of the ethanol fuel left. Two days later, I went and topped it off with non ethanol, ran that tank until the fuel light came on, and then filled with only non ethanol, as I was before the incident. Two months later, no issues visible to my eyes.
 
#18 ·
I ride year round, but cannot get ethanol-free fuel unless I'm willing to drive 60 miles each way...and probably half of the times I've been there they don't have any.

My tanks swell regardless of how quickly I go through fuel. Same for my 696, my S2R 800, my S2R 1000 (all of which are gone) and my current S4RS. The seller of the S4RS said that the Tricolore tanks don't swell. Had a hard time not laughing in his face.

The only way I have found to get the tank to "shrink" most of the way back to original size is to:
1. Remove and drain the tank.
2. Remove the cap and pump assembly.
3. Place the tank somewhere warm where the air can circulate (I use the attic).
4. Let it sit for 30 days or so (having a spare tank comes in really handy here--I swap tanks in the fall and the spring).

Just bought a bottle of the K100 and will be trying it when I swap tanks in the fall.
 
#20 ·
A tank here and there is not an issue. The problems comes with leaving ethanol fuel stored in the tank.

The ethanol is hydroscopic, like brake fluid. It attracts water, and that water is absorbed by the plastic causing it to swell. It's not an immediate or overnight thing, happens over time. If you haven't had it lined with Caswell sealant I would make that happen sooner than later. I personally have no experience with any of the "miracle" fuel additives and am pretty sure they're mostly a way to remove cash from consumers wallets.

Members of my local club have had luck shrinking swollen tanks if caught in time, but prevention is better than a cure.
 
#21 ·
I have 2 swollen tanks that were professionally Caswell coated before any fuel was ever placed into the brand new tanks, both are swollen and one has warts. Warts are worse than the swelling. Warts never go away and can cause more damage.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Ouch. Guess I will re-consider spending the money on the Caswell treatment, and just keep swapping tanks every six months. :(

No matter what Ducati says, this is a very real problem, and has not been solved to anyone's satisfaction.

I recently looked at a KTM 990, and when I saw that it had an Acerbis plastic tank, I had some concerns.

Lots of KTM owners say "no problem", and due to the KTM mounting arrangement, it may be less of a problem.

But...I did not buy the KTM.

Take that how you will.
 
#24 ·
There are a few out there. Panel Beaters in Japan made a top notch replica.
 
#25 ·
I'm curious. Has anyone tried to refurbish a tank that had the "warts" that was previously swelled, but shrunk back?

Meaning sand out the warts and repaint? I've got my old tank, and it seems to have mostly shrunk back after sitting a couple years now...but the warts and bubbling are still there. I've always wondered if i could sand it smooth and repaint? Anyone done that and had good luck?
 
#26 ·
If the bubbling is caused by a spot becoming weak and bulging then those spots may be permanently weakened. i'd like to hear from a plastics engineer on this, if we have one here. Are you going to just coat it and try it ? You weren't thinking of painting it first, were you ?
 
#27 ·
The bubbles I've seen on some bikes you could practically see through them. I certainly wouldn't try to sand those down and refinish them. My thoughts are whatever reason that area was "attacked" so strongly would indicate that it will just continue to be an issue in the future.I've got 3 dime sized warts on my Paul Smart. I'm pissed about them as my dealer requested we replace the tank before it was too late. My old tank was slightly oversized and that was it. I feel like I traded down.
 
#28 ·
I guess my "warts" or "bubbling" isn't so much that as it is "rippling" and it's pretty pronounced on the lower sides of the tank. It looks like it would be pretty easily sanded out (smoothed) and repainted. I don't feel like smoothing it would unnecessarily "thin" the material the way shaving off the tops of "bubbles" would....but i'm not 100 percent sure on that. As to the integrity of the material after the rippling...no idea.

I was just thinking (hoping) that with all the ruined tanks, maybe someone had attempted to refurbish one after it sat for a long time and (mostly) shrunk back. Having a new tank on the shelf would remove some of the sting i felt when I had to replace the tank with a new one. (it was a pretty big sting) I've searched for refurbishing these tanks, but it doesn't seem like anyone has messed with fixing the cosmetic defects associated in some cases with the ethanol fuel. IDK, maybe it's just more hassle or potentially a compromise to the integrity than it's worth, but I still wonder...
 
#29 ·
The bubbling and rippling I would have to guess means damage to the tank more serious than just swelling. I think I would assume that the tank would no longer be worth putting money into it because you can get them pretty reasonably on eBay. Make sure the seller verify in writing on eBay that the tank isn't swollen before bidding and pay with PayPal so you don't get stuck with a bad tank.
 
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