Survive E10 fuel-reasons not to panic about ethanol

Don’t worry

» There’s a lot of scare mongering going on about E10 (ie 10 percent ethanol fuel). Almost all fuel-injected bikes will run fine on it – even the ones that say E5-only, though they may lose a bit of power. Interesting fact: E10 means there’s a maximum of 10 percent ethanol. It’s currently much less due to ethanol shortages.

Drain carbs

» The main problem with E10 and carbed bikes occurs when you get water in it, usually from a dodgy filler cap. If you then store the bike, the water forms an acid with the ethanol, sinks to the bottom and rots any metals it touches – carbs are particularly vulnerable. Draining the carbs is one answer.

Storage fuel

» If you’re storing an older bike, an even better solution than draining the carbs is to fill the tank with storage fuel (ie, no ethanol) and run it for a few minutes. You can get some from Anglo American Oils (aaoil.co.uk). This also stops ethanol wrecking plastic tanks and old fuel hoses.

Additives » The simplest solution, which lots of classic bike riders swear by. We’ve yet to see independent tests proving they work, though, so there’s an element of doubt. For storing your bike, make sure you get something with a corrosion inhibitor such as Liqui Moly’s E10 Additive.