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The laws very by state in the US. Here in North Dakota they sell premium gas at 91 octane that is labeled "Non-oxygenated gasiline, contains no ethanol" in Minnesota they sell stuff for "Small engines, Marine and off road use" that is ethanol free. I notice the shelf life of gasoline with ethanol is shorter than normal gasoline. Sometimes as short as a month and it can start to smell of varnish, the regular gasoline is usually fine for 9 months or more.

The list of stations supplying Non-ethanol based fuels will be very helpful to everyone and as it turns out I have several local stations that qualify and these stations are predominant throughout the province. I used to put Premium in the bike all the time until prices started going astronomical. It's very apparent now that the selected "Premiums" will be the standard for filling. Yesterday I filled up with "Co-Op Premium" and will now run on this, or the other good "Premiums" Needless to say I'll keep a close eye on the condition of the carbs both operationally and visually to confirm or dispel the theory's.
As for the use of "Sea Foam". I've attempted to solve the varnish issue with this product with at least three applications with no results, indicating that it's NOT "cleaning" anything ! Not saying it doesn't have it's merits but in my own recent circumstances I will not bother with it any more as I believe it may even be exacerbating the varnish build-up. Just my opinion !

We have real problems in the UK getting any ethanol free fuel, and its only getting worse. I am sick of replacing fuel hoses and repairing pet cocks, due to the bloody stuff. Latest issue ive had is that ethanol has eaten through a tank lining and damaged a mint petrol tank on my KZ900 -

Ive tried additives and stabilisers, but still have issues. There is enforcement by our medling bureaucrats in Europe that mandates that all Euro member states must supply E5 or E10 fuel; with previously zero ethanol fuel is being changed. Suppliers such as Total, BP and Murco in the UK use to have Zero ethanol in their super fuels, but not any longer. Latest one was Shell, who now state that V Power (in Europe) may contain upto 5% ethanol.

Ive even tried Aspen Fuel to over winter my Z13: its a specialist high octane, guarateed not to "go off" or evaporate - but it comes at an eye watering premium: I think its currently £3 GBP / $4.8 USD per Litre - but I guess its cheaper than the associated repair bills caused by ethanol.

It sucks when you can't source out ethanol free fuel, so if that's the case, you need to accommodate the ethanol. There is alcohol/ ethanol resistant fuel line available and we should all be seeking it out and using it. This is a short read to explain what to look for in fuel line and it's put out by Gates, a very reputable manufacturer of rubbers products.

www.gates.com/oreilly/tech_tips/Permeati...tantFuelLineHose.pdf

The only other items to be considered are the O-rings in the carbs. I've sourced out Viton 75 o-rings and they are a little more than double the price of the old standard Nitrile or Buna N o-rings, but the difference in cost is only a few dollars. Viton 75 is very tolerant of ethanol and these o-rings have been around for a long time and should be readily available. If you're interested in the sizes required, check the FAQ section under carbs for the specs on the 3 different sizes.

Hi Tonto, that's interesting about your fuel tank lining, the same happened to one of my Z13 tanks I was totally shocked, and till you mentioned on this Post couldn't understand how it had happened, I was taking strips of lining out some as long as 12 inches totally broke down all the Tank lining. I initially assumed it had been done by whoever badly, how did you resolve the problem.

There are numerous Aviation articles regarding various types of "sloshing" compounds which have failed when exposed to Ethanol-blend fuels including Jet-A/ethanol. The break down with some non-compatible tank coatings was severe enough to cause numerous documented engine failures and crashes on all types of aircraft, piston and turbine. In some instances the coatings failed in patches and had "Adult palm size" pieces floating loose in the fuel tank(s). In other cases and presumably different coatings, the coating actually dissolved and ran to the lowest point in the tank and subsequently plugged fuel ports, fuel drains, etc. Controlled testing of various coating products exposed to ethanol fuels showed some coatings dissolving and running in as little as 1 week of exposure.

It is very possible that some of our tanks were coated many years ago with products that were fuel compliant at the time but due to the various blending nowadays, are no longer compatible.

Something to think about.