E10

[Nick Calne]

MCN are reporting that Triumph have stated that all bikes made after 1990 are safe for use with the forthcoming E10 petrol. Is that true?

[Lee337]

Aside from the vinyl on the tank bubbling and the fuel system gumming up if left for a couple of months, that's correct. As far as running the bike goes E10 shouldn't affect them, although I use super unleaded anyway.

[Nick Calne]

So partially true. Or sort of.
What about lines and connections etc. Will the ethanol eat them?

[badrooster]

Lee's correct. The E part brings moisture into your fuel system which all engines love
In California the greenies what to raise it to 15%. We pay farmers to grow corn that we put in our tanks. Shouldn't we pay 90% at the pump?

[Nick Calne]

I get the feeling that ethanol in fuel has nothing to do with green issues but more it is a way of repatriating income from fuel.  In my view ethanol should be limited to 

[Lee337]

An interesting read, particularly the bit about increased tax revenues.

https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/news/2020/march/what-is-e10-fuel-and-is-it-safe

[John Stenhouse]

MCN are reporting that Triumph have stated that all bikes made after 1990 are safe for use with the forthcoming E10 petrol. Is that true?

Thinking of my Girly, there isn't much for E10 to eat. The fuel fittings were plastic but most have been replaced by metal now, the O rings must be fuel resistant and after that theres a metal fuel rail and the injectors.

As a classic car owner I've found that ethanol usually eats the rubber bits of the system so I would say they're telling the truth.

[Bixxer Bob]

First of all,  If MCN incorrectly quoted Triumph,  liabitiy.

If Triumph say so and are wrong, liability.

Ethanol absorbs water which sinks to the bottom of the tank.  No big deal in plastic tanks until there's enough for the fuel pickup to start sipping it aka what happens in the Girlies.  In steel tanks it sits there rotting the seams until the tank leaks, much the same as condensation inside the tank in the old days.

Ethanol appears to weaken plastic perhaps why Triumph and Ducati switched back to metal tanks, but no admission otherwise liability.

As far back as I can remember Triumph have been using Viton O rings and seals in the fuel system so am not surprised that they believe the change will not affect them. 

As an aside, I've been working on a set of 1988 VFR Carbs.  They appear to have Viton seals too.  Since Viton has been in use in the aircraft industry since the late 50s I wouldn't be very surprised if the Japanese have been using it in their motorcycles since day one.

[blacktiger]

Ethanol makes Girly fuel tanks expand. That was one reason I parted with mine because over the years the tank was getting harder and harder to refit. It had run out of mounting point slot years ago.

[Sin_Tiger]

Being the cynic I am, the admission that they'd expect to see 350k cars off the road (at time of writing don't forget) is a bit of a tell of pressure from the motor industry to my thinking. for most of us I'd suggest the answer is, clean cut off i.e. empty it and refresh when you're ready to ride and don't stop until it's too cold and salty again.