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Sonofab----!!!!

10K views 52 replies 22 participants last post by  seriousjimmy 
#1 ·
I guess it was only a matter of time. Or maybe it was the hot weather... or the 7,000 miles... or the ethanol... I don't know, and I don't care.







I guess I'm over to the wonderful "Tank Spread" thread to see what I'm about to endure.

:mad:
 
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#13 ·
I am on my second tank. Since the day it was installed I have been adding Starbrite Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment to my gasoline. Starbrite Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment is recommended by some folks in the boating industry to keep ethanol from ruining fiberglass/plastic fuel tanks. Starbrite Enzyme Fuel Treatment is supposed to keep the ethanol in solution with gasoline. So far it is working.

The dealership that services my Ducati has started carrying Starbrite Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment. Someone other than me told them to stock it. (The Ducati rep? I don't know.)

Stabil also makes a marine fuel treatment. It is different from the regular Stabil that we sometimes use when we store our cars/motorcycles for the winter. I have been told that you need that you need one of the marine treatments to deal with ethanol.
 
#30 ·
STA-BIL 22239 Marine Fuel Stabilizer

...

Stabil also makes a marine fuel treatment. It is different from the regular Stabil that we sometimes use when we store our cars/motorcycles for the winter. I have been told that you need that you need one of the marine treatments to deal with ethanol.
I just started using STA-BIL Marine Fuel Stabilizer in my fuel ($9 bucks at your local Pep Boys) to curb the tank spreading. It has been two days in the tank and so far, it is working. The tank has stopped spreading and is going back to its original shape, little by little. The front rubber snubs are starting to seat into the mounting cups.

I'll be riding out in the sun over the weekend and I'll report back on how the SoCal sun and heat affects the tank and fuel stabilizer. Hopefully positive results.

 
#21 ·
FWIW, I'm at about 7,000 miles, and ran several tanks of E10 through the tank. Nothing but. No issues.

The reason, I feel, why I've suddenly seen "spread", is that my tank was near empty, it was parked in the sun, and I rode about 40 miles home on a 93° day.

I don't see how adding a 10% mixture of alcohol to gasoline, would affect the plastic any more than regular gasoline.

But, that's just my opinion. I'm not a chemist.
 
#25 ·
I don't see how adding a 10% mixture of alcohol to gasoline, would affect the plastic any more than regular gasoline.
Ethanol (or alcohol) and gasoline are both solvents but ethanol is a much stronger solvent than gasoline. The automobile, motorcycle, aviation and marine industries have for years designed plastic/fiberglass tanks that will hold gasoline. Designing tanks that will hold ethanol is an entirely different matter and they just aren't there yet.
 
#24 ·
09

my 09 has some spreading but I can tell it is... the top tree hits the tank.... not to bad and I'm waiting to here back from the dealer.....I joined "the club" about 6 months ago.:eek:
 
#34 ·
Well... not to start any kind of argument, but I haven't used any kind of stabalizer or treatment, and the tank has gone back quite a bit. Here's a pic:





What's changed? Full tank of gas, and cooler temps.

Anyway, I'll look into the fuel additive. Anyone know if there's any negative effects of this stuff? Worse mileage? Bad on engine? Void warranty?

Also, I stopped at my dealer this afternoon to talk to them about it. He told me to keep an eye on it, and see if it gets dangerously loose or spread. He said they would make sure they had a tank on hand, so when I do have to replace it, it won't take long. THAT is why I like that dealer.

What sucks is, I just ordered my DESMO stickers from JCPak. :( I guess I could always order another pair, if I need them.
 
#35 ·
One more thing I'd like to point out is that our bikes have other plastic parts in in the fuel system. For me, that's one more reason to use the additive to combat ethanol's effect on the plastics. The tank spreading is obvious because of the size of the tank. I wonder what it does to the little, unnoticed plastic parts.
 
#38 ·
Well, I ran two tanks full treated with 3/4 oz of marine Sta-Bil on Saturday during a group ride in the N. GA mountains, and although my tank was not loose by most standards, I swear that it is tighter. It had been shimmed by the previous owner, but still had a tiny wiggle, lets say a quarter of inch each way. Now it is firmly tight on the mounts. No wiggle at all. Hmmm.
 
#39 ·
Another thing I've noticed.

I seem to have a LOT of vapor in my tank. When I pop the cap to fill up, it usually gives a healthy "whoosh" when I open it. Seems excessive. I expect a little... but not this much. I also notice that the vapor seems to "leak out" when I'm cleaning around the filler cap, and move it slightly to once side or the other.

I've checked the vent hose, and it doesn't seem obstructed in any way. I also don't see anything out of the ordinary under the cap (dirt, grime, clogged hole, etc.). Not sure if this could have anything to do with the spreading issue (expanding gas when heated), but again, I'm just making an observation, and still refusing to jump on the ethanol band-wagon. :D
 
#40 ·
I too often have a lot of "vapor" in my "tank" which gives off a healthy "whoosh" when I er, open it.;)

My GT on the other hand, doesn't really do this much, even in hot weather. If yours wooshes in cool as well as warm weather and everything checks out ventilation-wise, the only thing I can think of as a cause would be frequent riding on bumpy pavement. Certainly seems plausible there's a connection between the vapor build up and the expansion. Witness what a three burrito lunch can do to the human "tank", and we all know when a southern belle says she has "the vapors", she's really just complaining of gas:)
 
#44 ·
#51 ·
I guess I still don't get what's so hard about this? My '06 Sport 1000 (bought new in 1/09) has had no tank spread problem yet, probably because I've been extremely careful NEVER to put a DROP of ethanol crap-gas into the tank! We should all know by now that this is the problem, and that this garbage will melt almost anything given enough time and exposure. I refuse to use it in any of my bikes and go well out of my way to fill up only at stations that can assure me their premium is alcohol-free. Problem avoided.

Also, I'm not sure the Sport Classics (except possibly the GT?) were ever really meant to be daily transportation. These are bikes for the "special" rides we take, not meant to sit all day in the sun and weather. My guess is that a little more TLC, and strict avoidance of ethanol, would prevent 99% of the fuel tank problems discussed endlessly in this forum.

2006 Sport 1000 RED
2006 ST3s
1982 Kawasaki GPz550 stock/mint
 
#52 ·
That's fantastic.

But here in my part of Virginia, a mix of up to 10% ethanol in the fuel is UNAVOIDABLE. I won't be driving (or riding), several hundred miles, just to get fuel without ethanol. It's not practical, reasonable, or conceivable.

FYI, here's a list of 10 stations in the commonwealth of Virginia, without ethanol blended fuel.

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=VA

And I flat-out REFUSE to not ride my motorbike for any reason I can find. I didn't spend my hard-earned money on something to hold down the floor of a temperature controlled garage, just so I can stare at it, and maybe take it out for a spin around the block two or three times a year. If you're one of those types of riders, that's great. To each his own. But I'm DAMN proud of the 8,000 miles I've put on my bike in the past 7 months (2 of which it sat, due to snow/freezing).

I also refuse to believe this is 100% to blame on ethanol blended fuel. My Sport sat for a month with a full tank of gas, under the cover, outside in the cold, and never spread one milimeter. Suddenly, now that it's warm, and the tank has sat in the sun, sometimes with an empty tank, I'm noticing spreading. If ethanol blended fuel was to blame, 100% mind you, then I should have seen a slow, noticeable change in the tank from the purchase date, with no other contributing factors present.

If my bike wasn't meant to be ridden, (and ridden BALLS-OUT), I don't believe Ducati would have built it.
 
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