110 Octane Racing Fuel

[Ciscoz]

I fill with Shell Premium which is ethanol free, dump in several ounces of Seafoam, then ride it for 40-50 miles…top up with more Shell Premium, add more Seafoam just because..then hook up the battery tender and cover the bikes up. This works on my ‘17 FJR and on my ‘53 Vincent.

Hate to be the one to break it to ya Bob, but in Manitoba, nobody sells ethanol free fuel any longer. As of a year and a half ago, the last Shell station to sell ethanol-free premium (in Selkirk) was forced to sell ethanol spiked fuel in all their grades (per the station owner). The last company selling ethanol-free in Manitoba was Coop fuels, but the last Coop station to sell ethanol-free (Pinawa Manitoba, per the station owner) was forced to sell ethanol spiked fuel in all grades as of last winter. I've followed this progression over the past few years as my motorsports addiction has me operating bikes, boats, snowmobiles, and a host of small engines required for rural yard maintenance. Like you I've always tried to use ethanol-free fuels in certain high performance toys, and in all my off-season storage preparations. No commercial stations sell ethanol-free in Manitoba any longer per enquiries I've made with station owners, and a couple of phone calls to company reps directly. If you have recent info contrary to this I'd be interested to hear it and speak to your source, as I would love to still have access to ethanol-free fuel. My next enquiry will be to the St. Andrews airport near me where I know I can purchase Av gas. I believe that stuff may still be ethanol-free but am going to confirm. It's far too expensive to use as a regular fuel, and not formulated for regular engine use, but I may consider using it as a storage mix for my off-season preparations to avoid the stupid-fast fuel degradation that occurs with the ethanol spiked fuels. Let me know if you've heard something different.

 

[RossKean]

My next enquiry will be to the St. Andrews airport near me where I know I can purchase Av gas.

The Av gas is likely to be leaded and should not be used - even if you can get it to fill your tank.

 

[CollingsBob]

Hate to be the one to break it to ya Bob, but in Manitoba, nobody sells ethanol free fuel any longer. As of a year and a half ago, the last Shell station to sell ethanol-free premium (in Selkirk) was forced to sell ethanol spiked fuel in all their grades (per the station owner). The last company selling ethanol-free in Manitoba was Coop fuels, but the last Coop station to sell ethanol-free (Pinawa Manitoba, per the station owner) was forced to sell ethanol spiked fuel in all grades as of last winter. I've followed this progression over the past few years as my motorsports addiction has me operating bikes, boats, snowmobiles, and a host of small engines required for rural yard maintenance. Like you I've always tried to use ethanol-free fuels in certain high performance toys, and in all my off-season storage preparations. No commercial stations sell ethanol-free in Manitoba any longer per enquiries I've made with station owners, and a couple of phone calls to company reps directly. If you have recent info contrary to this I'd be interested to hear it and speak to your source, as I would love to still have access to ethanol-free fuel. My next enquiry will be to the St. Andrews airport near me where I know I can purchase Av gas. I believe that stuff may still be ethanol-free but am going to confirm. It's far too expensive to use as a regular fuel, and not formulated for regular engine use, but I may consider using it as a storage mix for my off-season preparations to avoid the stupid-fast fuel degradation that occurs with the ethanol spiked fuels. Let me know if you've heard something different.

An FJR owner near me that I wasn’t aware of, that isn’t a member of FJR Canada on Facebook?!…Thanks for the update, I wasnt aware of the change..damn..that means both bikes are only relying on the 4-6oz of Seafoam in their tanks..fingers crossed!

 

[RossKean]

An FJR owner near me that I wasn’t aware of, that isn’t a member of FJR Canada on Facebook?!…Thanks for the update, I wasnt aware of the change..damn..that means both bikes are only relying on the 4-6oz of Seafoam in their tanks..fingers crossed!

The FJR won't be a problem, especially if the tank is full.. The Vincent is probably OK too but a carb cleaning might be needed. Do you drain the carbs before hibernation?

 

[dcarver]

Back in the day raced motocross on 540cc single four stroke. Thought race gas was the cat's meow since at near sea level I could pull a sand wash in 4th, not 3rd. But the bike was sloooow at attitude.
Yep. The slow burn rate + lack of oxygen at altitude led to power loss.

 

[CollingsBob]

The FJR won't be a problem, especially if the tank is full.. The Vincent is probably OK too but a carb cleaning might be needed. Do you drain the carbs before hibernation?

Yes…both tanks filled to the brim with several oz’s of seafoam

 

[vzhq16]

Yup. Lower octane burns easier so releases more BTUs per gallon.

No. All pump gas has the same BTU's, burns at the same rate, burns at the temperature. The only difference is, the higher the octane, the more resistant it is to detonation.

 

[RossKean]

No. All pump gas has the same BTU's, burns at the same rate, burns at the temperature. The only difference is, the higher the octane, the more resistant it is to detonation.

Essentially correct - virtually no difference between regular and premium in terms of energy density. There are small differences between summer blends and winter blends due to composition changes. 1.7% higher energy content for summer blends vs winter blends which have a higher butane content (which has lower energy density). 10% ethanol fuels have around three percent less energy per gallon.

There MAY be some small differences between regular gas and high octane aviation fuel. Avgas is compounded differently using hydrocarbon components that have lower volatility to reduce the likelihood of vapour lock at the lower atmospheric pressure at high altitudes. (It also contains tetraethyllead.) I did a quick search on energy density and found conflicting information but at least one source suggested that avgas had 5-10% lower energy density compared to automotive fuels whereas another suggested it might be slightly higher. In any case, the energy content is a moot point. Avgas contains a lower content of volatiles which may make starting more difficult when cold - especially for a carburetted engine. It also contains lead which is toxic and harmful to catalytic converters.