How Does E10 Fuel Affect Classic Motorcycles?
From September 2021, E10 replaced E5 as the standard fuel available in the UK. What does this mean and how does E10 fuel affect classic motorcycles?
How does E10 Fuel Affect Classic Motorcycles? Read our easy guide to find out.
What is E10 Fuel?
Simply put, E10 fuel is 10% ethanol. The outgoing E5 fuel is 5% ethanol.
What is Ethanol?
Ethanol as a fuel is considered to be a cleaner fuel as it is an alcohol derived crop such as grains and sugarbeets. As crops remove carbon from the atmosphere as they grow, they are considered to be carbon neutral.
Why is E10 replacing E5?
The government believe that a move from E5 to E10 is the equivalent of removing 350,000 vehicles from the road. Our increasing carbon emissions are blamed for accelerating Climate Change, which is the main factor in the widely acknowledged Climate Crisis. The way to tackle this is to reduce our carbon emissions. This can be done by offsetting our carbon footprint and a move to E10 fuels reduces a vehicles carbon footprint. Whether you agree with the methods or not, E10 is here and it isn’t going away anytime soon.
So, if E10 fuel is better for the environment what’s all the fuss about?
Ethanol is hygroscopic meaning that it absorbs water from the air. As the water condenses it starts to corrode metals in fuel tanks, fuel lines and carbs and injectors. Pretty much anywhere the fuel goes. It is also a fairly potent solvent and eats through rubber, plastic and fibreglass meaning that seals and hoses perish at a much faster rate. It can also be pretty nasty if you get it on your paintwork. We have already seen an example of an E10 fuel leak eating through the paint on engine casings meaning we had to get them refinished.
That sounds scary! What can I do about it?
It might sound like something from a dystopian sci-fi flick but it isn’t all bad. Firstly, you can still buy E5 fuel from most pumps. This will usually be badged as Super Unleaded (e.g. V-Power, Tesco Momentum etc). E5 fuel isn’t going away anytime soon but it will go eventually, so what else can you do to protect your bike?
For some owners, the expense of replacing vulnerable parts will be well worth the investment. Replacing fuel lines, seals, carb parts and even fibreglass fuel tanks with E10 resistant materials isn’t cheap but it means peace of mind for the mid-term future.
If you would rather keep your bike as it is then petrol additives such as stabilisers can help neutralise the effects of E10 fuel. If you would like to talk to us more about what we can do to help protect your motorcycle, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.
