Fuel stabilizer good,bad,waste of $$ ?

[NIGHTFLIGHT]

really hasnt got cold here yet.I plan put my bikes in hibernation 2day.
I think takes fuel 6 months or so 2 start going bad.I figure this winter season only going b like 3 months.Think im ok just fill the tanks up?

[dadofthree]

I do know that I only fill the truck up about every six months. Plastic fuel cell.

[mike1180]

I use the stabilizer every year.
This forum has loads of threads about bad fuel and running poorly due to dirty injector problems.
IMO spend the couple of bucks and put it in.
Won't hurt and is cheap insurance.

[rusheriv]

Stabilizer good and cheap!

Wikipedia says gasoline may be stored up to 60 days, if it is to be stored for a longer period of time, a fuel stabilizer may be used. I've always used STA-BIL in my 12 yr old riding mower and other lawn equipment and never had any troubles.

Being that I'm in Florida I ride the bike year round so it always has fresh fuel.

[Phil96]

Had an edger with honda eng sittin' for over 20 years with Sta-bil. Started
1st pull

[Mr Bogus]

I would say fill the tank, park it... a full take of gas will last a long time (relative to 1/2 tank)..

Stabil wont hurt a thing however..

Now why a full tank instead of empty? "rust"

air expands and contracts with temp and baro changes.. Every time this happens, moisture is pulled into the tank.. the moisture condenses and rusts the tank out.. any fuel in the tank is oxidized by the 02 in that same air..

Less air, less exchange..

If you want the "very best" solution... move to AZ, CA or FL.. year round riding..

[NickSully]

If you want the "very best" solution... move to AZ, CA or FL.. year round riding..

I agree with you Mr. Bogus but I do want to mention that FL requires fuel stabilizers also. There's so much moisture in the air there that the air exchange that you talk about will bring water into the fuel container/tank very easily. Now, if you're riding your bike on a regular basis you'll be fine but I've seen on a few occasions where a gas tank has set for a month and had too much water in it to start. One was a power washer that sat under a covered patio and when I pulled the fuel line to drain the tank the first 2 cups of fluid looked clear and had no smell of gas. I used that power washer about 5 weeks earlier and put fresh gas in it at that time.

I highly recommend sea foam. I've never had a problem with a tank of gas that had sea foam added too it.

Just my :2cents:

[NIGHTFLIGHT]

Ok i will grab some 2morrow only couple bucks

[StromBusa]

+1 good idea, works, use correct amounts.

[Rodomontade]

I always use STA-BIL and top off the tank for winter.
A full tank is more important that stabilizer.

You really need to reduce air/moisture infiltration into the tank.

Ethanol (E-10 / E-85) in the fuel is hygroscopic and will attract water and separate, sinking to the bottom of your tank.

Once this happens, you can't remix/recombine it.

Stabilizer won't prevent this from happening. Add it only to keep the fuel from going stale.

KEEP THAT TANK FULL::

[Dozerdriver]

I haven't used any fuel treatment yet but my bike doesn't sit very long. I might put some staybil in my wifes Busa.... she is a sissy when it's cold.

[smac]

I let my boat sit 6 months without sta-bil, cost me a new carberator, so gummed up the dealer couldn't clean it! Spend the money!

[outlawbusa]

I run it in everything this time of year...might as well be safe than sorry

[CWCobra]

I've got a couple of bottles of Sta-Bil...been sittin on my garage shelf fora long time. /is there anything I can put in Sta-Bil to extend its life?

;-)

[kml]

Three years ago I neglected to put stabilizer in the fuel of my snowblower and the carb gummed up over the 8 months it sat inactive.

Never had fuel gumming up when I remembered to put stabil in the tanks and run the motor for a while.

cheers
ken

[Mr Bogus]

I let my boat sit 6 months without sta-bil, cost me a new carberator, so gummed up the dealer couldn't clean it! Spend the money!

quick note about this...

gummed up carbs tend to come from running bad fuel through them and not so much from storing them..

the "gum" is actually varnish and it does not happen from just storing a carb wet.. the fuel evaporates out of the float bowl pretty quickly and so no varnish forms.. The varnish came from the tank while the pump was still working (usually sticks the valves in the fuel pump too) I feel for you, nasty mess and stinky...

BEFORE you fire up a motor on a stored vehicle, POP THE CAP... "sniff"

if you smell varnish, do not even turn the key.. stop it right where it is, the tank needs pulled and cleaned..

looking at the busa fuel system, the bad fuel can make it to the injectors pretty easy (all down hill)..

[brpo]

I let my boat sit 6 months without sta-bil, cost me a new carberator, so gummed up the dealer couldn't clean it! Spend the money!

I was going to suggest going to a boat message board - there's no doubt fuel stabilizer will not hurt anything and will keep gas fresh for an extended time. There are mixed views on full tank vs almost empty vs completed empty...

By the way winterizing I/O boats is a pain in the A$$.

[brpo]

I've got a couple of bottles of Sta-Bil...been sittin on my garage shelf fora long time. /is there anything I can put in Sta-Bil to extend its life?

;-)

Insightful question.