Leaving bikes standing unused

I'd like to think that it *does* go off, but I have two cars in store
that we go and start about once every 8 weeks or so. Neither of them
show any problems with the fuel that's been in there over two years now.
Yes it takes time to fill the carbs / FI system, but when they fire,
away they go.

On balance I would have to say that it doesn't.

Actually thinking back, when I put the 116 back on the road it had been
stored for about 4 years. Ran fine on that fuel as well.....

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 156 TS 166 V6 2.5 145 2.0 Cloverleaf
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

ooooooOOOOOOooooh. Who rattled your cage?

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
`\\ | //'
`\|/`
`

 

I'll shout that at my petrol next time it goes off then.

"YOU MYTHICAL ****!"
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

Teach a man to fish and he and his pikey mates will have the
river cleaned out in a day.

 

I'll shout that at my petrol next time it goes off then.

"YOU MYTHICAL ****!"
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

Teach a man to fish and he and his pikey mates will have the
river cleaned out in a day.

 

While you're about it you can send a sample for analysis to try and
explain exactly what's "gone off" about it. Thing is, petrol is a
pretty homogenous mix, so this idea that there are large parts of it
significantly more volatile than others has no grounding in chemistry.


--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
`\\ | //'
`\|/`
`

 

In my experience (and those of plenty others) it definitely happens.
Some engines are far more tolerant of fuel quality and would probably
start on barbeque sauce, but some will just not start on fuel that's
more than a few months old.

Ergo; a change has taken place. Whether it's caused by volatiles leaving
or another chemical change is immaterial - it's happened, and as I said,
modern fuel seems to be just as prone to it if not more so than the
older stuff.

This chemical s-inlaw; she a fuel technologist?
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

Teach a man to fish and he and his pikey mates will have the
river cleaned out in a day.

 

And plenty of condensation in the exhaust, don't forget that.

I'm actually rather suspicious of cars (and bikes) that have been
sitting idle and started regularly - IME it doesn't do them any good.
Cranking it from time to time, OK (to circulate some oil) but not
starting it up.

I used to have a Rover P6 that was very low mileage and that had been
run regularly - a lot of the things that needed fixing were from the
car standing around.

None I'm aware of.

 

We get them up to full temperature.

Probably not one that I could give soundly. I don't think you'll find
too much oil actually dries up off the engine parts, but it can go a bit
manky IME. I just like to keep my non-scientific demons at bay that the
oils is being spread about a bit. Maybe it does nothing, but I also
like to check they've not been nicked, burned out and I love the sound
(Alfa engines in a large, echoey barn)

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 156 TS 166 V6 2.5 145 2.0 Cloverleaf
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

Get them right up to temp. The end cans get well dried out (at lest I
*think* they do)

You may well have a point there. Neither of them are likely to ever
come up for sale a they are the restoration jobs, so I'm not worried
about anyone being suspicious.

I bow to your greater expertise, but I still like the sound

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 156 TS 166 V6 2.5 145 2.0 Cloverleaf
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

I start the 400 Four a few times over winter, but I set the tickover to
around 2k revs and let it run for at least 20 minutes, in order to get
everything good and hot.

That avoids the condensation problem. The real reason is to feed fresh
fuel into the carbs from the tank.

Before I shut it down, I turn off the fuel and run it till the carbs are
utterly dry.

 

shout it several times to make sure.

 

Twice should be sufficient.

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 156 TS 166 V6 2.5 145 2.0 Cloverleaf
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

I do that occasionlly too.

A couple of years back, I was running the bike and one of my
neigbours[1] came round to complain that the fumes were going into her
back garden.

I pointed directly across the road, to where a double decker bus was
sat at the bus-stop idling away and asked if she wanted me to get all
the buses to switch of there engines too.

Some people have got nothing better to do than have a good moan.

[1] Retirement age woman.

 

Checked this last night. No foreign objects in the airbox though the
filter element was fairly clogged with dust. I gave it a blast with
compressed air and bunged it back in. Came back inside for a beer and
read the service manual, it says "Caution: Do not blow the air cleaner
element with compressed air". Oh, OK then.

Winter appears to have set in again here, but if it dries up later
I'll go for a run to see what's what.