Owned Your Bike For 15 Years Plus?

[Zook]

Pre- ignition or detonation, aka pinging? Two different events.

A friend has two race cars, a Late Model and a Modified.
The LM runs anything from a 358 flat top SUPR engine to a 441 SBC with a 380 SBC in the middle. (try going to Auto Zoo and buy spark plugs for it...what fun!)
The SUPR ngine will run on alky, the others on P116. (or whichever is decided upon)
Jetting the SUPR engine means we run TRIPLE the fuel to get the same power from P116.
Pus since so much fuel is going into the engine the cylinders are washed down and the rings can't handle it. All the blowby goes into the oil, which at the end of the night looks like milk. GALLONS of it.
In Texas on 95 degree nights we have to cover the radiator to get enough heat into the engine.
The stuff is flat out not as efficient as gasoline and costs more to produce.
The cost is cheaper because of the subsidy from the gov't.
Guess who that is?

YOU AND ME. You pay for the gallon of alky and you pay for the gov't subsidy.

Now, get this.

My friend with the race cars is also a racing fuel distributor.
Where does his alky come from?

MALAYSIA.

So, how much of our ethanol we are being told is so good for us comes from here?

[Steve]

Short of tearing down the motor, any suggestions on how to reverse the situation so that the engine would once again run well on regular?

First, remove the spark plugs and shine a good light in there to see if there is any build-up. Whether or not there is any build-up, remove the cam cover, verify proper cam timing. Since you have to remove the ignition cover to turn the crank to verify cam timing, use a light to verify proper ignition timing, too. And, if you do this all when the engine is cold, it would be a perfect time to adjust the valves.

.

[ajf]

I bought my 83 GS1100E in 1992. A few months later changed the front sprocket from a 15 to 16 tooth. Now, the reason for this thread. In 93 I went on a day trip. Got a little over 60 mpg!!! On the last couple of tanks of premium I got 47 and 44. The bike is the same except new tires and about 8k more miles. Runs great. I can't prove this theory but I suspect the fuel is being contaminated with ethanol even though the pumps don't have the ethanol sticker. Anyone here notice a big or gradual decrease in mpg? And I know mpg has been discussed in another thread but I looking for responses from long term owners.

If the new tires are a different brand, they might have a different circumference even if they're the same sizes. Your odometer might be reading fewer miles for the same actual distance, giving you lower apparent mileage even though it is the same once you correct for odometer error. I just noticed this on my bike. Switching from Dunlops to Avons my mileage seemed to drop by about 5 mpg. I've just checked the odometer, and now it reads 4% high, vs 10% high previously. (This also affects speedometer error, so it's worth checking if you routinely try to ride just below the ticket threshold. I'm pulling the GPS from my airplane for my next ride to recalibrate the speedo.)

I've had the bike since new, and this was the first noticeable change in fuel mileage. However, there's no ethanol in gas here in Alberta, as far as I know. Wind has a big effect - can be as much as 20%. If you're basing this angst on a single trip that long ago, are you sure you can remember that you didn't luck out and have a tailwind on the way out, then a wind shift to a tailwind again for the return trip?

[SqDancerLynn1]

Their is a New Union 76 station that I ride by all the time, The one and only time I bought gas there, sticker on the pump said may contain 10% ethenol. Don't want that sh$t

[Shin-Ken 1074]

I've owned my 1100 for 22 years and counting. From day one it used 15 lt per 300 km, if the conversion to US numbers is correct my fuel is 59.347 miles per gallon. The 1100 now has 168,000 km on the clock and it still uses 15 lt per 300 km, this is easy for me to monitor because at 300 Km I refuel and it takes 15 lt's to fill. The Kat is bog standard engine and drivetrain, performance tuned headers and exhaust fitted and aftermarket shocks, everything else -stock. I use 95 or 98 octane ( no E10 for me) fuel depending on which bowser is working at the time, cheers.

[BlackandBlue]

If the new tires are a different brand, they might have a different circumference even if they're the same sizes. Your odometer might be reading fewer miles for the same actual distance, giving you lower apparent mileage even though it is the same once you correct for odometer error. I just noticed this on my bike. Switching from Dunlops to Avons my mileage seemed to drop by about 5 mpg. I've just checked the odometer, and now it reads 4% high, vs 10% high previously. (This also affects speedometer error, so it's worth checking if you routinely try to ride just below the ticket threshold. I'm pulling the GPS from my airplane for my next ride to recalibrate the speedo.)

I've had the bike since new, and this was the first noticeable change in fuel mileage. However, there's no ethanol in gas here in Alberta, as far as I know. Wind has a big effect - can be as much as 20%. If you're basing this angst on a single trip that long ago, are you sure you can remember that you didn't luck out and have a tailwind on the way out, then a wind shift to a tailwind again for the return trip?

The change in tires has crossed my mind. I try to stay close to the stock size. 100/90-19 front. Correct?

The day trip as I remember it was a hot one in August of 93. I had just left a job and was about to start another. Not knowing what the future or new job had in store for me and also being a newlywed I jumped on the 1100 and rode. As I said before the ride was around 5 or 6 hours on 2 lanes, about half was in small mountains. And maybe as in a previous post I mis-calculated the mpg or didn't fill it all the way. I guess I need to be thankful I have such a fine running machine.

[Zook]

If your engine is pinging, run some Berryman B-12 Chemtool or seafoam through it. This will remove any deposits in the combustion chamber. You'll need to do it a few times, once won't get the job done.
Ensure ignition timing is correct.
Install a fresh set of plugs and ride. Pull plugs and check the insulator color.
If the engine is still pinging, I'll bet the plugs will be white, indicating the carbs are lean.
Lean mixtures will cause detonation.