Bad Gas

[Guest]

Well I got my bike out from its winter hibernation and it started up and ran just fine. Still had a decent amount of fuel in the tank. No issues at all. Yesterday I was out riding and filled up at the local Wawa gas station. Filled the tank with 93 octane. Now my bike is running poorly under a load. It has a major stumble from around 3500-5000rpm. Not so noticable when I roll it on smooth but if I crank it you can really notice the stumble. I have a feeling it has to do with the gas that I purchased. Anyone have this type of experience before. I am thinking I need to remove the gas from the tank and refill it again from a different station. Or maybe I can run some Heet or Sea Foam in the tank.

[spyug]

Was the gas in the tank treated for storage with a stabilizer and do you run a filter in the gas line?

If not I'd bet that your gas went a bit skunky and although it ran, somewhere along the way some junk got the carbs and plugged a jet or two.

The idea to change the gas likely won't do anything as the junk is in the carbs. You could however try the Seafoam but it might take a few tanks of gas to see any improvement (if at all).

If the carbs haven't been cleaned in a while this might be the opportunity to do so.

Once you get the problem sorted, I'd recommend putting a couple of caps full of Seafoam in each tank of gas to keep things sweet. As a weekend rider i find sometimes I go a few weeks between rides and I'm told our gas can go off in even a few weeks of sitting. Cheap insurance I think.

Let us know what it turns out to be.

good luck.
Spyug

[bonanzadave]

That would be the quick and easy route to trouble shoot your issue. Dump all the gas into a can and use it in a lawnmower or something. Get some fresh 87 and a cap full of seafoam. I think youll hear it from a lot of guys that your wasting your money putting in 93.

[doug g]

When the bike was parked for the winter the gas was treated with Sea Foam. I had at least a half tank of gas when it was parked. The bike ran great when I took it out of storage and now that I put new fuel in it is running poorly. when I get home I will be draining the tank and refilling with fresh gas again.

[SqDancerLynn1]

What you might do is drain a cup of fuel out and check it for water ?
You could have got a bad tank of gas. Otherwise a good dose of seafoam would be the next step. When you store the bike IT SHOULD be done with a full tank of gas to prevent rust !!!

[BassCliff]

HI Mr. doug g,

I agree with Mr. bonanzadave. There's no need for anything other than 87 octane in these classic low compression motors. I tried higher octane for a while when I first got my bike. But I found it ran just as well, if not better, using a good cheap gas. High octane is to reduce pinging in high compression motors. It burns slower, something you don't want in low compression motors.

I use about 4oz of Sea Foam in a tank of gas a few times a year, just for maintenance. It's probably overkill, but it makes me think my carbs stay clean. I do not use a fuel filter.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff