Forum

[Andy C]

So whats the general concensus?

I am convinced that in my Him and Speedmaster that they do not run anything like as well on E10 as they do n E5.

Both bikes feel less responsive, and tend to be a lot more snatchy at low revs, generally they just feel better running on E5.

I have run several tankfuls of both bikes and I am convinced that they simply do not run as well on E5.

Yes E5 is a lot more expensive but well worth the cost IMHO as the ride is that much better - perhaps we get crap quality E10 around here.

Not exactly scientific I know - how about everyone else?

[Nitrowing]

My GoldWing certainly feels less responsive and it was designed to run on low octane

[stinkwheel]

Ethanol aside, the E10 is three octane points lower. The more tuned your vehicle, the more you'll notice the difference. Modern FI systems with a knock sensor should advance their timing and lean off the mixture to take advantage of the higher the octane rating if you put E5 in them.

[Daiwiskers]

I use E5 in both bike's
The MRS drives a Peugeot 108 petrol she was getting 67mpg before the switch, last time I drove it and had a play to see what it's doing now, I was amazed to see that its dropped to 57MPG I knew the bikes didn't like it but thought the car would be ok.

Makes perfect sense to force everyone to use a less efficient fuel if you're collecting the taxes on it

[Wheaters]

My little Suzuki Swift 1.0 will do 53mpg on a long motorway journey. I’ve owned it for eight years so have got very used to its habits. However, this Easter I drove it to Cornwall and back (I was helping to run the MCC Lands End trial) as I have done for the last four or five years. This time, using E10, it only did about 47mpg, despite me keeping fuel economy in mind.

We also have a Fiat Panda and the average fuel consumption of that has increased by a similar amount. That car has a high compression engine and it doesn’t run well on E10. If running on that, you can tell that the ignition timing has been knocked back because it is far less responsive than on better quality fuel.

Not too surprising because burning ethanol in air actually produces less energy than the equivalent mass of petrol.

[Duke of Wybourne.]

As my Bullet languishes, I'm running a modern Japanese 125. Dash is currently showing 166 mpg, which is pretty much the same as it always has. I started using E10 the day it became available. My mate is using some kind of snake oil mixture in an Identical bike, and it's made no difference other than to his bank account. E10 will affect some power units, but it's quickly becoming the fuel equivalent of "a dog with a bad name", getting blamed for everything. Just another thing I've learned to live with. If bikes went quicker and better by continually moaning that would great.

[Duke of Wybourne.]

In addition, E10 isn't going to go away, E5 probably will in just over 4 years if the government plans go ahead. As an example of the "E10 problem" too many are all too ready to lay the blame on it for everything. One I have personal experience of is a friend's bike that started running a bit rough and using more fuel around the same time he started using E10. The dealer said there was nothing they could do as there were a lot of similar problems being reported, and It was because of E10 fuel. I checked the bike, and my conclusion was a faulty TPS. More visits to the dealer and threat of legal action, and the TPS was replaced, and the bike now runs as it should with the mpg back to where it was.

[papasmurf]

The problem is I have three motorcycles that either have to run on E5 or E10 plus an expensive additive.
If you run a bike that needs E5, it will be damaged in the long term by running it on E10 with no additive.

[Duke of Wybourne.]

The problem is I have three motorcycles that either have to run on E5 or E10 plus an expensive additive.
If you run a bike that needs E5, it will be damaged in the long term by running it on E10 with no additive.

Which bike is affected by E10 ?

[papasmurf]

Bikes plural Honda CX500, Suzuki Intruder and the BMW K75S is a marginal. (The additive is about £14 BUT will treat 250 litres of petrol.)