Hitchcocks Forum

Hi,Can any Crusader or gt continental 250 owner give me any advice on using fuel additives.Whether they use it or not.Any feedback is appreciated.things have moved on a bit since my last GT,40yrs or so ago.How can I have forgotten how good it is to ride it,18 again!

I don't and haven't over 40 years and not had any problems, Bullets, GT, lnterceptors you name it. Save your money for quality fuel, that really will make a difference! REgards, Mark

Exactly what I needed to know thanks for the reply.

I have to say that I use Millers VSPE in all my bikes and an old car with BP Ultimate or Shell Formula 1 (now V Power)

None of them have unleaded seats and I hope the ethanol protection cuts back on moisture in the fuel over the winter months when they are standing

I have now owned the BSA for 23 years. I rebuilt he engine when I bought it and it has never needed any attention since

It very much a personal view but to me the few extra pounds it costs a year is negligible so why take the risk

In less specific advice, friends in the classic bike scene have decided that it is no more or less hassle to fit a hardened seat to a head which is experiencing recession than to have them fitted pre-emptively. So they keep an eye on the tappets as normal and if/when they start tightening up, then consider sending the head off.

I agree with Mark, many various bikes from 1946 to 1964 one owned for over 30 years no additives and no problems,

In 20 years I've never encountered valve seat recession on either classic cars or bikes that I have owned. I've never used additives.

I think a far bigger problem is the effect ethanol can have on fuel systems - especially glassfibre gas tanks as used on the GT.

REgards OB

I ran a BMW R65 for years without a problem.

Then I did a trip from Edinburgh to the South Coast to see the eclipse. This was at high speed, two up, all the way. By the time I got to the South coast the tappet clearance had gone negative. I knew nothing about valve seat recession and had no clue what the problem was. I had the same issue on the way back and had to adjust the tappets twice on the way back.

I looked up some info on the way back and it seems to be only an issue at sustained high speed. Not likely on an Enfield.

I think it is well worth reading this article although it is about old cars it does provide detailed explanations. (Including it may be necessary to alter the timing:-

http://www.thevintagecar.co.uk/converti ... etrol.html

Hmmm. Interesting. In my opinion, some of the information in that article is a little wide of the mark, but that's not important here. As a yardstick. Any engine that has an alloy cylinder head can safely use unleaded fuel. It should be remembered that BSA supplied bikes to America in the late 1960's. They fitted Nm80 exhaust valves to the bikes to cope with unleaded fuel (The cylinder heads were unchanged). The prevailing advice is: Unleaded fuel is OK, but don't thrash it up a motorway!