SP95 E10 - When will my new bike become useless?

Hi all,

So I got around to having a read through my owners manual for my Mash and got to chapter 4. Recommendations for fuel and engine oil, then I saw some big bold letters - Do not use fuel SP95 E10


I literally felt my blood go cold, because just yesterday I treated myself to some 97RON fuel at Tesco's.. I assumed that was what SP95 E10 was. I googled it as fast as my fingers could mash into the keyboard, hoping I was wrong.. and I was. Now I'm left with this horrible sick feeling.

the E10 fuel is a bio fuel containing 10% ethanol, a way to water the petrol down and help with emissions from drivers. (for those of you that are mechanically minded, you probably know all this already), what made me feel sick is that this is going to be rolled out in the near future in the UK, in fact it's been ongoing since 2013 and as of Jan 2017 some of the bigger fuel selling companies, that sell millions of litres every week will eventually be pressured into making the switch. They don't want to, because as far as I have researched there isn't really a financial gain doing so and in fact, most of them will have to upgrade the tanks and pumps on the forecourts, but their hands are tied and the switch is happening ...

Here is a link to the AA article, it's a bit dated but has some information on this new bio fuel. The horrible thing is, after speaking to the manufacturer they have told me in no uncertain terms to not run my bike on E10, due to its components and fabrication, it really should be kept away from Ethanol.

My question is, how likely will this full conversion realistically take? I mean do I have a 12 months left before my bike is essentially scrap on wheels?

https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice...nment/biofuels

I thought most standard unleaded was already adulterated with Ethanol (as is some premium).

It can make plastic tanks swell and can cause damage to seals and fuel lines. I suspect neither would actually be an issue to you and the importer of your bike is arse covering "just incase". If it is an issue it'll be more likely the problem of the next owner.

As far as I've read and understood, between 0-5% ethanol in petrol does not need to be disclosed at the pump and for all anyone knows, you probably are running on that stuff and as linked in the AA article this is not likely to have any adverse effects or compatibility issues.. but at 10% there is an issue as highlighted in my manual and the fact that any car pre 2009 might have a problem got me to thinking.. is my bike going to be screwed when this kicks in?

I think you will find upto 10% doesnot have to be advertised, Ive covered this before . Ive had a Royal Enfield 250 with fibreglass tank go soft and leak on the ramp, a pair of old Amal carbs on a Triumph the jets went green and ended up being replaced, latest is fuel pipe on my BSA has melted.
the major problem is use, cars aren't so bad as the fuel is changed/topped up weekly with bikes, we leave for weeks or months which is where the danger happens.
Ethanol is hygroscopic so it absorbs water , you don't need water in the fuel system. an old customer of mine had a microlight, he had not used it for a while and his fuel pipe had green strands growing in it. the only fuel powered transport not allowed to use ethanol is aeroplanes.
in answer to your question, keep on top of it and don't keep it in the tank for long periods you should be ok, we covered this on a VMCC forum , there is a way of draining the water out of a tank with ethanol in. there is a product like lead replacement and replacement ethanol additive that can be used.

Thanks guys, I will keep my eyes out for any potential additives that could help. Thankfully I'm commuting on my bike, well unless the weather/ road is super bad, so I'm going through a full tank of fuel every week or so, so hopefully that will help. I was just worried that I'd one day fill up my tank and 2 miles down the road my engine explodes like a nuclear bomb :p

for info, wemoto sell and presumably recommend Star Tron , Im not saying its any good or not. Ive not tried it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxA9ZzihnSw#t=29