Did you try draining your carb? As I said, I actually find 2 week old gas from the float bowl is almost impossible to light and will not keep burning So think how that works in your combustion chamber... poor combustion. Next time crack open the carb drain screw while you helmet up. You'll find the gas on the ground smells like junk and if you try, it won't light with a match or lighter.

Cars have a whole lot more fuel in the float bowl on the ones that had carbs. If your car is less than 20 years old (or even older) it has fuel injection which pumps gas from a tank with a a huge volume of fuel in it compared to a carb float bowl and is also much better sealed. So there is no small bowl of gas to go bad.

Knowing about draining the float makes me not have any problem owning carbed bikes. Even those like a Magna. Drain all four float bowls using those little brass screws on the bottom of the carb. Put a rag under the bike and crack them about two turns. Just don't overtighten them. Snug is good.

 

Yeah, then again, I also never had any issues with regular pump gas going bad in engines I don't mix Stabil or Seafoam in that sit unused up to 3 years. Like my generator, leaf blower, second lawn mower, nephew's mini bike, etc. I don't have a garage, so they are outside in the backyard shed. Even a few of my bikes that got snowed in before I had a chance to winterize. I guess it's hit or miss. But using fresh gas and an additive for Winter storage will give you peace of mind that you'll have less trouble starting after a few months. It wouldn't hurt, that's for sure. Prolly not needed, that's what I do with engines I care about.

I would always remove the gas tanks for Winter storage on bikes that had metal tanks, and bring them inside due to condensation. I wouldn't think our plastic tanks on these bikes would have condensation from cold to hot like metal tanks. Does anyone know for sure if plastic tanks will sweat or condensate? I never noticed condensation on or in my plastic fuel jugs. I'm wondering if I should bother. But then again, I'll be riding mostly all Winter if the snow isn't to deep.

So, will there be condensation in plastic gas tanks..?? I'm thinking yes, but never noticed it like in metal tanks.

 

Be happy you don't. We have here in Ohio for decades. I can't explain it. It isn't me, the bike shop dealt with motorcycles and Honda power products with bad gas. People would bring in a mower in the spring - won't start. We drain the carb open the petcock and two pulls later it is running. We even showed customers the drain when we sold the mowers new. Same with bikes.

Worst thing was closing the petcock on a bike allowing the gas in the carbs to dry out - first time gas hit the crud it would soften or flake off and go immediately to the pilot - "only runs on choke" syndrome.

If you happen to live in any area where you don't have these problems send your local gas wholesalers a Christmas card thanking them for good product - we sure don't get good product here.

 

Considering that Ethanol is Hydrophilic, I'd avoid it for long-term storage use. Short-term storage likely isn't a problem, but longer-term storage could end up with phase separation, where the water settles to the bottom of the tank. You go to start it up, and a concentration of water is what's pulled into the carb first - not going to run very well with a high concentration of water.

 

A rather backwards way of looking at it, in my opinion.

The water is going to be in there anyway, from condensation, ethanol or not. Despite what people think, the ethanol does not introduce any water that is not already there. So which would you rather have, something that will mix with water AND the gas, or gas and water that won't mix with each other? I know what my preference would be.
Like I said before, if you suspect you have water in the gas, what do you put in your tank...?

 

Do you use Sta-Bil? Do you 'believe' in it? If so, this might be an interesting read: (many people use/like/believe in Sta-Bil, so it's interesting to read this article from them)
Five STA-BIL Myths, Debunked. Get The Real Fuel Stabilizer Story | Gold Eagle

"STA-BIL products—including our fuel stabilizer, ethanol treatment, marine formula and diesel fuel stabilizer—contain proprietary ingredients. While we can’t share the full list (it’s a trade secret), we can tell you that alcohol is NOT one of them."

"Blended gasoline can heighten this issue because ethanol is an alcohol that absorbs moisture from the atmosphere."

 

Less about alcohol drawing water for me, it's more about if all the components in the carb will remain undamaged.

The key in winter is to minimize the possibility of condensation in a fuel tank by riding long enough to heat up everything to cook off any moisture then fill the tank to the top and park it. Minimal space for moisture. Plugging exhaust and intake doesn't hurt anything either. But a heated garage and getting to ride about once a month is best.

 

Best solution is to move to Texas - you can ride year-round and don't have to bother with winter storage/setup.. You don't get to call yourself a Texan though..

 

Fuel used to stay fresher longer in storage than it does now. Is that ethanol or just poorer quality? People claim fuel quality is just not what it used to be, but I do know that I've on two occasions stored both ethanol and non-ethanol fuel in 1.5 L primus containers for many months and the ethanol fuel goes bad faster. I burn non-ethanol in everything but the truck. Store by draining plastic tanks and running carbs dry. Metal tanks get filled with fresh fuel with stabil, petcock off and run carb dry.

 

I don't use stabil. I believe in it, inasmuch as I know it exists. Does it provide some service? I'm sure it does, but I've never had the need to use it. I did try something (it may have been stabil) one season, and vowed never to use it again, as everything I used it in ran poorly in spring, until it was out of the system.