R100 and modern fuel, do you use a stabiliser?

PIGGLET

Well-known member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
1,059
Reaction score
35
Location
N Yorks/Smoggville
Hi folks. I've just a aquired an 89 R100 gs which needs a bit of light fettling to get back on the road as it's been stood a while. I've had issues with the ethanol in modern fuel knackering carbs and rubber bits on some older machinery so wondered what the consensus is with airheads. I'm a long way away from a vendor of Super or R98 so wondered if anyone used a fuel stabiliser and if so which one?

Also, what's the consensus on coating the inside of the tank to prevent corrosion? I'm guessing it should be less of an issue if you use a stabiliser but is Phosphoric acid still the best option for a tank clean?
 
Be very careful about lining your tank if it doesn’t need it.

I friend of mine had the tank from his vintage Douglas Dragonfly re lined with some sort of fibreglass or fancy lining coat prior to a war graves reunion ride in Flanders, a couple of weeks before he was due to make the trip, the lining started to break up, the small pieces blocked the jets in his carb and the larger bit just floated around in his tank.

Sadly he never made the journey, so just be careful as to what you use to line it…..or paint it!

Good luck
 
Only use E5 (super unleaded) unless you know you're going to run the tank and carbs dry. It's that simple.

Im also very much against tank liners. I petsealed a tank a few years ago. Following the instructions to the letter. It started breaking down after a year and blocking the filter.
 
In the early days of unleaded petrol & when I worked in the retail motor industry there was a product called carbonflo. They were pellets that were added to the fuel tank of vintage cars/bikes and they changed the make up of the fuel ( in essense putting the lead back in) in order to provide lubrication to the upper cylinder & combustion chamber components from the higher temperatures produced by unleaded fuel. Many people chose the more expensive procedure of replacing the valve seats with a type that could cope with the higher temperature.
Anyway I understand that this product benefits other components in the fuel system and you might want to consider it. I believe there is a Facebook page.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the replies guys. My experiance with tank lining is similar to the above. I did an old TY80 tank as an experiment, followed the destructions scrupulously and it also started to break down after a couple of years so had pretty much ruled it out unless anyone could categorically reccomend a successful system.

Ive heard good things about stabil fuel stabiliser but not used it myself yet, I wondered if this was worth using.

The lead replacement pellets are something I remember but its not the lack of lead that concerns me but the ethanol. I thought I'd read somewhere that even super unleaded wasnt guaranteed to be 5% ethanol and that even 5% can cause issues over time???
 
We are away for extended periods and whilst I use only e5 I still use Stabil with good results. No tank rust (which I have had before) and no residue in the carbs BUT remember to run through the carbs once mixed. I also ensure the tank is brimmed.
 
Do you use a stabiliser.

No. father taught me to ride a bike without them, and I have never needed one since.
 
Thanks for the replies, I'll order some stabil.

Myke - balance bikes are where its at these days :p
 
Mine stand all winter and don't do enough miles in summer and I use E5 with out issues.
Mine are a 75 & 92 reg!
My sold 89 gs also ran great while I owned it :okay
 
I do use LRP/Stabiliser. Mainly as the bike can be stood for weeks in winter, but also as I get pinging on 860 conversion on very hot days without it. I always use 97 or 98 RON. The price of heads, valves and fuel tanks being a lot in comparison. I also turn off the tap before runing the last minute or two to my doorstep which half drains the carbs.

She obviously pinged a bit as a 650 before I got her from the pits on the exhaust side of the piston crowns. I've not had the heads off since the conversion (no need), although a peek down the plug holes shows nothing bad.

My reasoning - She is a 40 year old bike with an engine designed in the 20s for 1970s (50/60s??) fuel.
 


Back
Top Bottom