Ethonal Fuel in Roadking

In Australia Ethonal fuel is slowly being introduced and 100% petrol will be discontinued.
Will Ethonal cause problems with a 1996 fuel injected Roadking?
Besthelper

Probably, depending on the percentage of ethanol mixed in with the gasoline. Fuel mileage will drop & you'll have to check all fuel system parts - may have to replace some. Here are some facts about ethanol - a very poor engine fuel -

1) The stiochiometric (theroretically ideal) air / fuel ratio with gasoline is 14.7:1 - with ethanol it's 9:1. I've done a lot of testing with "gasohol" (ethanol mixed in with gasoline) & fuel mileage drops according to the percentage of ethanol. I've been able to get engines to make as much power on gasohol as with gasoline, but had to change ignition timing & make carb changes. Your fuel injection system will be more difficult to deal with.

2) Ethanol has a higher octane rating than gasoline, but contains far less energy - in terms of "energy density", calulated in Watt/Hours per Litre (Wh/L), gasoline = 9700 Wh/L, while ethanol = 6100 Wh/L.

3) Gasoline has a lubricating property (lubricity) but ethanol doesn't. Affects things like valve stems & since you have to increase the amount of fuel for the same amount of incoming air, the richer mixture with ethanol can wash the oil film off the cylinder walls - not just theory, I've seen the results.

4) Ethanol damages fuel system parts like neoprene fuel lines, seals, gaskets, etc. - they get brittle & crack. Again, not just theory, I've dealt with it & had to replace numerous fuel system parts when running "gasohol".

Now, does all that mean you can't run something like a 90% gasoline / 10% ethanol mix in your bike the way it is? No. But your fuel milage will go down & you'll have to check fuel system components more often. Depending on the mix you get, you may have to alter the fuel injection & ignition - you definitely will to get the best performance.

Sorry to hear that you're going to be forced to use ethanol & from an environmental standpoint it's a disaster - it takes far more energy to produce ethanol than it produces & causes more air-pollution. Check out articles like this one:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/s...1d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Chalk another one up for the enviro-nazis. They are going to do this to the land down under then they are coming here. Their goal is to put us all on the bus or in little "smart" cars. They hate the idea that any one has any personal freedom or the fact that people might have an opinion other than theirs. The idea of riding or driving for personal enjoyment is an obamination to them. You see everyone has to be equal and saved from themselves so they feel the need ta dictate what we can and cant do. Their mantras are save the world, stop "global warming",CO2 is bad althogh it is a natural occuring gas that is found in the atmosphere, go green, etc etc. The media is on their side and complicite in spreading their propaganda. And the sheepole are buying it hook line and sinker. We need to wake up and find a way to deprogram the populace or we will all be waiting for the bus. I could go on but i know that i am preaching to the choir. Just remember what happened in Germany in the 30's. We're being bombarded with the same type of propaganda campain that they used. Different message but the same end result. Gov dictating where you go what you think how much money you make the type of work you do what you drive cant own a gun have to save you from yourself. Have to save the planet. Ok thats my rant for now thanks for listening. Sure i'm on sombodys list now all this free speech is a threat to homeland security...lol