I might even get some death threats for this one! Seriously though, I am only telling it as it is from my own experiences, but I would think scaring folk into buying certain products is probably a pretty lucrative business!
Norman Hyde's - now there's a blast from the past. I got the mushroom headed tappet adjusters for my T150V back in the early 80's plush a shed load of other spare parts and they were all superb!
Hi Paul, a word of caution ,do not use E 10 in untreated fibreglass tanks . The alcohol will react with with the uncatilized fibreglass resin in the tank and begin to soften the the tank causing leaks. I had this problem with my 1972 Norton Fastback. There are several companies that sell 2 part epoxy tank treatment that will seal the tank to prevent E10 damage . I used a 2 part epoxy on my Norton tank made by a company in NewYork by the name of Caswell. The epoxy treatment sealed my tank but I had to repaint the damaged areas. I really enjoy your youtube site ,keep up the good work . Jeff ,Accord ,New York ,USA
Great video! Oh I remember the lead days. here in the US a red paste could build up in carbs from the lead falling out of solution as the fuel evaporated. Made repair shops a lot of money! You have seen bikes “through the ages” so to speak so have seen that they hold up very well - if taken care of. Neglect does more damage than any fuel or oil. Thanks for this one!
Hi Paul your experience is what matters I fell for the unleaded valve seat job on my T100 exhaust seats as many friends got hyper about it a few years ago. We collectively ride many old machines from the 40s to 70s and to be honest no one has had any issues with valve seats, great rant mate Good luck Noel
Reliant made a lot of money convincing owners of their small 750/850 engines that they needed to buy a replacement “unleaded” cylinder head. The cylinder heads were aluminium with steel inserts. As far as I know, the only difference on the new heads were valve stem oil seals that were green in colour, the valve seats remained as before. My year 1986, trials Reliant engine had a 13:1 compression ratio and standard valve seats. No problem with them with unleaded after 50,000 miles. On the other hand, my 2004. RE Bullet with only 3,000 miles appeared to have a valve seat only slightly harder than lead and the tappet clearance closed up every 50-100 miles, so all compression was lost. A new seat fixed it, no other changes were made and definitely no fuel additives have ever been in that engine, in my ownership for a further 21,000 miles. I left a few gallons of E5 or E10 in my trials car for two years. When I tried to start it, it fired up and ran straight away. The steel petrol tank was as clean as a whistle inside. I’ll admit that the exhaust gas smelled really bad, but adding some fresh fuel soon get that to normal.
The only additive I ever put in my petrol tank was a teaspoonful of Castrol R for no other reason than the aroma it imparted to the exhaust. Teenage vanity. My daily commuter bike at the time when leaded fuel was phased out and unleaded introduced was a CZ 350 (a 2-stroke). In the Jawa/CZ owners' club magazine, called 'Torque', there was a lively and often contradictory debate regarding the modifications thought necessary to the carburation, ignition timing, petroil mix, and grade of the spark plugs to accommodate unleaded petrol. On the other hand, many of us subscribed to the 'just bung it in', laissez-faire school. One day, I just filled up with unleaded petrol and added the usual amount of two-stroke oil to achieve a petrol-to-oil ratio of 32:1 and proceeded on my way as normal. For years thereafter I noticed not the slightest difference in the bike's performance
Hi Paul, with the greatest respect, my velosolex fuel filter did dishape in e10 just saying , love the videos. It's good to see you keeping all these machines on the road
Good one! I was concerned about unleaded petrol in my 1932 Sunbeam until I was told that it pre-dated lead in petrol! As for oil, I could never understand why in the move to unit construction, BSA did not unify the oil when the Mini already had.
I've owned and ridden Commandos, Tridents, Bonnevilles and Bsas over the last 20 years always with e-10. No issues. I use Stabil only if the bike will sit for over a month. I've also been on all the Brit bike forums during that time. Based on what I have seen the only complete no go is to use e10 in a fiberglass tank.
We have had E10 here in the states since the early 2000’s. In the 80’s E10 was tried & the fuel injector seals caught hell & the manufacturers would not warranty the repairs. After “O” ring materials were upgraded there haven’t been issues with fuel injectors anymore! The biggest issue with E10 is carbureted vehicles the remain dormant! Jets ,float needles & fuel lines are the primary targets of non use! If the machines are operated on somewhat of a regular schedule & the fuel is replenished there are no problems! My 40 year old Massy Davidson runs Sunoco 110 leaded which here is “totally “ illegal to use on the road as its racing fuel keeps my fuel system healthy during times of dormancy! I have done too many fuel system repairs on pre fuel injected Japanese bikes that have been dormant & the largest trouble is parts! Last year I had to go through the SU HD6’s on my father’s Jaguar as the diaphragms had turned to potato crips as the E10 had done its work! Not pretty! Point being if you don’t use it you lose it! I’m an EPA outlaw I guess!🤣 Keep up the good fight Paul!👍
The damage done on carbs with long term storage of ethanol blended gasoline is real. It also eats fibreglass fuel tanks. That happened with my Ossa MAR and I see that it also occurred with the Classic Bike Channel's Honda race replica bike. Many others have had this happen as well. Draining the carbs before winter storage, as you do, seems a good solution. Fortunately we can still get ethanol free gas here so that is what I use. For testing I use a long steep hill and GPS as speedo as a poor man's dyno. The two ethanol free gasoline types made more power than any of the six ethanol blends that I tested. The difference was 106 to 108 kmh at hill top with ethanol gas and 113 kmh with both ethanol free types. Not a huge difference but worthy of note. The ethanol blend fuel seems ok if you ride the bike now and then, adding new fuel every so often. I left a chainsaw with e10 in it for 8 months or so. The carb was a mess. We tried hydrosonic cleaning and some other things but in the end a new carb was the answer. Now I make sure to run it right out of fuel or keep ethanol free fuel in there.
When you work on your own motor bikes/vehicles and have years of experience under your belt of doing so, you learn what's bull***t and what's not. But if you outsource your maintenance/repairs to others, I imagine the task would be considerably more difficult. - Well said Paul. 😊
I always agree with you Paul, despite other people's reservations. But at the end of the day, common sense always prevails on everything. You are, RIGHT ! Hopefully, you will be calling me sometime in January! Take care, Gary.
When they started phasing out leaded fuel in the early nineties, I was maintaining a fleet of 9 wedding cars, ranging from 1928 Wolseley to 1982 Rolls Royce, plus a few modern diesels. The owners were concerned about using unleaded fuel, so we looked into the latest "next big thing", a canister filled with metallic pellets, which you connected into the fuel line. By some mystery process, explained in pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo by the snake oil salesmen, it was supposed to convert the unleaded fuel into leaded as it passed through it, to prevent the catastrophic damage the engines would suffer otherwise. Needless to say, we decided against it and used unleaded, without any dire consequences (had to retard ignition timing a bit on a couple). My 1978 T140V has always run happily on unleaded, too, although it does seem to have a little more grunt when I put super in it (could all be in the mind, of course).
Paul, Do you remember TVO? I would start my farm bike on petrol then fill the tank with TVO and ride it till it ran out. Bikes like B31/33 loved the stuff.
Totally agree about the oil - always amuses me when people assert that the only oil to use in old bikes is straight 40. The original manufacturer’s recommendation was based on the fact that nothing else was available. However I have got in trouble using oil that couldn’t cope with the high temperatures of air cooled engines and caused varnish to build up in the valve guides and sticking valves.
I nearly always agree with you on most things-on fuel however there are some anomalies, until very recently-even pumps that were marked as E5 or E10 had no actual ethanol in the fuel being dispensed, pumps were marked up in anticipation of the introduction of ethanol fuel. In lots of places in the UK there is still no ethanol in fuel, it depends which refineries your garage fuel comes from. There is some information I downloaded less than two years ago that showed the regions where ethanol was and wasn't generally being distributed yet.
I agree on engine oils 20W50 works well in most applications, my only comment is you need to make sure it's suitable for a wet clutch, semi synthetic and fully synthetic car oil often contains friction reducers that can lead to clutch slip, motorcycle oil contains additives to prevent this, a friend of mine had issues with this on a T140. On unleaded fuel I have a few comments, the lead in fuel was converted to lead oxide during combustion this coated the exhaust valve and seat and worked as a lubricant preventing wear to both the valve and the seat, in the lead replacement fuel sold at the pumps in the early 2000's this was replaced with a potassium based material which performed the same function, many of the tank additives currently on the market contain the same material. Valve seat recession is mainly a problem if the engine is run under high load for extended periods, such as motorway cruising, so for the vast majority of bikes it should not be a major issue. As I do the occasional motorway runs I use Millers VSPE, which has the advantage of containing an octane boaster, which allows my 750 Commando's to run happily on standard fuel when Super is not available. I may well be wasting my money, the seats fitted to aluminium head may well be hard enough to cope, but in the cost of running a classic bike 5p a litre isn't that much so I will keep using it. I wouldn't spend money on replacement valve seats my logic being if you check for valve recession you can replace them if needed.
I use 20/50 Valvoline myself and all seems well. I work in the aviation business so I do buy and use aircraft fuel (100LL) in my bikes. It is a leaded 100 octane fuel.........more expensive to buy but but what i like most is that is is storage and shelf stable and does not gum your carb or tank if the bike sits awhile.
I was going to buy some special fork oil. From an earlier broadcast I chose to just use the 20-50 W mineral oil I use in engine and elsewhere. Forks work great. For my T150V i am lucky enough to have dedicated premium non-ethanol hose so the last person using it also used non-ethanol premium. Lucky!
Hi Paul, I am with you on this one, actually it was the lead in the petrol that did the damage it was there, as you know, to raise the point of detination but the lead when burnt attacks the valve seats, especially the hotter running exhaust seat causing those little pits you see. To be fair on the older engine runnig low compression you are not likely to run into much problem as the combustion tempretures are low enough even for Cast Iron seats to stand up okay. Any alloy head of recent manufacture such as your Trident will be fitted with one of the stanless steel family such as austenitic or a non-ferrous material such as nimonic 80A which has excellent properties for this application. Same applies to the oils in older machines the bearing loads are not all that high given the low revs lower power outputs and generally over Engineered bearings, the problem only comes about in more modern machines due to the higher power outputs with smaller bearings to allow the higher revs. I recon you are the best fault sleuth in the business, never fails to amaze me the faults you are able to find. I enjoy the rides out too, great views of the best country side in the world.
Well said Paul. In 1966 I had a '61 350 Enfield Bullet as a commuter. Chap who sold it to me (£35) said I should only use Castrol Grand Prix 50 grade oil but I fell by the wayside and used Duckams 20/50 because I liked the colour and it was a bit cheaper.
hi Paul me to 20/50s in all my bikes, engine/ gearbox's/ forks to with no problem and done so for many years, if not the time i've had bikes and that's well over 50 years but i do put a splash of putoline R in the gas tank for the smell of the old castor R it bring back good memory's of my weekends i spent with my dad at the race track with his goldstar's.
Hello everyone, with the E-10 it is the same as with the engine oil. In the vast majority of cases it is simply a question of belief, but there are cases where there are good reasons not to use E-10 or rather the prescribed engine oil. Alcohol eats polyester tanks. By the way, polyester is not waterproof in the long term either. Polyester boat owners probably know this. And there are now car engines with timing belts in the engine oil. It is essential to use the specified oil. Other oil breaks down the timing belt. And, I've written it before: My old Ford Fiesta had problems with E-10. The engine sputtered and ran unevenly. Not immediately but after prolonged use of E-10. After I switched back to E-5 it went away again. Since then I've stayed away from E-10. It may be that some parts are not compatible with E-10. I don't want to get into any trouble because of 2 cents per liter. This is my personal experience. After I had resinous carburettor jets on my motorcycle, I poured fuel system cleaner into the tank before the winter break. After that I never had any problems again. It's possible that I wouldn't have had any problems without the stuff. Who knows. The argument that alcohol attacks aluminum cannot be dismissed out of hand. It depends on the alloy and the inhibitors added to the alcohol. As an example: I have engines for model airplanes. There are no problems with the intended fuel (methanol), with denatured alcohol (spirit, ethanol) the aluminum turns dark gray and blooms. But I have no idea how the aluminum alloy is composed and what is responsible for the reaction. @Paul I like your channel. Keep it up.
My Morini v twin was supposed to run on 5 star petrol. I run it on Super Unleaded I avoid supermarket fuel its like riding with the back brake on permanently.
Found your site as I'm finishing a 74/5 Trident which I bought part done. Great content! On the E5/10 thing I also run a 03 Firestorm and mostly put E10 in it. However, December 2022 I drained 5L from the tank, stored it for a few week's and when it went back it was a nasty yellow colour with an odd smell. It was 7 wks old. The bike didnt like it and wouldnt rev well. When I refilled it with the same qty of E5 it was back to normal. I've heard of this but couldnt quite believe it. It was Esso from a Tesco run station so who knows?
I would stick with manufacturers recs on modern bikes for fork oil some of the valving doesnt work well with incorrect grades. The old canadian m c mechanic
I'd largely agree, especially with the unleaded issue.. When the craze for 'unleaded valve seats' was at it's height I couldn't afford the conversion and to be fair nothing untoward has happened ! - Of course some primary drives may suffer if used with engine oil.. a notable example being the original equipment sintered bronze clutch plates on later Norton Commandos, which are prone to slipping under load anyway, but if anything thicker than TQF is used the problem gets much much worse, but then conversely a lot of pre-1960 British bikes specified engine oil in the primary anyway.. Ethanol fuel is another thing entirely, it seems fine as long as it's relatively fresh and the bike is in regular use.. However, I've just fallen foul of leaving some E10 in the tank of my 1996 BMW R850R (pre-Ethanol resistant fuel lines etc..) while the bike stood for two months after I'd bought another slightly more modern 'daily rider'.. I decided to sell the BMW and it did start on the E10 in the tank, it ran OK for a few minutes while I let it warm up, but then it began to run rough and eventually packed up altogether. Upon inspection it transpires that 'something' has rusted the inside of the previously pristine fuel tank and has also savaged the fuel hoses, it has also 'melted' the orange silicone-type sealant which seals up the fuel filter.. This has gone on to wreck the fuel pump and contaminate/block the entire fuel injection system.. I can't be 100% certain that Ethanol is to blame for this, but leaving the bike with straight 'Ethanol-free' unleaded in the tank never caused this problem, so I would say that on balance Ethanol is definitely the favourite for being the culprit.. So from now on, to avoid any more expensive and involved repair jobs, I'll be draining the tanks and fuel systems of my bikes if they're going to be laid up for any length of time..
We have been usig E10 for about 12 years now, earlier it was E5... we might have used 95E5 already for more than 25 years. I think everyone should buy whatever additives they think are necessary - the more the merrier!
I remember the Japanese bikes I rode in the 1970 ‘s stated in the owners handbook that to use a good quality fuel either leaded or reduced leaded of the correct octane ratings . I would therefore presume that any British motorcycle manufactured during the same period ,would be able to run in either low lead or full leaded fuels . As there is no lead in the full unleaded fuels , I reckon the wear rate on valves ,on machines designed to accept low lead fuel , would probably only be negligibly higher over an acceptable period of time , even less in a classic bike not used everyday . If anyone should know ,it is more likely to be you than me ,as you deal with the old classic bikes everyday to make a living . I am not well up on spannering the old Brit bikes ,but find them & the issues they present & the solutions you find interesting . 👍
Nicely said, a voice of sanity in the howling wilderness. Fear is the most powerful motivator and the unscrupulous will twist a one in a million possibility into a Damoclean sword hanging over your pride and joy. I was amused when an acquaintance was raging at all the morons around him for not using the in tank octane booster, it looked uncannily like lead fishing weights to me even down to to the split for the fishing line. No he thundered it’s there to increase the surface area of the emission site. Well we took a sample of his boosted fuel and guess what diddly squat. The only change was he had less capacity in his tank. As a research chemist from Shell noted, if adding lead to petrol was as easy as bunging lead shot in we wouldn’t have spent billions on the chemical processes it actually takes. To any conspiracy theorists who advise me the shell chemist was a government plant please change you tin foil in your hat as the lizards tell me they can hear your thoughts from 6 miles.
Certainly brought me out of the woodwork. I can assure you that if you use OldMother Riley’s Snakeoil additive in your fuel supply you will gain next to nothing in MPG but your bike will do 0 to 60 in Sparrowfart time.
In my experience, ethanol does cause issue with fuel lines and carb parts. I got tired of biannual renewal, looked into it and started using an american product called stabil ...... as usa has higher amounts of ethanol and has had it for longer (so stabil has an established history). Since thenn no issues. There is another youtuber, F9 (?), who did testing on all of them and stabil came out well. Also, on limited use stuff (saws and strimmers), l remove the ethanol and add a bit of octane boost. Also, l have found quality of 'rubber' parts - fuel line, brake hose, cv joint boots etc - to be getting worse. Cohlin fuel line is about the best out there for durability, as is polyamide for rigid lines. Just all my opinion.
New rubber parts used on my recently rebuilt T140, from speedo/tacho holders, headlight holder rubbers, footrest rubbers etc are all cracking after less than a year.
I run my 1978 GL1000,pre-unit Bullet,and a 1996 GPZ305 on the E5 petrol. Never noticed any difference. Nothing rubbery has melted,bikes start,tick over and run fine.
i remember a product from years back "Worn Piston Ring Compensator" a green gunk in a tube that you squirted into the cylinder... i tried it did it work no
I would say that some rubber parts such as fuel lines and any rubber seals in carburetors could well melt. I bought fuel lines and fuel filters for My 1989 G80 Matchless from a certain well known electrical supplier. They all melted. He didn't even have the decency to answer Me when I told Him. Rant over!
1950 style Bsa and triumph forks just need a bit of lubricant. They aren’t good enough to warrant very expensive medium weight fork oil, etc. you’ll never notice the difference No adjustable anti dive shuttle valve wizardry on my two.
I have still got my Crusader that I have had since the 60s I do what you do 20/50 oil I have used E5 and E10 no Additives and it runs fine the same with my 65 GT but the E10 knackered the tank so I’m saving for a alloy one. My dad use to race grasstrack in the 50s and 60s and I seem to remember the fuel tank was aluminium and used Methanol and they were saying E5 and E10 would damage aluminium that was nonsense
Very interesting. I'm slightly surprised that you sent the Trident head away for porting by a third party. From what I've seen of your porting on the Bullet heads, you are more than capable of porting any IC engine cylinder head proficiently. This is not a criticism, but a compliment.😊😊😊
Thanks! It was the mid 90's when I sent the head to Norman Hyde - I would have almost certainly done my own porting work on it in more recent years, though.
Great content Paul. Most marketing and Government included know that fear is the best way to have people accept advise which is mostly incorrect and includes a cost of some sort. I believe that they are also the one's who start the rumours so people begin to question reality
Excellent and instructive video Paul. Perhaps we all have become so used to believing what the media tells us. You know, the media that is now totally controlled by governments and big business! Keep ranting mate. There's a lot of us that would much rather listen to and believe you.
absolutely ! given your real world hands on daily grind strength in depth experience with ALL manner of motor mending paul, you could have also added `patronising` to the plot, cos i`m certain you must have had some in your time, it occured to me when you were asked what oil should be used in any given application you could just have said... SOME` lol😁
