Don’t use it, ever. Always use premium non-ethanol. Ethanol is junk and causes all kinds of carb, engine, and fiberglass tank problems. Ethanol eats the resin from inside of fiberglass tanks. It dilutes resin into a solution which mixes with your tank’s gas. When the bike sits for any time longer than a month or two, the resin solidifies in your carb and valve components. Carbs are easy to clean but if it gets into the valve seals etc., engine disassembly is needed. Not cheap!
Until 2021 we kept changing coatings to get the best anti-ethanol sealer for our fiberglass tanks. Prior to that date, we used at least 5 different coatings. None of them worked long term despite claims from the chemical makers. The one exception was/is Caswell epoxy coatings. I dropped it because the application process was so lengthy. I now use an anti-ethanol resin with no warranty claims at all.
I get maybe three tanks a year for leaking and surface problems caused by pre-Caswell sealants. Even though they are long past the warranty period, I fix leaks for free but charge for shipping.
How to get ethanol free gas
Find a local source
If your town offers ethanol free premium fuel, use it even if you have one of my new tanks. Yes, it’s more expensive but it is better for your engine and tank.
If your local stations don’t offer ethanol-free gas by law, you have two options:
- Go to a local airport with a couple of 5 gallon cans and buy their aviation fuel. Use straight or in a pinch mix 50/50 with the best grade of ethanol gas.
- Make your own ethanol-free gas.
Remove ethanol from gas at home
Here’s simple fix that's cheaper, long term, than the cost of high octane premium-non-ethanol gas (where it’s available). The ratio is one gallon gas to one cup of water. See my DIY how-to.