E10 Fuel

Its been comin for a long while..... but according to the bible (MCN) tiz comin this year.

"Piaggio (owners of Aprilia & Moto Guzzi) say that 10% Ethanol (E10) fuel is a safety issue for any bike made before 2011....." gulp !

I know its gonna be sold alongside the current stuff, but what happens when it isnt ?

(Remember LRP ?, cant say ive seen it for sale anywhere recently)

Hmmm - had a quick Google but most of the postings are a year or so old...

Lifted from mag:
Ethanol in petrol



The Motorcycle Action Group has been keeping a close eye on the development of plans to increase the ethanol content of petrol, and the effects that ethanol can have on modern and historic bikes.

Latest information gathered by MAG and the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) and checked with the Department for Transport -

· E10 petrol (containing up to 10% ethanol) is likely to appear at UK petrol stations from 2013

· BSI expects to have the E10 fuel specification in place by the end of 2012

· not all fuel terminals have ethanol blending facilities

· fuel retailers are to be given guidance over the introduction of E10 petrol

· the UK government is not pushing producers and retailers to roll-out E10

· where E10 is sold, fuel pumps will be labelled ‘E 10’ in the same size lettering (15mm) as the words ‘Unleaded Petrol’ and the octane rating (95). The warning to ‘Not suitable for all vehicles. Consult vehicle manufacturer before use’ will use smaller (10mm) lettering unless the label on the petrol pump includes the code ‘E10’, the fuel should contain no more than 5% ethanol
· the revised European specification will allow an increase in the volatility of petrol, which could lead to some bikes suffering vapour lock in hot weather

· DfT have set-up a vehicle compatibility working group to compile a list of modern E10 compatible vehicles, part of this is concerned with classic/historic vehicles, including bikes

· ‘super’ (97-99 RON) grade petrol is expected to contain no more than 5% ethanol·

E5 petrol is expected to be phased out by the year 2020

MAG’s National Committee has agreed that we should campaign to make sure riders are well-informed about the fuel they are buying from pumps displaying the various labels.

MAG is raising these issues in Parliament and is campaigning to ensure continued supply of low/zero ethanol petrol

Seem to remember a thread on one of the aprilia forums a while back.... Someone in the industry explained the fuel distribution process at length in the uk and when and how much ethanol was added.

(seem to recall the Shell V power was the only fuel that wasnt transported in different (dsl / petrol) tanks and was one of the "safer" ones to use due to lack of addatives ?)

Wish i could find it and maybe ask the poster to update it ?

At least pumps are "supposed " to be labelled so we can avoid it...

Edit: Rang Shell - They claim that neither 95 or V power have more than 5% at present. This will change either this year or next - but cant detail as yet.