gasolina

[mrhqv]

hey any of yall everhad a bad batch of gas from a filling station???

[steves]

Yes. Sometimes they get water or sediment in their tanks. This has a bad effect on your bike (or car).

[skotty]

I once filled at Diamond Shamrock (Now Valero), and I had starting problems after that. I had to get a fuel additive after which it got ok.

[mrhqv]

i also heard that their gas, no matter what name brand, is only as good as their filters at that exact store.

ive noticed that tankers with the same name on the truck, deliver to different gas stations.?? i swear the same truck went to Exxon, then went to the Citgo and so forth lol.

[idrive1203]

Hello all, I think I can shed some light on the subject: I drive a gas truck, and yes, the condition of a station's filters and tanks makes a bigger difference than the brand. Keep in mind that even if a station is brand name, if the owner is lax in maintenence then yer gonna get crap in your fuel. Also, to mrhqv: Most of the big name oil companies contract their hauling to common carriers, like me On any given day I will haul Chevron, Exxon, Shell, Conoco etc...So, my truck may not have a big name oil company painted on the side but it is their gas inside!
Another thing, depending on your locality, I might get Chevron, Conoco or Exxon from the same loading facility...same gas, different additive. Same with Unbranded gas (Safeway, Albertson's, Costco etc...) it's the same base gas as any brand out there, it just has a generic detergent additive. I've found that the grocery stores are very strict with site maintenence, so that's what I run. Don't let anybody tell you it's inferior gas. It's not. Hope all this helps

[skotty]

Thats very good to know. Thanks.

[mrhqv]

I KNEW IT!!!!!! so grocey stores heh? hmm, theres a Farm Fresh in my area that sells gas. imma try them... thats good info, thanks man

[The CyberPoet]

General Tips:
Avoid gas from any place that has construction going on at it or next door -- the sand from the construction tends to migrate to the tanks.
Look for the stickers on the pump that may tell you exactly what additives are in use (such as ethanol/methanol content, MTBE, TANE, etc) -- your bike shouldn't use any fuel with more than 10% ethanol nor 5% methanol (nor more than 5% of the two combined). MTBE & TANE should be fine in most quantities they are likely to use, although fueling may go leaner than your bike is optimized for.
A number of years ago the EPA set up new requirements for all gas stations to move to a new kind of storage tank that vapor-captures in a specific way (not at the pump, but at the tank). Last year was the deadline for compliance ($5k/day fines), and so there shouldn't be any tanks out there over about 15 years old anywhere... but newer tanks are still generally better.
look at the quality of the pump itself -- the better the condition of the pump, the more likely it is the station has good maintenance and budgeted for such issues.
If you don't ride frequently (like every other weekend), try to avoid any alcohol-mixed fuels, seek out a high-detergent fuel, and top your tank off before you park it. Alcohol is hygroscopic, meaning it draws in water; high detergent fuels will help reliquify any dried fuel residues built up; filling up removes air space that easily leads to condensation (which in turn leads to tank-rust).
If you ride really infrequently (insufficiently to run through a full tank in a month) or are leaving the bike sit while you travel/deploy/etc, add a fuel-stabilizer product to the tank & top off. Stabil brand seems to be very well thought of by most people.
And finally, if you find your bike runs poorly with fuel from a specific gas station, use a different gas station.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[idrive1203]

Thank you for the additional info cyberpoet, all good stuff