rodeoclown wrote on 10/21/12 at 04:51:08:

I don't use any.
Todays E10 will easily store for a year and more w/ no noticable degredation in quality.
If I knew it mite set longer than that, I would use Stabil, only because it was the first out.

For many years (say, from 1980 to 2000) I used no fuel stabilizer at all, and had no problems at all with gas stored for at least a year in standard motorcycle tanks. On those bikes on which it was easy I drained the carburetors; on the ones where draining was difficult I didn't bother. For the last several years (about 2000 onward) I have been using Sta-Bil, and have still had no problems. It is hard for me to tell the difference from "no problems" to "no problems." When my present large container of Sta-bil runs out I probably will not bother to replace it. By the way, if you read the directions, the container of Sta-bil says it should be used within two years of opening. Makes me wonder how a product with a self-claimed shelf life of two years can preserve gasoline for very long.

I've never used any stabilizer and my savage sits for october to april. never had a problem. my generator sits for a year or more between uses and never had a problem with that either. same goes for the lawn mower and string trimmer. Might be different in warmer climates but in warmer climates I'd be riding, not storing.

ALfromN.H.  FSO wrote on 10/21/12 at 07:26:43:

From someone who actually knows !

I could add that I been using a little 2 stroke tiller off and on all summer,  on last year's 40:1 E10. Starts 2nd pull every time.

Drifter wrote on 10/21/12 at 05:22:08:


Same situation here in Kentucky and Southern Indiana......let a piece of equipment sit for three or four weeks and it runs like crap. Let it sit two months and it does not start until you rebuild the carb and clean the fuel system.

Star-tron has been the best treatment I've used.

And yeah...I've had a lot of experience with the ethanol fuel fiasco...I work for an outdoor power equipment dealer/repair company that sees over 500 pieces of equipment through the service department every month.

oldNslow wrote on 10/22/12 at 08:50:04:


I suspect that, too. All chemical reactions happen faster at higher temperatures. The cold of winter acts just like a refrigerator, and stuff stays fresh longer. Which probably helps explain why I had no trouble for years with unstabilized gasoline kept in motorcycles stored in an unheated garage in Nebraska.