Triumphrat

gatornapper

RR -

Thanks for the kind thoughts - AND the wisdom on detonation. My friend Ray is saying the same thing. Has said it for years. Ethanol. A curse to our classics.

I think the break-in went fine on the first top- end rebuild - she was running like a dream, loved to wind out, and all was well engine-wise. Started on first kick almost every time. Loved to brag on that - then demonstrate it to others. I had about 2,500 miles on it since the re-build.

The problem is sitting between rides of once-a-month too. Never know what to do - think I'm going to ride her every week, and it just doesn't happen. One week turns to two, then three, then four. Or more.

Do do I completely empty the carbs and tank after every ride, not knowing how long it will be until the next one? Carbs? YES.

Then what about the ethanol I have sitting in the plastic jugs? It too is prone to deterioration and water separation.

I can drive about 50 miles and get non-ethanol gas - but it's only 93 octane. But maybe that's what I need to do.

I'll try to get to the Britbike forum soon, but frankly I'm focused on how to prevent losing what little I have due to hyperinflation or deflation (we have both inflation and deflation now, hiding what's really going on). [New topic # 8,276 for the thread]

And on getting my dream garage organized. Wonderful thing is the garage gets used by my kids & me almost every weekend. Daughter rear-ended her car a couple weeks ago, and we re-aligned the upper frame damage (radiator area only) and put on a new hood yesterday.

I'm missing Bonne muchly and need to see how Ray is doing. He said she's not going to get much attention while hunting season is here- so I know I've got another month before he starts rocking & rollin' on her.

Meanwhile, I need to jump on my '71 T100C cleaning her up to sell to a guy coming down from Massachusetts in mid-January. She's been ridden hard by my Navy son a year ago and inspite of my repeated requests, never cleaned up like I had her. He even left her out in the rain, and there is rust I need to deal with. He's out to sea now, and when he is home on some weekends, he's a typical twenty-something, playing Halo 4 with his buddies.......(Topic #8,277)........

I'm also really bummed out by what happened in Connecticut - primarily because of the insanity of the tragedy and the pain of those who lost children - I was good friends of one of the girls killed at Virginia Tech in '07 and her parents, and she had been in our home several times, playing my wife's piano - and I am close to this day with her parents......who are considering going up to Connecticut to help the families there because they've been through it - and made it by the grace of God....

And I'm also concerned with the gun laws that will soon inevitably result from this tragedy (Topic #8,278). I can see an immediate ban on magazines over 10 rounds. At a minimum. An insane, crazy nut does something, and the rest of us are guilty.

We all need to be praying for those families suffering in Connecticut......

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gatornapper

My sweet '72 T120V Bonne
'73 Trident T150V, '72 Bonneville T120V, '71 Trophy 500 T100C
"A Dream Collection" (w/apologies to all '60's purists)

Chuck95642

Gator I have it seems no Ethanol Free stations around me but I am still checking. I'm thinking of either running race fuel or an 4gln of Av Gas to 1 gln 87 unleaded which would give me a 98 octane mix. Sucks when your ride keeps doing that stuff to ya all over the fuel. Driving 50 miles to buy fuel in 5 gln Keep Cans can be trouble some too because then you need to add some Stabil to it as well.

gatornapper

Chuck - yeah, it's trouble, but not as much as rebuilding a top end. I use the Marine Stabil which is supposed to last a year, and with the 35 mpg my Bonne gets, that won't last long. Hard to believe I get a consistent 50mpg on my '97 Harley Wide Glide and only 35 on the Bonne with less than half the cc's.......

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gatornapper

My sweet '72 T120V Bonne
'73 Trident T150V, '72 Bonneville T120V, '71 Trophy 500 T100C
"A Dream Collection" (w/apologies to all '60's purists)

Chuck95642

Only 35MPG? Just wow something wrong there man.

Huh gearing maybe? On my own build I'm going to be running a 46 rear with a 21 front but mine is a custom build too.

I'll probably be using Stabil just because. The stuff does work.

TxTiger

We only have ethanol blends here in Texas, but I do not run ethanol fuel in my classic bike, classic cars and do my best not to put any in my modern bikes. I buy a 55 gal drum of Phillips racetech fuel that is ethanol free and keep it in the garage. It's 100 octane, nothing radical. When I ride the modern bikes I try and stay within the tank's mileage limit (about 250 miles on the Tiger 1050) so I don't have to stop at gas stations. When I trailer them somewhere to camp and ride, I take about 4 5 gal cans (20 gals) with me. If I go far enough where I must stop before I get back to my canned fuel, I'll try and put in just enough to get where I need to be, and then fill up from my cans. I know this is not a practical alternative for many, but my stuff sits up a long time between rides and it's nice to know the gas that you left in it is still good and not attracted moisture when you're ready to saddle up again.

If I ride for a weekend trip or so, I know I'll have to fill with ethanol blend, and just try and plan to burn most of it before I get home. Worst thing is, the EPA is approving higher blends of ethanol that will really mess stuff up. When this happens, I will get some auxillary fuel containers and carry on the bike for mixing purposes to keep the blend as low as possible. What a mess.

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'71 Tiger

Webby

Good to see you're still here Gator,

Look on the bright side, at least you know what to get your wife to buy you for Christmas, a pair of Bonnie pistons

I'm sure that once you've rested over Christmas you'll have the courage to tear into the Bonnie early next year.

Take care of yourself

Webby

gatornapper

Hey, Tiger - how can I get the 55 gallon can of race fuel? And what is it, $5/gallon? More? I can put it in my garage or one of my sheds.

Next question: how do you pump it? Don't you need a special pump for gasoline?

Thanks!

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gatornapper

My sweet '72 T120V Bonne
'73 Trident T150V, '72 Bonneville T120V, '71 Trophy 500 T100C
"A Dream Collection" (w/apologies to all '60's purists)

gatornapper

Webby! Still producing hearty belly-laughs over the pair of Bonnie pistons!!!!

What about rings too?

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gatornapper

My sweet '72 T120V Bonne
'73 Trident T150V, '72 Bonneville T120V, '71 Trophy 500 T100C
"A Dream Collection" (w/apologies to all '60's purists)

TxTiger

GN, the stuff I use, Phillips Racetech, is about $10 per gallon delivered. VP also has a line of similar fuels, but I'm not sure of the price in bulk. I used to buy 105 octane VP for around $350 per 55 gallon drum, but I haven't used VP for years. I see VP 5 gal cans at the bike shop for $70 to $90, depending on the octane, not an economical way to buy.

If I had any ethanol free stations anywhere close I would simply take an empty 55 gallon drum and fill it up with the highest octane I could find, and then mix that with some of the higher octane race fuel to get a mix in the upper 90's octane.

I use a plastic pump that the fuel places sell for pretty cheap to pump the gas. Check the website below for any ethanol free stations in your area. Marine places often sell it. If you google ethanol free fuel in your area, I'm sure you'll see many options. Good luck and glad to hear all is progressing on your shop. I wish I had a large shop work area. You can never have too much room for stuff.

http://pure-gas.org/

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'71 Tiger

DAVE M

blimey

we'd be hung, drawn and quartered for storing petrol at home. I think the UK limit is 5 gallons in a metal can?

But we do live a lot closer to each other here.

Farmers etc can do it but are supposed to follow pretty strict rules.