I see, in the paper today, that E10 petrol is to become the new ‘standard petrol’ in September. E5 will continue to be sold at “most” stations, but as a pricier “super grade”. Apparently E10 is less efficient. It also states that 95% of cars will be compatible.
The earlier versions of the V7, the ones with the plastic fuel tank, will not be compatible; well the plastic tank on my V7 certainly wasn’t compatible with E5. It grew !!
So what to do ?
I don’t know what most people do about winter riding. I don’t. I am strictly fair weather. I stop riding November to March, inclusive.
In retrospect:
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I would have drained the tank down on the 1 November.
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Taken the tank off the bike, and removed the petrol pump and tank cap.
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Hung the tank up in a drafty, airy place to allow the remains of the petrol to vaporise.
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Then hung the tank in a warm well ventilated place in the hope that the absorbed water in the plastic tank could be persuaded to leave by the end of March, and that the tank had, by then, shrunk back to a manageable size.
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Might be worth a try.
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Remember, when reinstalling the petrol pump unit, to be vary careful about the torque values for the retaining bolts. They are very low, something like 4 to 5 ft/lbs, but please check. Apparently you have to careful not to over squash the rubber gasket/seal.