Fuel? None starting?

Technical Miscellaneous and universal issues
1

Heard this at the weekend, Guy has 125 Honda to commute to Leicester from Loughborough on, never a problem ALWAYS fills up at a major Shell service station. A week ago his bike died on the A6 it was recovered to Twiggers who checked all the usual stuff popped a fuel into it from their workshop rig and presto instant start. put the tank back on …it started then died.

Head scratching… off with the tank check no thing caught popped oon the rig…no problem, tank back on …start…died. SWAPPED out the fuel in the tank… presto… IT IS NOT JUST EL CHEAPO SUPERMARKET FUEL.

So if you have a wierd engine die, check out the fuel.

Earlier this year I had to clean out Annies Fuel tank and carbs on the Virago due to a red crap in the fuel IT also was ONLY ever filled at Shell stations this year.guzzibear2012-09-27 12:11:16

2



You trying to run Annies bike on that red diesel stuff! Thats only suitable for farmers tractors (and Guzzi’s maybe)

3

I’ve had the lemon run badly after filing up at Amoco and Q8 stations.
Supermarket fuel is better than both of those.
I now regulaly fill up at a Total garage and it runs fine.

4

Probably the worst thing you can do is fill up at a place which doesn’t get much trade.

5

Sometimes in scotland in the past therev has been no choice but i take your point.

6

The Shell garage in question is on the A6/A46 junction and is very very busy, the “red” crap was like a fine dust in the carbs and in the fuel it was like fine sand but blocked the carbs good and proper the cost of spares was astronomical.

I waited over a week for the dealer THEN they got the wrong parts so found the Mikuni importer who sent the parts next day at less than half what the dealer quoted.

7

Not like the good ol’ days.
Keep throwing well,
Keep throwing Shell,
You can depend on Shell.

8

I do not think any garage is immune to this phenomenon BUT was rather alarming that was a relatvely new and busy shell station.

IF you have an unexplained shut down it is worth remembering and checking the fuel, something I would not usually do right from the get go.guzzibear2012-09-28 11:36:37

9

Now you mention I’m sure I’ve seen that too, but only like a deposit in the bottom of the float chambers. We’re talking a few years ago too.

10

a few years ago when living in Warrington I tanked up at the big Shell station on the A580 /M6 junction, very very busy place and open 24/7, bike Cali Ev had been going fine but a few minutes up the M6 it started running badly, I kept going but had to stop about 40 miles later as the engine really lacked response to the throttle, checked the trottle cables etc and nothing wrong, pulled off the motorway at about Kendal filled the tank up at the nearest petrol station and the bike ran fine after that, never had a petrol problem since that date!, the Shell A580 petrol station is as stated very very busy so I discounted the petrol being old or whatever so what it was I guess I will never know.

11

I wonder if they had delivered fuel that had not been graded up to spec. Some years ago at a Bike Club rally they had a guest speaker from the petroleum Industry, It was very interesting and he was saying that fuel is, in laymans terms, distilled and has to be blended then graded up to spec.

I remember at the time thinking it was a bit like they do with Scotch … good ones make the malts some are better blended with other grain and malts to get a taste,flavour and then it is blended with water to get it to the specific gravity.

I realise that it is NOT the same process BUT easier to figure it like that as a layman.