Techron??

[MichiganBob]

I'm wondering of I should add a little Techron to my gas. Don't imagine it would hurt anything but is it needed? It's for a 2018 RTW with 12K that has always run on Marathon Ethanol free fuel. What do you think/recommend?

 

Many thanks.

 

 

[wbw6cos]

Is there any Chevron gas near you?   I fuel pretty regularly at one on my commute to the house.    I do have a bottle of the stuff to use in my older bike that had some performance issues and wanted to clean things up over time. 

 

You do need to be cognizant of the directions for use.  The small fuel tank only needs a small amount of the additive.

 

[MichiganBob]

No Chevron in this area.  Would have to get the bottle,

[Scott9999]

1 minute ago, MichiganBob said:

No Chevron in this area.  Would have to get the bottle,

I'm pretty sure I got my last bottle at Walmart - check online.   That, or Amazon is sure to have it.  Buy several, and run 'em before every oil change, IMHO.

[LAF]

I have been using this in every bike and my cars for 20+ years.  Yamaha Ring Free.  It is a very concentrated Techron and is really all I use mixed with Star Tron for the corn additive in gas.  It is not cheap but it lasts forever.  I think 1 oz treats 10 gallons.  It really does work and while expensive it is very concentrated and in 20+ years I have had no negative effects from it that I am aware of.  So for 73 bucks you can treat 64 tanks of gas. That is like 1.14 a fill.  If I am running slab, distance I don't use it every stop as running tank to tank I dont see the need every time so I may go every other fill on the road. 

 

Yamaha Ring Free

[strataj]

13 hours ago, MichiganBob said:

No Chevron in this area.  Would have to get the bottle,

Texaco and Chevron are merged, they both sell gas with Techron, don't know if that will help you

[Paul De]

Techron is one of the few fuel additives that actually works as advertised.  I believe it is what is in the bottle of fuel treatment that BMW puts its logo on.   I typically use seafoam for over winter storage and then use Techron for the first fill after burning the over winter fuel in the spring  and maybe another treatment mid season.  No Chevron or Texaco gas stations in this part of the country and am just glad when I can find a station that still uses separate hoses for each grade of fuel.

[RadioFlyer]

BMW itself recommended it at one time for cars. See attached.

BMW Techron.pdf

[dirtrider]

16 hours ago, MichiganBob said:

I'm wondering of I should add a little Techron to my gas. Don't imagine it would hurt anything but is it needed? It's for a 2018 RTW with 12K that has always run on Marathon Ethanol free fuel. What do you think/recommend?

 

Many thanks.

 

 

Afternoon  MichiganBob

 

It isn't needed, if it was then that would be stated in your riders manual. 

 

As far as being a good idea then "yes" in moderate amounts (a little goes a long ways). If you always use a top-tier gasoline then it isn't that important. 

 

You might at least use a little in the last fuel up before winter storage, then add a little more at first fill-up in spring. 

 

Otherwise, just a little every few FULL  fill-ups will be just fine. 

 

I typically run the last tank of the year pretty low then fill the tank with 91 octane NON-alcohol fuel for winter storage. Fuel without alcohol is a much better way to winter-store a motorcycle. 

[MichiganBob]

Good Afternoon All,

 

Chatting with my mechanic this morning and he swears by something called Duralube. Anyone have any experience with this product?

 

The big questions is why is an additive even needed? Is the concern that time might bring about some form of shellac. I know that was true for carbs left unattended for a long time with gas in them. Is it the same with fuel injectors. Do fuel injectors get "dirty" over time?

 

Many thanks for your input.

[dirtrider]

2 hours ago, MichiganBob said:

Good Afternoon All,

 

Chatting with my mechanic this morning and he swears by something called Duralube. Anyone have any experience with this product?

 

The big questions is why is an additive even needed? Is the concern that time might bring about some form of shellac. I know that was true for carbs left unattended for a long time with gas in them. Is it the same with fuel injectors. Do fuel injectors get "dirty" over time?

 

Many thanks for your input.

Afternoon Bob

 

Most of that type of additive is just about a 1/4 step above snake oil. 

 

The product that actually works is Techron. And even then you don't need much on a newer vehicle that you use quality gasoline in.

 

If you want to do something that REALLY works for winter storage is to fill the tank (then ride it a bit) with non alcohol fuel before storage.  

 

On BMW's like my 800GS, that don't have an anodized fuel pump, I also put a couple of ounces of quality 2 cycle oil in the last tank of fuel before storage.  (that prevents the fuel pump from sticking during winter storage)

 

Just keep in mind that if some of these snake oil additives worked as advertised some of the fuel companies would have that additive in their gasoline & advertise the heck out of that fact with certified test data to show that it worked.   

 

 

[MichiganBob]

Afternoon DR,

 

What you says makes perfect sense. Interesting about the two cycle oil for fuel pump health. We seem to have a great need for a mechanic in a can. That being said, one product that worked well when all I could afford were clunkers was the radiator sealants. They got me a few more miles when I could not afford to get that old car fixed.

[Bobup]

Top Tier fuel is a formula that vehicle manufacturers came together on to have a sufficient additive package to keep fuel and intake systems clean. If you see that the fuel you are buying states Top Tier fuel, you are buying a fuel that has an additive package to keep your fuel and intake clean. Most fueling stations will indicate on the pump if they sell a Top Tier fuel. Do your own research on Top Tier fuels.

[MichiganBob]

I never noticed a "Top Tier" label. I'm really interested to see if this is at my Marathon gas station which I use because it is Ethanol free. Thanks Bobup.

[lkraus]

4 hours ago, MichiganBob said:

I never noticed a "Top Tier" label. I'm really interested to see if this is at my Marathon gas station which I use because it is Ethanol free. Thanks Bobup.

https://www.toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

[MichiganBob]

Did notice this morning thatc the Marathon pump said it contained STP addutives. No "top tier" label. Chart says Marathon is top tier. Interesting.

[Geekmaster]

Unfortunately, not all top-tier brands always display their label. My local Irving either wasn't top-tier or didn't display the label.  Then one day, they displayed the label - strange.

[Randyjaco]

Costco is Top Tier if you happen to be a member.

[Dirtmerchant]

@dirtrider  I've got a friend who is not a mechanic but does stay at Holiday Inn Express..  Prior to a service, he advocates using a high concentration of Techron for 1 tank, then topping off the tank and changing the oil. His theory is the higher concentration will clean really well but could contaminate the oil.  What are your thoughts on this?

[dirtrider]

24 minutes ago, Dirtmerchant said:

@dirtrider  I've got a friend who is not a mechanic but does stay at Holiday Inn Express..  Prior to a service, he advocates using a high concentration of Techron for 1 tank, then topping off the tank and changing the oil. His theory is the higher concentration will clean really well but could contaminate the oil.  What are your thoughts on this?

Morning Dirtmerchant

 

With Techron a little goes a long way so unless there is definite & known problem with the fuel system then just follow the directions on the Techron container.  

 

Correct amount used over many miles usually beats the heck out of  using a lot at one time. 

 

The above is even more important if the motorcycle has a non-replaceable fuel filter. (like a lot of 1200 motorcycles)

[Rougarou]

1 hour ago, dirtrider said:

 

The above is even more important if the motorcycle has a non-replaceable fuel filter. (like a lot of 1200 motorcycles)

 

This fuel filter?

 

 

Although, that looks like too much work I'd like to get into, if'n I don't have any issues  I found this some time ago looking through how to videos for something unrelated.

 

[dirtrider]

Quote

 

This fuel filter?

Although, that looks like too much work I'd like to get into, if'n I don't have any issues;)  I found this some time ago looking through how to videos for something unrelated.

 

Morning  Rougarou

 

Yes, I have seen a few that were really plugged up (probably past the flushing stage).

 

There IS a new filter available with a little research but it is not easy to change out as the pump housing needs to be taken apart. 

 

You definitely don't want to flush a lot of crap into those non-replaceable filters at once if you can avoid it. 

 

But even if the filter gets flushed or replaced there are very fine mesh screens in each fuel injector inlet that can get plugged up if the filter passes too much junk. 

 

I have seen that internal filter get plugged up to almost a cork after one tank full of dirty fuel but have also seen them go well over 100,000 miles if good clean top tier fuel is always used. 

[George S.]

Just last week a co-worker of mine saw a gas tanker leave a Delta gas station here in NJ. (Delta is an independent brand that is said to purchase fuel from other companies. Their prices are a LOT lower than “name” companies. She got stuck driving behind the tanker for a bit and saw it pull into a Gulf station down the road. 

From INSIDER Business News…..(Consumer Reports said the same…)

The only difference between the products is that name-brand stations like Mobil and Shell may put extra engine-cleaning additives in theirs.

But, automotive engineering experts at AAA told us, using generic gas won't harm your engine in any way, and it has its own cleaning additives:

“While it may seem generic gas is too good to be true and not the best option for your vehicle, unbranded fuel should not damage an engine," AAA said in an email.

"Even 'unbranded' fuel is required to meet legal requirements for RVP, ethanol percentage, octane, detergent content and more. In many cases, the local unbranded gasoline is actually supplied by a major oil company, but simply not sold under their name.”

[dirtrider]

13 hours ago, George S. said:

Just last week a co-worker of mine saw a gas tanker leave a Delta gas station here in NJ. (Delta is an independent brand that is said to purchase fuel from other companies. Their prices are a LOT lower than “name” companies. She got stuck driving behind the tanker for a bit and saw it pull into a Gulf station down the road. 

From INSIDER Business News…..(Consumer Reports said the same…)

The only difference between the products is that name-brand stations like Mobil and Shell may put extra engine-cleaning additives in theirs.

But, automotive engineering experts at AAA told us, using generic gas won't harm your engine in any way, and it has its own cleaning additives:

“While it may seem generic gas is too good to be true and not the best option for your vehicle, unbranded fuel should not damage an engine," AAA said in an email.

"Even 'unbranded' fuel is required to meet legal requirements for RVP, ethanol percentage, octane, detergent content and more. In many cases, the local unbranded gasoline is actually supplied by a major oil company, but simply not sold under their name.”

Morning George

 

Most fuel tanker trucks have double tanker trailers with multi compartments & even the single ones have multi-compartments so there is no  way to know what product was in the other trailer or other compartments. Most fuel in an area does come from the same terminal with the additive package added at time of tanker loading so it could have been completely different fuel going to each place the truck stopped at. 

 

Plus, if the Gulf station was privately owned without direct oil company involvement then some owners do buy part of their fuel delivery from other sources  so that is why you need to look for the "top tier" label on the pump. 

 

Most of the Kroger stations in my area buy their fuel from who ever is the cheapest that week so it can be some left over top tier or a load with bare minimum additives. Nothing wrong with the fuel but it doesn't always have the top tier additive package either. 

 

As long as the fuel meets minimum specs then it typically won't harm the engine but that doesn't mean that it will keep the fueling system as clean & varnish free as an uplevel top tier will.  

 

 

[George S.]

Maybe slightly different fuel, but “completely different”? I doubt it.

I’ve never seen  (here in NJ)  any sticker that said “top tier”.  
Just vague claims that their gasoline (usually they are referring to the “super” grade) contains additives to “keep your engine running clean”.

But, like said, ALL gasolines must adhere to minimums of octane, detergent, etc. 

[dirtrider]

25 minutes ago, George S. said:

Maybe slightly different fuel, but “completely different”? I doubt it.

I’ve never seen  (here in NJ)  any sticker that said “top tier”.  
Just vague claims that their gasoline (usually they are referring to the “super” grade) contains additives to “keep your engine running clean”.

But, like said, ALL gasolines must adhere to minimums of octane, detergent, etc. 

Evening George

 

I don't believe you can pump your own gas in NJ so possibly the stickers are not used on the pumps.

 

True, gasoline must adhere to, or meet, minimum additive standards but top tier gasoline is a much higher standard with better additive packages. 

 

But it's your motorcycle so use what your feel comfortable with.  

[John Ranalletta]

23 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

But it's your motorcycle so use what your feel comfortable with.  

At the Unrally, I met up with BigT.  Based on his shop owner experience, he suggested the same, avoid discount no-name gas brands as "top tier gasoline is a much higher standard with better additive packages" as DR suggests.

I was using Kroger, Speedway, et al and have switched to name brands.

[Hosstage]

I stick with name brand fuels too. If I must use what I suspect may be a substandard fuel, I try to only buy as much as I need to get to a better station.

[MichiganBob]

I'm not usually a picky guy but I always go top shelf on gas. I believe it's worth the extra cost.