Motorcycle Fuel Conversion

[Taz]

Can anyone tell me if it's easy and cheap to convert a motorcycle to a fuel like BioEthanol?

[djadams]

Not really cheap or easy I'm afraid:

To run on BioEthanol, you'd need to change:

Any fuel system components not liking ethanol or the water in it (it can attack rubbers and plastics, and the water content can cause metal corrosion)

The jetting - Need much larger volume of fuel for a given amount of air cos ethanol is already partially oxidised

To take any advantage of the extra power possible (because of the higher knock resistance), you'd need to change the ignition timing too.

And you'd still get about 30-40% fewer miles per gallon (cos there's less energy in each litre of fuel), so unless you can get it very cheap it's not really worth the hassle (unless your ecological guilt is all consuming).

And you'd need to find somewhere to buy your ethanol other than Threshers...

[icenian]

You want one of these

OK, so is has half the power of an AT, but it's a bit lighter and it does 140mpg

then you can run it off recycled chip fat

Maybe there's somethign wrong with me, but thudding about on <30bhp a matt green oil burner just appeals to me

[Taz]

Er, no thanks. I really would prefer to find a way to fit a catalytic converter type device (or something of that nature) to a normal motorcycle so I can run it off BioEnthanol when or, more likely "IF" the government ever starts to convert fuel stations to the fuel instead of just talking about the environment whilst taxing our asses off for fossil fuels.

[icenian]

Er, no thanks. I really would prefer to find a way to fit a catalytic converter type device (or something of that nature) to a normal motorcycle so I can run it off BioEnthanol when or, more likely "IF" the government ever starts to convert fuel stations to the fuel instead of just talking about the environment whilst taxing our asses off for fossil fuels.

But they only talk about it so they can tax your *rse off. There's zero chance of them doing it. Unless they tax the "biofuel" just as much (after a short intriductory period of it being cheaper so people convert - remember LPG?)

Taxes aren't created because there's a reason for them.

Reasons are created because there's a tax for them.

To avoid tax, you need a diesel bike and friendly farmer After all, when was the last time the revenue stopped a bike to dip the tank?

Back on topic - the current thinking is to blend biofuel with petrol, to avoid the need for people and petrol stations to convert? The idea being that blending X% biofuel with gasoline is far easier than getting X% of vehicles to convert. (I really can't remember what X is, other than "quite a lot but less than half", maybe around a third???).

[Taz]

But they only talk about it so they can tax your *rse off. There's zero chance of them doing it. Unless they tax the "biofuel" just as much (after a short intriductory period of it being cheaper so people convert - remember LPG?)

Taxes aren't created because there's a reason for them.

Reasons are created because there's a tax for them.

Tell me about it. The only reason this environment ozone thing is being pushed so hard by the government is as an excuse to tax fuel through the roof. It's nothing to do with the environment, otherwise Blair, Prescott, Brown etc. wouldn't still be going around in their V6 Jags! It's an excuse to tax rather than a reason to tax in their greedy shallow little minds. If they converted all vehicles to Bio fuels, then they wouldn't have the excuse to tax the motorist to the hilt anymore. Hence they don't do it. Ohh, they come up with these token fads like semi-petrol semi-electric cars, but that's only because they know full well that it's a nonstarter. But it still shows to the more naive of us that they're waving the green flag. Our government, like the American government, are still in the pockets of the oil companies, and that's where they'll stay. Saying all that though, it would be nice if the option to easily convert a motorcycle was there. After all, I don't mind running my @ or Vara off of cheap chip fat or booze if the option's there! :P

[icenian]

the only reason this environment ozone thing is being pushed so hard by the government is as an excuse to tax fuel through the roof. It's nothing to do with the environment

Too right. How come producing CO2 with a motor vehicle is a heinous crime, whereas producing it with my house has tax concessions?

I'll accept in principle that I have responsibilities with regard to other people when it comes to producing CO2 (which doesn't mean I necessarily agree with all argument constructed from that premise), but I absolutely refuse to accept thatanyone gets to tell me that producing 1kg of CO2 in one way is less "acceptable" than producing 1kg of CO2 in some other way.

I heat my house and most of my water by burning wood, transported generally less than a mile or two, and sourced from managed woodland. I So my heating is carbon neutral apart from a bit os diesel in the tractor (oh and some chainsaw premix!) In fact I'm paying money to an estate that in planting large numbers of trees (native broadleaf, too), so if you account for the money I put into their tree planting, it probably produces a net REDUCTION in CO2. If there was any justice I'd be due a s*dding rebate on my road fuel tax!!!

I don't mind running my @ or Vara off of cheap chip fat or booze if the option's there! :P

You know where to buy booze for less than 95p a litre?

Tell us!

Tell us now!

[Taz]

I don't mind running my @ or Vara off of cheap chip fat or booze if the option's there! :P

You know where to buy booze for less than 95p a litre?

Tell us!

Tell us now!

I'm talking about making it yourself. Haven't you ever heard of moonshine?! Ye-ha! :P But seriously, shouldn't be any trouble for some of us to make alcohol. With the right ingredients and the right equipment it should be no more trouble than making a meal.

[icenian]

I don't mind running my @ or Vara off of cheap chip fat or booze if the option's there! :P

You know where to buy booze for less than 95p a litre?

Tell us!

Tell us now!

I'm talking about making it yourself. Haven't you ever heard of moonshine?! Ye-ha! :P But seriously, shouldn't be any trouble for some of us to make alcohol. With the right ingredients and the right equipment it should be no more trouble than making a meal.

Now you're talking...

I'm trying to think up an apparatus involving the back boiler on my wood burner. If I connected that to the coil in an indirect hot water cylinder, I should be able to distill and heat my house and hot water all at the same time Now, some sort of header tank in the loft to feed the boiler (if I fit this next to the cold water storage tank, there's ducting for all the pipework already in place...) and I should be ready to go

[Taz]

It must be a def that there are books out there concerning the making of alcohol. A bit like recipe type books for making alcohol, you might say. As far as I can tell the main piece of equipment you need in an old water heater, but my knowledge doesn't go any further than that. Not only did I get the idea from the infamous US hillbillies, but also, believe it or not, from the pilot movie to Bless This House, where Sid James and his mate were making alcohol in their garden shed! Admittedly they ended up blowing up the shed, but the idea's sound!

600th POST!!!