alcohol fueled

**Norman** · #1 06-29-2008, 12:50 PM

I'm bored and thinking today I'll try to run the bike on methanol fuel just for grins. I'll mainly be drilling out the main jet and if I need to adjusting the needle I'm going to use a syn/Castor oil mix at 32 to 1. I don't expect to be able to go any faster but I do know I'll be burning more fuel the big draw back is the alcohol with attack the aluminum parts and probably attack the seals so after playing with the alcohol I'll need to drain the alcohol and run gas through it with the main jet drilled to alcohol it will run pretty sorry on gas if at all so I may just drain the float bowl and inject it with some wd-40 and pull the plug and pedal it around to clear it of the alcohol. Well I got to call Ilikeabikea so he can join in the festivities.
I don't recommend anyone doing this to their bikes as the alcohol fuel will eat up your engine. After I find the right size mainjet dia. I could run the $15.00 to $20.00 a gallon model fuel with nitro and burn it right to heck up.

**Norman** · #2 06-29-2008, 04:13 PM

Here is what I've found so far with the methanol fuel.
I've drilled the main jet to 0.067
needle clip on the richest setting
engine still runs lean.
I think to make this work properly I'd have to enlarge the float seats port as I don't seem to be getting enough fuel into the carb all the time.
The engine sounds a little differant and will accelerate a little quicker at least I think it will.
Bottom line for me I'm going to go back to gas too much to change that I don't have replacement parts for. Needle needs differant taper, floats needle seat would need to be bigger and the main jet could even go to 0.062 dia. now that main jet size will tell you its going to be a fuel hog. as stock is only 0.026 so there it is.
Norman

wildemere · #3 06-29-2008, 04:31 PM

Did you raise compression for the tests?

Bikeguy Joe · #4 06-29-2008, 05:32 PM

A fuel hog that uses very expensive fuel.....

jasonh · #5 06-29-2008, 08:45 PM

You should try out E-85 Norman. Maybe there's just enough gas in there to not be so finicky.

And I agree, higher compression would probably help pick up some of the good points of running a very high octane fuel.

**Norman** · #6 06-30-2008, 09:16 PM

I'm playing with a mix of 3 to 1 alcohol mix 3 gas to 1 alcohol and it will run good on a jet of 0.026 which for this engine is stock.

jasonh · #7 07-01-2008, 02:37 PM

is the 25% alcohol helping performance any do you think?

I think the main benefit to running an alcohol blend would be the ability to raise the compression with little worry of detonation...granted, on those HT motors, who knows what'd happen if you raised it to that point...

**Norman** · #8 07-02-2008, 06:38 PM

I do have the compresson bumped up a little by thinner head gasket but probably not enough to change things too much. about 0.040 thinner if I remember right.
I think a guy could shave the top of the cylinder and the head and still not detonate the engine running alcohol but you will have to be very careful not to let the piston slap the head and I ran into just that problem when I was upping the compression by head gasket changes.
I did find that the lean running was caused by a air leak on the intake manifold with a 0.067 mainjet but I still went back to the 0.026 and the 3 to 1 mix anyway just to get rid of the alcohol mix. I think maybe some increase in performance but is it worth the headache of mixing fuels?
No is my answer cause you have to have an alcohol compatable oil if you make a premix for an engine using alcohol now if you go 3 gas and 1 alcohol I don't know what the oil will do as I'm using a syn that has castor oil in it and will mix with gas or alcohol. Regular premix oils will bead up in methanol alcohol and not mix.

jasonh · #9 07-04-2008, 05:25 PM

and uh...don't light yourself on fire with pure methanol...the flames are invisible.

Anyway, that's all I got to add

**Norman** · #10 07-06-2008, 02:05 PM

I haven't seen the e85 in my area but the 3 to 1 mix seems to work ok and I'm just getting rid of some racing fuel.
As for drinking NO way the $hit is poison and I don't want to even test it to find out I'll take their word for it I don't care for straight grain ethanol either
thats nasty too. Makes things move on ya and makes you want to beat the yell out of your engines with a big hammer.

Skyliner
How much beer would a guy have to drink to counteract say a 1/2 cup on methanol spilled on my hand?

I'd better head for the liquor store.
Norman