My dealer told me "gas only lasts a couple of weeks" and was curious if there is any truth to this? I've got a couple of gallons in the bike that's about a month old and am wondering if I really should drain it. Bike seems to run fine -- but I don't want to get to the mountains next week and find out that its been too long.

FWIW -- I use Motorex at 50:1 and the bike runs great.

I can't tell a difference after a month, but if your bike is sitting that long, you should go and ride it.

the guy that told you that is either the idiot of the year, or he was joking and you did not get it..

llamaface said:

I hear you brother... this weekend is a no go, but I've got Memorial Day all to myself.

I have used fuel that was 7 months old. I was not excited to use it, but I had dumped in some sta-bil. Ran fine.

If you do let it sit for long periods, add some Sta-bil. Gas does get old, but not noticable after a few weeks more like months. Also depends on how you store it. plastic or steel.

I got premix that is well over a year old that's been sitting in the garage for my Husky saw. The saw doesn't seem to mind...it runs great.

There's probably more longevity in premix that is properly stored and doesn't see huge fluctuations in temperature etc.

It says right in the offical ktm owners handbook. Do not use gasoline and oil mixtures older then one week. The lubtiction properties of some oils can deterioate quicky. Also says do not mix syn with mineral oil.
Just what the book says I run amsoil and vp116 I mix it 40:1 five gallons at a time it sits longer then a week to much money to just throw out if I don't use it all!

I have been told that super unleaded can be stored longer than regular.

If its older then 4 weeks i throw it or give it to my father in law for his chainsaws :p ..but i don't tend to mix more then i think i can use at one time anyway.

I have let gas sit for 9 months with no problem. Also sometimes I dump in in my car or truck. Lubes the motor.

I have a generator that gets all my stale old fuel. Sometimes I can't get the generator to start because it's so nasty, but a few ounces of camp fuel (Coleman fuel) in the tank makes it fire right up.

The big factor is lubrication the oil in the fuel when in doubt burn it elsewhere , lawn mower, car,truck, weed eater.

I keep mine on the short side always have enough and never more than a gallon left over. My truck digs old premix lubes the fuel pump:thumbsup:

One month before there is octane change, two before it dregrades enough to be a significant performance issue. Stabil only keeps it from gumming up. The fuel quality still diminishes. However, how long can you hold on to it and still have it be 'good enough for you' depends on what it is used in. Your basic trail bike, probably six month old fuel with Stabil is just as good as fresh. You 15/1 compression race bike, maybe two week old fuel at most.

Like jetting, oil and everything else, there is no one size fits all, no blanket statement for every scenairo. But it is hard to go wrong with fresh fuel and fresh oil.

If I am going to be topping off at least 1/3 tank or more with fresh gas before riding I don't worry about it. My wife's bike tends to sit more than mine or my son's. I drain hers when it's getting close to a month old and run it through the kids bike... he has a track out back and goes through a lot of gas :thumbsup:

I know the 2t oils for weedeaters and the like have stabilizers in them. I don't know about the ones for dirtbikes... I'd be inclined to think not.