Amazing considering how unleaded fuel deteriorates.... The following is from another forum;knobbly wrote:I also have a KLR 650 76K on the clock last turned off in 2009. Started first stab of the button 3 weeks ago with the same fuel from 2009. In 76K the only thing that went wrong was the side stand switch.
My mates F800GS wouldn't start cos it had dropped 1.5 Volts.
I know what bike my money is going on.
Interesting write up on shelf life of modern petrol here:
"The gradual elimination of Sulphur from fuel (not well publicised) has resulted in a lower shelf life for unleaded fuel. Oil companies surveyed estimated that a half full tank of unleaded could be unusable in as little as 2 months. Sulphur used to be added as a preservative to slow down algae growth in the fuel. Without it, the algae grow and the fuel quality deteriorates. How old is the fuel in your tank now?"
So yesterday, I phoned the BP Technical Support Line, and asked about the shelf life of unleaded fuel. “One month” I was told. “After one month in a half full fuel tank (ie: unsealed, plenty of air space) you would notice a drop in power. After three months, the car would be hard to start, would not idle well, and would suffer a significant loss of power. By this time, much of the high volatility elements in the fuel will have evaporated, leaving the more dense part of the mixture. In addition, the fuel will be oxidising and fungus will be growing. The fuel takes on an orange colour and gets progressively darker as time goes by.”
More:
http://www.spriteparts.com.au/tech/fuel.html