And you should hear what our wonderful federal government in the guise of the so-called EPA has told the AMA.

First, EPA issues a regulation requiring E15 at most pumps. Gas stations say don't make us use a single pump just for E15 it would cost too much. EPA says, ok, use it in a blended pump. Thats where one nozzle pumps different grades.

The problem is, if someone pumps E15 into their 2012 car, which can run it just fine, and you ride up and use the same pump, and select E10 93 octane, guess what the first 1/4 gallon is? Yep, E15.

Here's the rub, and AMA asked EPA about it in a letter. 1/4 gallon of E15 mixed with 3 gallons of E10 yields too much ethanol for any motorcycle with a 3.25 gallon tank, which many have. Even with a 4 gallon tank, its probably too much by a hair.

So EPA stews on AMA's letter for a few months, and replies, "ok we changed the regulation, if you want to pump E10, you HAVE to pump at least 4 gallons", which would in fact be pretty safe to make sure your dilution is enough, for most purposes.

So AMA responds, "yes, but far too many dual-purpose motorcycles and mopeds and scooters and very small motorcycles cannot pump 4 gallons at once into tanks smaller than that. So they would be restricted from buying gas at most gas stations."

To date, EPA has not responded.

This is why the size of the federal government needs to be reduced, and the number of non-law regulations needs to be shredded down to nothing, because all they do is write stupid regulations and make life worse for some segment of the population.

And trust me, EPA has cost you huge increases in living expenses over the past 4 years. More than in the previous 20 years or so the EPA has existed, combined.

Wow, nice info...craziness all the laws and restrictions we have now. Still doesn't hold a candle to Europe, though. My German neighbors envy my massively-polluting non-cat bike and car.

I'm a Constitutional Conservation, and believe in the Delineated Powers clause almost as much as the "Rights...endowed by the Creator" clause elsewhere.

So for the past 50 years, I abhor both political parties for piling on 50 tons of paper describing laws they have no Constitutional Power to pass.

And the Courts, for making law from the bench.

Which is why I will give donations to neither party.

I hate those blended pumps, I run Premium 93 octane in all of my bikes and I know the clown just ahead of me always gets regular, so I'm diluting my octane and payng premium prices.

Locally, I try to use only stations with a single pump for each fuel rating but out on the road, you have to sometimes take what you can get.

BTW, high ethanol fuels are driving up food costs as there isn't enough agricultural capacity to supply both the fuel and food industries. High fructose corn syrup is in just about everything you eat nowadays. Thank you're idiot government and idiot Ozero president!

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/20/opinion/mcdonald-corn-ethanol/index.html

* Last updated by: Kruz on 10/3/2012 @ 11:15 AM *

I got asked to post a comment to the DOT and EPA survey on ethanol and blended pumps.

My response was, just quit putting ethanol in fuel, and quit destroying all the pre-2006 engines that were engineered for gasoline only. Sure it is slow destroying, maybe you only get 90,000 miles out of the engine instead of 120,000, but in th end, just like with food, it ends up costing you and me money we don't have.

If I was President, and had a friendly Congress, I would end ethanol blending in a heartbeat. I'd let the people know, hey, your gas is going to cost more yet again for a while. But then I'd open up the vast reserves of petroleum under US control, and build 2 new refineries.

The hell with putting men on Mars, we could build 2 new refineries for the same cost, and cut the price of gas by 50%.

During that push, I'd push regulations to make ALL future car and truck engines capable of running efficiently on liquid propane gas, and I'd tap the vast liquid natural gas reserves under US control and start to wean the Citizens off gasoline.

And since with super-hot furnaces we can burn coal cleanly now, I'd push the production of coal ore and the update of power plants to both use clean burn coal, and to produce 25% more power to the national grid. Thereby supporting electric cars better and cleaner while we do the hard stuff in other areas.

By then, we'd have technology to get us off hydrocarbon fuels, period.

F&%k Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Use your own oil, we don't want it.

* Last updated by: privateer on 10/4/2012 @ 4:58 AM *