Got my Ninja back from the shop last week.

thurt88 · March 5th, 2011, 06:41 AM

Ok, so I learned a valuable lesson. I'll never put Seafoam in my tank again to store for winter. I thought it was a good thing to add that before storage. Apparently it clogged up the carbs as it sat. My Ninja had 3996 miles on it so I just had the dealer drop by and pick it up and do the 4k mile service as well as find out what my carb issue was. So after $450.00, the routine service, and 2 rebuilt carbs.... I got it back and rode some the last couple days.
On a different note.. I just bought my upgrade bike, my '06 CBR 600 who is now at the same shop where my Ninja was. I just bought it so I know nothing about it but it has 13k miles on it so figured Id be safe to have the routine 12k mile service done. I havent had much of a chance to ride the CBR but its ALOT quicker and more responsive than the lil 250.

I think even after I get the CBR back today Im gonna ride the 250 around a week or so before I start riding the Honda regularly. I noticed yesterday that Im making alot of newb mistakes that the ninja easily forgave. Like riding too close (tail gating) and I also passed a cager and over steered into "no mans land" part of the road with all the gravel and road trash laying around. The ninja just wobbled a bit and let me easily get myself back on the road. Im afraid the CBR woulda layed me out. I need to shake off the winter rust off myself before I start learning to ride that 600.

Anyways here is a pic of both of them waiting for eagerly waiting for the weather to break and spring to begin. This is just before I took the Honda to the dealer.

CZroe · March 5th, 2011, 06:11 PM

Was the tank full? Empty? How much did you add? How much time did it sit on that tank? Was the fuel possibly already old?

I ask because going without Seafoam is demonstrably worse on your carbs than going through the winter with it and I assume that there must be another explanation. If you read the can and only applied it according to the directions, then you were using it like an everyday fuel additive and not like a fuel stabilizer for winterization.

Did you get it in the carbs or run the engine to get the untreated fuel out?

coondog · March 5th, 2011, 06:19 PM

I heard mention before on here about this seafoam stuff. I've never heard of it, and anything you put in your tank should be good for the carbs not the other way around in ANY circumstance. Storing your bike is filling up fuel tank and adding Stabil as directed and then riding the bike for a bit and re-topping tank. It's as easy as carpeting your battery with an automatic trickle charger attached and removing, plugging spark plugs so you'll get new ones come spring. And cover it up nice and warm in the shed et al.

kkim · March 5th, 2011, 06:43 PM

after you added the seafoam to the gas, did you run the bike so the seafoam/gas mixture had a chance to work it's way down into the carbs before storing the bike?

this is the first time I've heard of seafoam causing problems rather than the other way around.

thurt88 · March 6th, 2011, 06:26 AM

Well, I put the Seafoam in as per instructions and filled the tank all the way up. I then rode the bike around for ~20 mins....... I did not top it off after that. I took the bike home, put a battery tender on it and wiped it off.. then covered it up. Poor bike only sat for less than 3 months.

The tech told me the inside of the carbs looked like it had dish detergent in them. They recommended this stuff called: Star Tron- Enzyme Fuel Treatment for storing a bike.

Maybe it was a fluke, maybe it wasn't, but Im not using Seafoam again

Edited to add: I forgot to mention, I store my bikes INDOORS. I need the 2 car garage in the winter so my little work car and my truck dont get hammered with snow and stuck. So the bike was never hit with sub zero temps or anything. The only other thing I can think of that I did wrong was that I didn't regularly start the thing every week.

Bueller999 · March 6th, 2011, 07:55 AM

I don't ever put anything in any of my bikes, top the tank off and drain the carbs if it'll sit for more than a couple months.

kkim · March 6th, 2011, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thurt88

The tech told me the inside of the carbs looked like it had dish detergent in them.

what does that mean?

thurt88 · March 6th, 2011, 02:24 PM

He said it had "sudsy" bubbles all in the carbs. I'm no mechanic but I take it that its not supposed to have bubbles in there.

Boom King · March 6th, 2011, 02:41 PM

Thanks for sharing your experience with Seafoam. I hope others learn from this: Seafoam is NOT a good fuel stabilizer if you use E10 fuel. Although Seafoam advertises its product as an effective fuel stabilizer, I would not recommended it for E10 gasoline as Seafoam contains alcohol. The alcohol mixture in E10 gas is what makes the fuel hygroscopic and makes it turn into gum and varnish if it sits for a long period of time. Seafoam contains IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol). The last thing to you want to do is add more alcohol to the fuel mixture.

The sudsy bubbles in your carbs most likely means that there was excessive buildup of moisture in there. If that moisture sits there for a long time, it will turn your fuel into gum and varnish and clog your carbs as what happened in your case.

I recommend in the future to use the Marine solution of Stabil. It is formulated to work with E10 fuels. I put it in my bike before storing it this winter in November and ran the bike to make sure it got into the carbs. I started my bike this weekend for the first time since storing it and although it took at least a good 20 mins and numerous tries, the bike did eventually start and ran fine once she was warmed up.

bob706 · March 6th, 2011, 03:17 PM

http://www.fuel-testers.com/is_gas_a..._e10_list.html

Don't know how useful or true but the only thing I could find.

Boom King · March 6th, 2011, 03:33 PM

Regarding fuel stabilizers, it was the subject of my first post on these forums. I suggest those who are unfamiliar with the subject to read it and gain an understanding of the science behind it and know what to avoid when choosing a product.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showp...&postcount=113

CZroe · March 6th, 2011, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thurt88

Well, I put the Seafoam in as per instructions and filled the tank all the way up. I then rode the bike around for ~20 mins....... I did not top it off after that. I took the bike home, put a battery tender on it and wiped it off.. then covered it up. Poor bike only sat for less than 3 months.

The tech told me the inside of the carbs looked like it had dish detergent in them. They recommended this stuff called: Star Tron- Enzyme Fuel Treatment for storing a bike.

Maybe it was a fluke, maybe it wasn't, but Im not using Seafoam again

Edited to add: I forgot to mention, I store my bikes INDOORS. I need the 2 car garage in the winter so my little work car and my truck dont get hammered with snow and stuck. So the bike was never hit with sub zero temps or anything. The only other thing I can think of that I did wrong was that I didn't regularly start the thing every week.

The instructions on the can are as regular fuel treatment and, from what I understand, aren't the correct quantities for use as fuel stabilizer.

Boom King · March 6th, 2011, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thurt88

Well, I put the Seafoam in as per instructions and filled the tank all the way up. I then rode the bike around for ~20 mins....... I did not top it off after that. I took the bike home, put a battery tender on it and wiped it off.. then covered it up. Poor bike only sat for less than 3 months.

Did you allow the bike sufficient time to cool down before you covered it up and did you use a breathable/vented cover?

Quote:

Originally Posted by CZroe

The instructions on the can are as regular fuel treatment and, from what I understand, aren't the correct quantities for use as fuel stabilizer.

Seafoam instructions are the same whether you use it as a fuel cleaner treatment or as fuel stabilizer: 1 oz per gallon of fuel.

Source: Seafoam website.

FrugalNinja250 · March 7th, 2011, 07:28 AM

If I was going to store a bike long-term up to maybe 6 months I'd fill the tank and use RV fuel stabilizer, and I'd drain the carbs using the carb drain screws. When I took it out of storage I'd drain the tank and use that fuel in my mowers and a little at a time in the car diluted with fresh fuel to use it up. If I was going to store it longer than that I'd drain the tank and spray the inside of it with fogging oil, draining the carbs dry using the drain screws. I'd also pull the plugs and fog the cylinders. When taking it out of storage I'd rinse the tank out with a pint or two of gas and use that in my mowers before refilling.

Scott1620 · March 7th, 2011, 11:43 AM

Interesting, I used seafoam to stabilize my tank for the winter and had no problems when I de-winterized my bike. It started on the first click of the starter after sitting for 3+ months outside covered...

CynicalC · March 11th, 2011, 11:55 AM

Weird I didn't know people used seafoam as a stabilizer. Also I wouldnt use a whole bottle in a bike gas tank, maybe 1/3 or less.

March 5th, 2011, 06:41 AM	#1
thurt88 ninjette.org guru Name: Tommy Location: Missouri Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2014 Honda CRF250L, 2010 ninja 250r Posts: 413	Got my Ninja back from the shop last week. Ok, so I learned a valuable lesson. I'll never put Seafoam in my tank again to store for winter. I thought it was a good thing to add that before storage. Apparently it clogged up the carbs as it sat. My Ninja had 3996 miles on it so I just had the dealer drop by and pick it up and do the 4k mile service as well as find out what my carb issue was. So after $450.00, the routine service, and 2 rebuilt carbs.... I got it back and rode some the last couple days. On a different note.. I just bought my upgrade bike, my '06 CBR 600 who is now at the same shop where my Ninja was. I just bought it so I know nothing about it but it has 13k miles on it so figured Id be safe to have the routine 12k mile service done. I havent had much of a chance to ride the CBR but its ALOT quicker and more responsive than the lil 250. I think even after I get the CBR back today Im gonna ride the 250 around a week or so before I start riding the Honda regularly. I noticed yesterday that Im making alot of newb mistakes that the ninja easily forgave. Like riding too close (tail gating) and I also passed a cager and over steered into "no mans land" part of the road with all the gravel and road trash laying around. The ninja just wobbled a bit and let me easily get myself back on the road. Im afraid the CBR woulda layed me out. I need to shake off the winter rust off myself before I start learning to ride that 600. Anyways here is a pic of both of them waiting for eagerly waiting for the weather to break and spring to begin. This is just before I took the Honda to the dealer.

March 6th, 2011, 06:26 AM	#5
thurt88 ninjette.org guru Name: Tommy Location: Missouri Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2014 Honda CRF250L, 2010 ninja 250r Posts: 413	Well, I put the Seafoam in as per instructions and filled the tank all the way up. I then rode the bike around for ~20 mins....... I did not top it off after that. I took the bike home, put a battery tender on it and wiped it off.. then covered it up. Poor bike only sat for less than 3 months. The tech told me the inside of the carbs looked like it had dish detergent in them. They recommended this stuff called: Star Tron- Enzyme Fuel Treatment for storing a bike. Maybe it was a fluke, maybe it wasn't, but Im not using Seafoam again Edited to add: I forgot to mention, I store my bikes INDOORS. I need the 2 car garage in the winter so my little work car and my truck dont get hammered with snow and stuck. So the bike was never hit with sub zero temps or anything. The only other thing I can think of that I did wrong was that I didn't regularly start the thing every week. Last futzed with by thurt88; March 6th, 2011 at 06:33 AM. Reason: Forgot stuff.

March 6th, 2011, 07:55 AM	#6
Bueller999 Oldie but a goodie Name: David Location: Aurora, CO Join Date: Nov 2010 Motorcycle(s): 08 Ninja 650r, 06 SV 650 race, 08 250r race, 03 Buell XB9s, 01 KTM 300 EXC Posts: 131	I don't ever put anything in any of my bikes, top the tank off and drain the carbs if it'll sit for more than a couple months. __________________________________________________ ABRacing Last futzed with by Bueller999; March 14th, 2011 at 05:11 PM.

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March 5th, 2011, 06:11 PM	#2
CZroe CPT Falcon Name: J.Emmett Turner Location: Newnan, GA Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.	Was the tank full? Empty? How much did you add? How much time did it sit on that tank? Was the fuel possibly already old? I ask because going without Seafoam is demonstrably worse on your carbs than going through the winter with it and I assume that there must be another explanation. If you read the can and only applied it according to the directions, then you were using it like an everyday fuel additive and not like a fuel stabilizer for winterization. Did you get it in the carbs or run the engine to get the untreated fuel out?

March 5th, 2011, 06:19 PM	#3
coondog ninjette.org sage Name: john Location: Palm Beach County, Fl Sligo County, Eire Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 ninja 250 street fighter, 2008 street fighter ninja 500, 2001 nsr 125 Posts: 812	I heard mention before on here about this seafoam stuff. I've never heard of it, and anything you put in your tank should be good for the carbs not the other way around in ANY circumstance. Storing your bike is filling up fuel tank and adding Stabil as directed and then riding the bike for a bit and re-topping tank. It's as easy as carpeting your battery with an automatic trickle charger attached and removing, plugging spark plugs so you'll get new ones come spring. And cover it up nice and warm in the shed et al.

March 5th, 2011, 06:43 PM	#4
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	after you added the seafoam to the gas, did you run the bike so the seafoam/gas mixture had a chance to work it's way down into the carbs before storing the bike? this is the first time I've heard of seafoam causing problems rather than the other way around.

March 6th, 2011, 02:24 PM	#8
thurt88 ninjette.org guru Name: Tommy Location: Missouri Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2014 Honda CRF250L, 2010 ninja 250r Posts: 413	He said it had "sudsy" bubbles all in the carbs. I'm no mechanic but I take it that its not supposed to have bubbles in there.

March 6th, 2011, 02:41 PM	#9
Boom King So, where's the reverse? Name: Anson Location: Ontario, Canada Join Date: Nov 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.	Thanks for sharing your experience with Seafoam. I hope others learn from this: Seafoam is NOT a good fuel stabilizer if you use E10 fuel. Although Seafoam advertises its product as an effective fuel stabilizer, I would not recommended it for E10 gasoline as Seafoam contains alcohol. The alcohol mixture in E10 gas is what makes the fuel hygroscopic and makes it turn into gum and varnish if it sits for a long period of time. Seafoam contains IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol). The last thing to you want to do is add more alcohol to the fuel mixture. The sudsy bubbles in your carbs most likely means that there was excessive buildup of moisture in there. If that moisture sits there for a long time, it will turn your fuel into gum and varnish and clog your carbs as what happened in your case. I recommend in the future to use the Marine solution of Stabil. It is formulated to work with E10 fuels. I put it in my bike before storing it this winter in November and ran the bike to make sure it got into the carbs. I started my bike this weekend for the first time since storing it and although it took at least a good 20 mins and numerous tries, the bike did eventually start and ran fine once she was warmed up.

March 6th, 2011, 03:17 PM	#10
bob706 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Sean Location: Mary Esther, FL Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250 1998 HD Road King Posts: A lot.	http://www.fuel-testers.com/is_gas_a..._e10_list.html Don't know how useful or true but the only thing I could find.

March 6th, 2011, 03:33 PM	#11
Boom King So, where's the reverse? Name: Anson Location: Ontario, Canada Join Date: Nov 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.	Regarding fuel stabilizers, it was the subject of my first post on these forums. I suggest those who are unfamiliar with the subject to read it and gain an understanding of the science behind it and know what to avoid when choosing a product. http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showp...&postcount=113

March 7th, 2011, 07:28 AM	#14
FrugalNinja250 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Frugal Location: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Join Date: Mar 2010 Motorcycle(s): Several Posts: A lot.	If I was going to store a bike long-term up to maybe 6 months I'd fill the tank and use RV fuel stabilizer, and I'd drain the carbs using the carb drain screws. When I took it out of storage I'd drain the tank and use that fuel in my mowers and a little at a time in the car diluted with fresh fuel to use it up. If I was going to store it longer than that I'd drain the tank and spray the inside of it with fogging oil, draining the carbs dry using the drain screws. I'd also pull the plugs and fog the cylinders. When taking it out of storage I'd rinse the tank out with a pint or two of gas and use that in my mowers before refilling.

March 7th, 2011, 11:43 AM	#15
Scott1620 ninjette.org member Name: Scott Location: Delaware Join Date: Jul 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250r(sold), 2007 650R (sold), 2013 Ninja 300 Posts: 199	Interesting, I used seafoam to stabilize my tank for the winter and had no problems when I de-winterized my bike. It started on the first click of the starter after sitting for 3+ months outside covered...

March 11th, 2011, 11:55 AM	#16
CynicalC ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Colin Location: Bay Area Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): '96 EX250 Posts: A lot.	Weird I didn't know people used seafoam as a stabilizer. Also I wouldnt use a whole bottle in a bike gas tank, maybe 1/3 or less.