Episode Details

OFFICIAL LAW ABIDING BIKER PODCAST ==> http://www.lawabidingbiker.com

PODCAST-In this episode we cut through all the smoke, mirrors, politics, and money involved with the rising controversy about whether or not E15 ethanol fuel, also called renewable fuel, is safe to be used in motorcycles, ATV's, and small engines. We have a very heated discussion and really break it down on this biker podcast episode for all the bikers/motorcyclists out there, who have a right to know whether E15 fuel is safe to use. Biker/motorcyclists should know that if you use E15 in your motorcycle it will likely VOID YOUR WARRANTY. Read your motorcycle owner's manual and paperwork, as it likely states in there somewhere that using E15 fuel will void your motorcycle's warranty. It is in the Harley Davidson manual for certain, so beware. Also know that the EPA is pushing E15 fuel and you may get confused and use the fuel in your motorcycle by mistake from blender pumps that are already in service around the country. Be very cautious when fueling your motorcycle and read the labels. You really must listen to this podcast episode to get all the details!

Alcohol in E15 fuel is mainly made from corn and contains less combustible energy than gasoline. E15 fuel first became available at gas stations in 2013. E15 is currently offered in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. It is thought, but not proved, to be the cause of some engine failures that motorcyclists have experienced and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can not prove otherwise at this point. In fact, the EPA has approved E15 use only in 2001-and-newer light-duty vehicles, which include cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty passenger vehicles. The EPA has not approved its use in any motorcycles or ATVs.

The EPA said, "Nearly all gasoline sold in the U.S. is now E10," which is fuel with up to 10 percent ethanol. E15 is a fuel blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline. Accidental use of E15 by bikers/motorcyclists has led in some cases to void motorcycle warranties and in some extreme cases motorcycle engine failure.

The federal Renewable Fuel Standards program, which the EPA administers, requires that 18.15 billion gallons of renewable fuels such as ethanol be blended into gasoline and diesel fuel in 2014. The standards ensure that transportation fuel sold in the United States contains a minimum volume of renewable fuel as required by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Federal law also gives the EPA administrator flexibility to reduce the required volume of renewable fuels in any year.

EPA Administrator Regina "Gina" McCarthy took advantage of that flexibility by recognizing the "blend wall" and proposed reducing the amount o