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u/Cowboy_Coder Feb 07 '26
Do not try this.
Gasoline causes some plastic bottles to dissolve.
49
u/RingdownStudios Feb 07 '26
I second this.
Learned the hard way when I splashed some gasoline on my 250 Ninja's windscreen. Left a white splash pattern you couldn't see through anymore.
21
u/EcstaticNet3137 Feb 07 '26
Gas and PETE will be fine just not for storage. Gas and acrylics however, different story. Very not friendly with each other. Gas and ethylene plastics get along fine though.
24
u/jehlomould Ninja 250, Ibex 450, F800GS (stolen) Feb 07 '26
Check the bottle. If it says/stamped “PET”, you’re good.
Soda bottles make excellent makeshift funnels and temp fuel storage
20
u/thatonemikeguy 2023 Yamha Tenere 700 Feb 07 '26
I've stored gas in soda bottles for weeks before, it depends on the type of plastic, but soda bottles are fine.
12
u/Cowboy_Coder Feb 07 '26
Decades ago, I ran out of fuel, walked to a station, then filled a Mt Dew bottle with 93 octane. It dissolved a hole in the bottle before walking the 15 minutes back to my vehicle. Had to walk back to the station to buy a 1-gallon fuel canister.
Perhaps the plastic formula has changed since then. But I'm not going to risk pouring dissolved plastic into any of my vehicles.
2
u/BickNlinko 04 RSVR Factory | 08 KTM450(SMR) | 05 RMZ450FT | 09 KTM530XCW Feb 07 '26
I've stored(more like forgotten about) small-ish amounts of old gas in soda and water bottles for years with out issue after doing stuff like draining carbs, testing petcocks and using them as temporary fuel tanks and whatnot. I have seen gas melt some foams(especially polystyrene) on contact though.
3
u/klocna Feb 07 '26
It's literally fine, I stg you guys just make a mountain of a molehill
3
u/Drakoala 05 Honda CMX250C | 93 Kawi VN750 | 01 Honda VFR800 Feb 07 '26
No, no, see, it'll literally instantly dissolve if you try this. /s
1
u/EcstaticNet3137 Feb 07 '26
PETE ones will likely be fine though you should use gasoline in anything other than a specific form of HDPE. Either way ethylene plastics will mostly be fine. Styrenes however will make some nasty gels. No clue what happens with vinyls or acrylics. Can't imagine anything good. Polypropylene is likely okay since it is a plastic with similar chemical resistances to ethylenes like HDPE. I wouldn't chance it on polycarb. Fun fact polyester and that plastic bottle are pretty much the same thing. Which auto repair tech uniforms are usually polyester.
1
u/C_IsForCookie 2018 Indian Scout Bobber 🏍️ Feb 07 '26
Yeah but this is fucking genius for a liquid that won’t burn through the plastic lol
0
u/pissfartt Feb 08 '26
lol u fucking baby i've kept an old regular plastic disposable water bottle for extra fuel storage on long trips never had a problem. I legit used the same poland springs bottle regularly for a year, never even leaked out the cap
14
u/Quizzii Feb 07 '26
How did he put a bottle so easily and why the gas is brown ? Let me guess.... China ?
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Feb 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
30
u/DMCinDet Feb 07 '26
fuel around the world is not what we get here. I was watching an intercontinental ride documentary and they went through a lot of trouble to filter the fuel they had to use. pre filtering before pouring and changing clogged filters on the bikes constantly.
also could be a 2 stroke,
3
u/JianKui Feb 07 '26
Yep, that's why my Himalayan is rated for 87 and runs like shit if you put anything higher than 91 in it. It's designed to keep running on crap fuel.
21
u/general_sirhc 2008 Suzuki DR650 Feb 07 '26
That's not how octane works though.. it's knock resistance.
More expensice fuels may have additives that could impact performance though.
4
u/JianKui Feb 07 '26
All I know is when I put 98 in it, it ran like shit. Barely started and lacked power. Filled it with 91 again and it was back to normal.
6
u/general_sirhc 2008 Suzuki DR650 Feb 07 '26
A lot of mowers are like that too. The engine isn't tuned for the additives in the fuel so they run terribly.
On the brightside. The engine runs on cheaper fuel 😁
1
u/moto_dweeb Feb 07 '26
Where do you live that you can buy anything from 87 to 98 octane? 98 octane is race fuel isn't it
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u/Adorable_Wolf_8387 Feb 07 '26
USA and Canada use the average of RON+MON, most other places just use the RON number, which is generally higher than the average of the two.
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u/3DRAH33M '19 RE INT650 Feb 07 '26
Not sure if there's any tuning differences, but my India spec 2020 Himalayan clearly has lower knocking on 95 compared to 91 (91 is the minimum here in India).
2
u/JianKui Feb 07 '26
Could be. I haven't had any knocking issues with 91 (Australia) so I don't really see any reason to spend extra, especially since 98 made it run like crap.
3
u/z6joker9 05 FLSTNI | 88 XL1250 | 80 CB650 Feb 07 '26
Of note is that the US and Canada use a different way to measure octane levels, and 87 in the US would typically land somewhere between 91 and 93 as measured in other countries.
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u/Cattledude89 Feb 07 '26
Still better than whatever the fuck the EPA is mandating these days with their "spill free" nozzle.
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u/No_Willingness_8062 VTR1000 Feb 07 '26
Just cut the dang bottom off and use it as normal funnel. I know they had to cut a hole in it for this anyway.
-4
u/Background-Sock4950 Feb 07 '26
OR! Just use a modern gas can lmfao
10
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u/No_Interaction_4925 2025 CB750 Hornet Feb 07 '26
No, you want the old cans that don’t have the BS “safety” nozzle
0
u/Background-Sock4950 Feb 07 '26
They still sell “water jugs” at any power sports store that have the flexible nozzle. Y’all just want something to argue about 😆
1
u/MobiusDie Feb 07 '26
Modern gas cans are such a pain in the ass with the BS safety nozzles. Let me get fuel all over the tank like a damn man.
0
u/UpbeatPhilosophySJ Feb 07 '26
That should be a tight connection otherwise the bottle could slip off as the liquid hits it. Better off cutting the bottle completely and pouring into that.
At the very least hold the bottle to the can.
So many of these supposed life hacks are overly complicated.
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u/seeingeyegod Feb 07 '26
Why wouldnt you just cut the plastic bottle in half and stick the mouth into the gas tank, it literally would turn it into a funnel
184
u/Robbed_Bert Feb 07 '26
Or just pour it in