Where does one buy Methanol?

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08 Specialized Langster

nice read should be in 'how to'

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Farang Bah

I get mine from a local chemical supplier in a 225 lit barrel(iirc) Costs about £100 but you can buy smaller 'jugs' of it too.

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If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough.

I haven't got that many winters left.

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I started out with nothing and still got most of it left.

Be careful, I understand that Methanol can be corrosive to aluminium. Probably OK in the small quantities being talked about here, but be careful all the same.

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Try doing this to yer fueller...........

Don't fuel lines have to complient to it too????

N.

I've heard stories about Methaol eating away at seals etc too, but most Pre '60 race bikes that run on it use ally tanks, monkey metal Amal carbs and ordinary fuel lines. I've never had any problems with it except once when I got a bit enthusiastic with lubing the throttle cable with a chain lube aerosol. A big blob of lube trickled down the cable, along the needle and pooled up under the main jet (petrol would normally dissolve this but Methanol is fussy about what it mixes with ) the bike wouldn't take full throttle but would start and run at low revs ok. A frustrating 1/2 hour lost in the pits looking for a problem

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If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough.

That's what I thought Adam, ally tanks were standard fitment on grass and speedway bikes of the olden days. Monkey metal is likely just fine as it'll be (I think) Zinc rather than Ally based?

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Try doing this to yer fueller...........

I remember when I was young and went to support my dad at hillclimbs, folk would have methanol fuelling bikes that they would switch to petrol to wash the carb through. Maybe my memory is clouded...

I read that Ethanol (used in US petrol) ate away at ally and that Erik coated the inside of his fuel frames for this purpose...

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08 Specialized Langster

Here's a couple of Aluminium and Methanol reactions-



and



The Methanol is the CH3OH. The first reaction strips the protective oxide layer off the ally, in the second reaction the Methanol then reacts with the bare ally.

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Try doing this to yer fueller...........

Never heard of switching to petrol in all the years I've used Methanol Pash, but I do drain the tank after playing mainly to stop the fuel absorbing water vapour. Can't imagine what petrol would do with the stratospheric comp ratios used. My bike runs at 15:1

I've often wondered if it would run (badly) on diesel

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If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough.

Yeah, maybe a memory fault, but a 15:1 (geometric) compression ratio wouldn't be a problem at idle where cylinder filling is at a minimum.

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08 Specialized Langster

Out of curiosity, what is/was stock European and US gearing on tubers?

The stock gearing (29/61) feels good on the Sporty - gives decent acceleration and sits at a comfortable 4000rpm cruising at 90.

Euro is a 29/55
US is 27/61

Bo!

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08 Specialized Langster

Are the US spec pullys and belt easy to get hold of if you want to swap?