[Rhodes22-list] E85

[Steven Alm]

I've got some good news and some bad news.  The good news is that we finally
got some spring-like weather up here in Minneapolis and I got the scooter
out for a nice long ride.  The bad news is that I was talking to another
biker dude who told me he goes down to Iowa and loads up on gas for his bike
because Iowa doesn't use any ethanol.  He told me virtually all gas stations
in Minnesota have it.  I thought they had to put a sticker on the pumps
saying it's E85.  WTF?

I know we've discussed this before but IIRC engines have to be reworked to
run on ethanol because it's hard on hoses, gives lower gas-mileage and so
on, and so-called "flex fuel vehicles" have undergone this modification.
But I'm sure the vast majority of Minnesotans have not made these
modifications to their cars so I'm wondering if we're all ruining our cars
or was this biker dude just blowing smoke.  I've googled around a bit and
can't find evidence one way or the other if all or how many Minnesota gas
stations have it now.  Or if it's required that pumps display a sticker.

I'm not at all on the corn-produced ethanol bandwagon and don't see it as a
viable option--unless of course you're a corn farmer of which there are a
lot in this neck of the woods.  But there's probably no place that grows
more corn than Iowa.  So what do the Iowegians know that we Minnesotans
don't know about ethanol?  More importantly, am I wrecking my scooter's
engine?  My out board?  My V-8 without even knowing that I'm running E85?
Aside--they're all running well but I haven't checked gas mileage lately.

Slim