Today we are going to analyze all the additives that we can add to the gasoline of our motorcycles to improve their performance, which ones are recommended and which ones are worthless.
Gas stations and motorcycle parts stores are littered with jars of additives that resemble vitamin complexes in a pharmacy.
Do the test if you want: go into a pharmacy and read several boxes of vitamins, there won’t be a single one that you don’t want to take. Who doesn’t want to have more strength, more memory, more defenses or more hair?
The same goes for additives. If you read the bottle you automatically want to pour the entire contents into your bike’s tank. Who doesn’t want to clean their injectors, remove rust from the tank, gain a few horsepower or improve cold starting?
If we give in to temptation, our tank will end up looking like Obelix’s cauldron.
What are motorcycle gasoline additives?
Before we start, do we know what fuel additives are?
These are components that can be added (in small quantities) to the gasoline or oil tank to improve the performance of our motorcycle.
Some of them are not added by us, but come as standard in gasoline, such as the problematic ethanol, however in this entry we will focus on those products that we can buy and add to our tank.
What types of additives are there for motorcycle gasoline?
Within the additives that we can add to the gasoline of our motorcycle we can find different groups:
- Stabilizers: they prevent gasoline decomposition and the appearance of rust. They prevent the fuel from evaporating by absorbing water. They are very useful when we are not going to use the motorcycle for a long time.
- Gasoline performance enhancers: these typically raise the octane rating of gasoline, improving power and combustion efficiency.
- Injector cleaners: are specifically designed for cleaning injectors by adding detergents and dispersants. They improve ignition and starting.
- Engine rinses and cleaners: these are specific products used for deep cleaning of the engine. They are composed of oil and detergents. They are very useful to prepare an engine for an oil change. They improve engine efficiency and reduce emissions.
- Engine performance enhancers: reduce friction between engine components by improving the properties of the oil (who wouldn’t like a Roman baptistery…). They are usually ashless boron compounds.
- Engine protectors: their function is very similar to the previous group. They improve the properties of the engine oil to extend its useful life. They are usually composed of molybdenum disulfide.
- Lead substitutes: necessary in older motorcycles that used lead as a lubricating agent.
- Antifreeze: necessary only if you are going to drive in areas where there is a risk of the gasoline in the tank freezing.
As you can see, the list of additives is enormous, so it is important to know them in order to understand whether they are necessary or not.
What additives are recommended to improve the performance of a motorcycle?
Beforehand I have to tell you one thing: miracles do not exist.
And a second thing: if you are going to use an additive, make sure it is a recognized brand. I assure you that a Chinese product is not going to work the same as a Liqui Moly or Motul.
After two sentences of real brother-in-law (I only need to recommend my mechanics book) I will explain which additives are really worthwhile.
Fuel stabilizers:
If you are going to keep the bike all winter or you have a small collection of classic bikes and you know you are going to use it a couple of times a year to go to a rally, I strongly recommend adding a good fuel stabilizer. You will avoid finding the gums full of rust or sediment and that your bike takes forever to start.
You should consider using it if you are going to leave your motorcycle stationary for a period of more than 2 weeks. Otherwise it is not worth it.
Gasoline loses octane over time, so you will end up using old gasoline of very poor quality.
Not all gasolines deteriorate in the same way, try to fill up at a reliable gas station and your motorcycle will thank you for it.
Older motorcycles are particularly sensitive to these stops. I wouldn’t consider using it on a scooter unless I plan to leave it in the garage for a long time.
Gasoline boosters
These additives can indeed add some power to your bike, however it depends a lot on the engine in which they are used.
On an older carburetor-powered bike you won’t notice much difference.
On a modern high-performance motorcycle you might notice it.
I don’t know if you have noticed but clearly this type of additive is not among my favorites.
Injector cleaners
This type of motorcycle gasoline additive should be used when you notice a drop in performance that may be due to clogged injectors.
Their usefulness is undeniable but they do nothing if there are no injectors to clean.
In my case, I use it every time I change the oil in my bike (not because it has anything to do with the oil), that way I do a periodic maintenance of the injectors.
Tank cleaners and engine cleaners
They are only necessary in case we want to do a thorough cleaning of our tank, because we suspect that it is not in its best conditions.
In the case of engine cleaners, they are recommended before an oil change, since everything they manage to extract from the engine will be eliminated with the dirty oil.
Engine performance enhancers or lubricants
It is a highly recommended additive in older engines, which used lead from gasoline for lubrication. It can slow down engine wear and increase engine life.
They are not superfluous in more modern engines, although they are not strictly necessary.
Motor protectors
Normally they are not worth it on modern motorcycles, however I highly recommend them if your motorcycle is more than 20 years old and is not prepared for ethanol gasoline (E10 or E5).
In that case you should know that this component is literally loading your engine, so you must protect it.
Lead substitutes
Exactly the same as the previous motorcycle fuel additive: if you have a very old motorcycle it is mandatory to use it if you don’t want to run out of valves.
Antifreeze
I only recommend them if you live in an area with a really cold climate and your bike sleeps on the street.
Otherwise it is very difficult to freeze the gasoline in your tank.
