[burkbuilds]

I run ethanol free when I have the option. My mpg's usually go up by 5-10% with regular unleaded vs ethanol, and as you point out, ethanol is corrosive. I've also noticed that it is much harder to start the bike in cold weather if there is ethanol in the tank. The tanker truck drivers I've talked to had to have all their seals replaced soon after ethanol was introduced. Pipe lines won't carry it due to the corrosive nature, so it all gets shipped by tank usually starting with railroad cars and finally tanker trucks to the terminals. I saw where many in congress want to repeal the subsidy they pay to distributors for putting it into the gas, somewhere around 50 cents per gallon currently. Many scientists claim that it takes as much or more fuel to produce ethanol as you get from growing the crops that produce it. Many others claim that using crops for fuel has helped to drive up the price of many vegetables and thus animal feed which drives up the price of meat. Basically, it's a big misguided government program with the best intentions of reducing our need for imported oil, but it probably doesn't help at all, and may actually increase our need for imported oil. I'd stay away from it if you have the option.