I've just been asked by Rick Green if Lambrettas are compatible with the new unleaded petrol called E10 and I have to admit I knew nothing about it!
After a bit of online research apparently unleaded petrol is being replaced by the new less polutting E10 fuel in September this year! This has been kept fairly quiet as far as I am concerned!
Apparently older classic vehicles are not compatible with this new petrol but you can check on the gov.com website to see if your vehicle is on the list. Of course, you guessed it, Lambretta is not on the list but it does advise you if your vehicle isn't listed then it is recommended that you refer back to the manufacturer of the vehicle! What!!!
By all accounts continual use of E10 petrol in older engines will cause damage to the seals and tubes in the carb and petrol tank systems, but using Super unleaded should be OK! From what I understand some Lambretta riders have experienced problems when using super unleaded petrol in their scooters, and generally it wasn't recommended to use super unleaded in old scooters!
From my brief research you will still be able to get standard unleaded petrol as it is now ( which is called E5 ) but only in certain petrol stations and then it will probably be for the next five years only! I did see some mention that you could use the new E10 fuel in older engines but you probably would have to add some sort of additive!
All a bit concerning and yet another stumbling block for using old classic vehicles! Anybody got anymore info or opinions on all of this??