What’ll Happen If You Put The Wrong Gas In Your Dirt Bike?

Did you fill up your dirt bike with the wrong gas type and think you are doomed? Spoiler Alert: you aren’t!

Picture this. You are on your dirt bike having the time of your life when your dirt bike suddenly goes out of juice. You notice a gasoline station nearby, misread the fuel type, and fill up the tank with the wrong gas.

In addition to causing engine failure, putting the wrong gas in your dirt bike will also make it smoke heavily. Furthermore, it causes engine knocking due to premature combustion.

So, what happens now? Will your dirt bike never function properly ever again?

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What Happens When You Put The Wrong Fuel In Your Dirt Bike?

Every bike is different. You can’t just go around and fill your dirt bike tank up with any fuel. If you have made this mistake, the good news is that there might still be something you can still do about it.

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Possible Situations, Consequences, And Fixes

You Put Diesel In Your Dirt Bike

Putting diesel in your dirt bike isn’t a great idea because it will make your dirt bike smoke heavily. Eventually, your dirt bike might even lose power.

Fix: If your dirt bike is not designed for diesel, and you end up making this mistake, turn off the engine ASAP! Drain the fuel immediately; otherwise, it can be super dangerous and even cause a fire.

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You put Ethanol In Your Dirt Bike

For starters, all gasoline comes with ethanol. The concentration of ethanol matters, so makes sure it’s not higher level. If you have a two-stroke dirt bike, fuel with a high ethanol level is contagious for the engine! However, it is safe for a 4 stroke bike.

Fix: Avoid ethanol-based gas at all costs. It sure is super cheap but it causes corrosion.

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You Put Unmixed Gas In Your Dirt Bike

Two-stroke dirt bikes require extra care and lubrication when putting fuel in them. If you fill gas directly from the pump into your two-stroke dirt bike, there are high chances of your overheating the engine.

However, directly filing from the pump is fine for four strokes but not for two-stroke bikes. The consequences of putting unmixed gas can be loss of compression and engine failure.

Fix: The owners of two-strokes dirt bikes have to be extra careful and mix a specific ratio of oil and gas by themselves. This ratio is 40:1 and 32:1.

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Mixing Unleaded Gas In Your Dirt Bike

Unleaded fuel is the regular fuel. If you are looking for a less expensive way to go, you might be tempted to mix mid-grade and premium quality gas. People do this to create their custom blend and save money.

While doing so does not damage a regular dirt bike to a great extent. But this isn’t going to cut it for you if your dirt bike is designed for high-octane fuel. Most gas stations also sell unleaded gas, so you do not need to mix it yourself.

It won’t damage your bike, but it is still not recommended in the long run.

Fix: If you put unleaded gas in a high-octane fuel dirt bike, do not start the bike, and replace the fuel immediately.

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You Put Incorrectly Mixed Fuel In Your Dirt Bike

As discussed above, auto stroke bikes require oil to be premixed with the gas before being put into the dirt bike. A possible scenario can be that you didn’t see enough oil in the gas, and the gas ratio is higher than it is supposed to be.

This scenario causes the internal components of your bike to be damaged forever. But if you reverse the situation and there is too much oil and not enough gas, your dirt bike will produce additional smoke.

However, the situation is less damaging because it will not affect the engine of your dirt bike in the long run.

Fix: Check the right ratio of gas to oil and oil to gas on the manual of your dirt bike and follow it accordingly.

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What Is The Right Gas Type For Your Dirt Bike?

You should be aware of the recommended fuel type for the dirt bike you are purchasing. This information is available on the bike, but most models use 87 or 89 Octane gas. 87 octane fuel is recommended for four-stroke engines.

However, this information is not universal because it can vary depending upon the model of your dirt bike. You can find this information on the user’s manual that comes with your dirt bike.

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What Is The Right Time To Replace The Wrong Dirt Bike Fuel?

When a dirt bike gas tank is filled with the wrong gas, it should be drained and replaced immediately. It doesn’t matter if the wrong fuel is diesel or any unmixed gas.

It can seriously mess with the engine of your dirt bike permanently. To prevent the damage, it should be replaced as early as possible.

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And That’s A Wrap!

Not every fuel type fits like a puzzle in your dirt bike, so be careful. Reading the above-discussed scenarios would equip you with the correct information on avoiding this from happening.

If you end up putting the wrong fuel in your dirt bike, you might have to say goodbye to the engine forever!

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