Bad gas ruins motorcycle charity ride~!

OFF THE WIRE
WASHINGTON:


It isn't bad enough gas prices are high.... now we have to worry about the quality of the gas we're paying $4.00 a gallon for?
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/05/03/1998934/bad-gasoline-in-ferndale-disables.html
 Bad gasoline in Ferndale disables motorcycles during weekend charity ride

ISABELLE DILLS - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

A group of motorcyclists taking part in a ride benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation Sunday, May 1, said their motorcycles were disabled after filling up with bad gasoline at a Shell station on Haxton Way near the Silver Reef Casino.

The motorcyclists were taking part in the Skagit Valley Wings Lime Run, which started in Burlington and included a check-in point at the Silver Reef Casino.

Lynden resident Rod "Dutch" Smithson had just filled up his Harley-Davidson with premium gasoline about noon when his motorcycle began sputtering and barely running. He was able to make it as far as the casino parking lot before turning off his Harley.

"My friend pulled up after me with the same problem," he said, adding that five to six more riders pulled into the casino parking lot with their engines sputtering.

Smithson and his fellow riders quickly realized it had to do with the gasoline. They returned to the gas station, and the employees gave them the materials to siphon the gas from their tanks. What came out was a "solid, black sludge" and "pond-like water with little black floaties," Smithson said.

The Shell station refunded money to Smithson and the other riders.

"The people working at the gas station did everything they could for us," rider Gerrit Vis said.

Vis estimated that about 12 to 14 motorcycles were disabled by the bad gasoline.

McEvoy Oil Co. supplies the gas at that station, which is located at 4884 Haxton Way. The company's president, Tim McEvoy, did not return calls for comment Tuesday, May 3. Calls to the gas station were not answered.

Smithson and other riders said their calls have not yet been returned by anyone from Shell or McEvoy Oil.

This is at the second time within the last few years that motorists have reported bad gasoline from pumps in the Ferndale area.

In 2008, at least six drivers found their vehicles disabled by fuel contamination after getting gas at the Ferndale Shell station on Main Street. That gas also came from McEvoy Oil.

The state Department of Agriculture, which monitors gasoline quality, does not have any record of complaints against McEvoy Oil, according to public information officer Mike Louisell.

On Tuesday, Gregory Head, owner of Mt. Baker Harley-Davidson, said he had two of the motorcycles being repaired at his shop. Two other motorcycles were at Skagit Harley-Davidson in Burlington, and at least two more were at Downtown Harley-Davidson in Renton.

"There was definitely water in the gas, and some kind of brownish particles in the gas," Head said.

His technicians were cleaning out the bikes' fuel systems. Because the owners shut down their motorcycles right away, there was no serious damage. The estimated cost of repairs was about $100 each, Head said.

Riders Ralph and Kim Stuart, who live in Renton, said they hope their Harleys will be as easy and inexpensive to fix.

They dropped off their 2009 Harley Screamin Eagle Ultra Classic and 2002 Harley Heritage Softail for repairs Tuesday afternoon.

The repair men "were flabbergasted when we showed them the pictures of what we got out of the tanks," Ralph Stuart said. "Their jaws just dropped."