Last Update: 15 October 2025
It doesn’t matter what size or type of motorcycle you ride; motorcycles are fitted with limited capacity gas tanks which means frequent refuelling stops. Fuel management is something all motorcycle riders are familiar with being that running out of gas a real inconvenience! As a result, you’ll be pulling into a gas station for a refill far more frequently than vehicles. You’ll be pushing those gas pump buttons and tightly grasping the gas handle to fill up your motorcycle gas tank all without noticing the millions of nasty germs you’re encountering and – the dirt on gas pump handles.
Researchers have found that gas pump handles turned out to be the filthiest surfaces we encounter! (According to a study released on Tuesday by Kimberly-Clark Professional, a unit of personal hygiene giant Kimberly-Clark Corp.) A team of hygienists swabbed hundreds of surfaces around North American cities to see what everyday objects are breeding grounds for the worst bacteria and viruses. Almost 40 million vehicle owners (North America) alone, fill up their gas tanks daily, yet most people don’t think twice before grabbing a gas pump handle or pushing a button to do so. In fact, their results found that 71 percent of gas pump handles are “highly contaminated” with microbes associated with illness and disease, according to Kimberly-Clark Corporation study.
Gas Pump Handles Are the Filthiest Surfaces
Testers analysed swabs of the surfaces for levels of adenosine triphosphate, which signals the presence of animal, vegetable, bacteria, yeast or mould cells, and the high levels found suggest they can be transmitting illness, researchers said. The bacteria levels at gas stations were examined based on colony-forming units (CFU) – the number of viable bacteria cells – gas pumps and buttons were unquestionably the filthiest. On average, gas pumps have more than 11,000 times more bacteria than the common household toilet seat. And gas pump station buttons fare even worse: roughly 15,000 times more bacteria! Even money, which can encounter thousands of unwashed hands, has only about 5.2 CFU/sq. in.
The Kimberly-Clark study, led by University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, whom colleagues known as “Dr. Germ,” found that 71 percent of the pumps were highly contaminated with germs associated with disease.
The Dirt Between Regular and Premium Fuels
If you’re like most motorcycle owners, you might be watching your budget and go for the lower grade/lower octane regular fuel. But germ research findings show that the regular gas button has about 3,255,100 CFU/sq. in more germs than the premium. You only need to touch the regular gas button and the pump once to encounter about 5,267,070 CFU/sq. in. On top of that, four different types of germs were detected: gram-positive rods (32.5 percent), gram-positive cocci (31 percent), bacilli (31 percent), and gram-negative rods (5.4 percent). So fortunately, most are usually harmless. But, the Gram-negative rods, (Centres for Disease Control) can be nasty tending to be resistant to antibiotics, but they can cause deadly infections like meningitis and pneumonia.
The top offenders, following gas pumps, followed by handles on public mailboxes, escalator rails and ATM buttons.
If this makes you want to switch over to premium gas, which might also be recommended for your motorcycle model, you should know that germs will still find you! In fact, the premium gas button has 2,022,034 CFU/sq. in., is home to equal amounts of gram-positive rods and yeast (49.97 percent) and trace amounts of bacilli (.05 percent).
10 Tips To Keep Your Motorcycle Fill Up Clean
Luckily, there are things you can do to keep germs from hitching a ride at each fuel stop.
- Use Paper Towels to Hold the Fuel Nozzle. Most gas stations supply towels (alongside the windshield washer squeegee) for free use. Tear off two pieces and wrap around the gas pump handle. Use a paper towel also to hold onto the fuel hose nozzle as you guide it into your gas tank. The paper acts as insulation between your hand and the germy gas pump components. After use, put the handle back and toss out the paper towel in the nearby garbage.
- Carry And Use a Disposable Glove. Keep a pair of disposable latex gloves under your bike seat to protect your hands. You can keep them in a Ziploc sandwich bag. Be sure to remove and dispose of directly after use to avoid contamination. Sanitise hands afterward.
- Carry Hand Sanitiser. Since COVID-19, you’ll be able to find small hand sanitisers to stow in the pocket of your tail bag, panniers, or tank bag. Use after fuelling up. Make sure your sanitiser has at least 60 percent alcohol content.
- Clean Gas Pump Handle Before Use. Take your alcohol-based wipe and run over the handle before using it. You can also pour some of your hand sanitiser over a paper towel provided and wipe the handle, and hose before using.
- Carry Sanitising Wipes. These too can be used to wipe down major touch points at the pump and your own motorcycle (handlebars, fuel cap/gas cap, touch screen, etc).
- Keep Your Riding Gloves On. If you can, keep your riding gloves on which will help you avoid touching the nozzle or hose / surfaces. This will at least keep your hands germ free until you remove your gloves. Bear in mind however, every time your glove encounters something, you’re taking away some of the bacteria that was on that surface. The good news is that the bacteria and viruses that attach to gloves may not last very long, just hours or minutes. Be conscious after you tank up, not to touch your face with your gloves.
- Keep Payments As Clean As Possible. Cash is notoriously dirty, while credit and debit cards are equally shockingly germ-infested. But payment cards can be cleaned. If you must use cash, try to give exact change to avoid a contaminated money swap. Even better is to use an app to pay in advance, if you’re stopping at a coffee stop as well.
- Clean Your Handlebars / Contact Points. After you tank up and before the next stop – be sure to wipe down contact points on your motorcycle. This is also a good idea at the end of a long day riding/ road trip. Use wipes or hand sanitiser (see point 3 and 5), use a sanitising wipe to wipe down handlebars, seat, levers, etc.
- Avoid Touching Your Face. As much as possible, but especially before disinfecting your hands post-gas pump.
- Wash Your Hands. After filling up, head into the fuel station toilet to wash your hands with antibacterial soap. The S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says regular hand washing with soap and water is one of the most basic and best ways to prevent the spread of germs. And if it’s difficult to wash your hands immediately after pumping gas, washing your hands when you arrive at your destination is the important next step.
READ MORE ABOUT CHOOSING THE RIGHT FUEL
