Hi all, Just thought I'd throw in my experience with a 2hp Honda. I hope I'm not duplicating someone else's post because I came in partway through the thread. This was a 2001 Canadian model with clutch, bought new and used on an inflatable dinghy. At one point, when it was a few months old, I noticed an unusually strong gas smell (and there may have been a bit leaking into the water, the details have started to fade) while it was sitting on the dinghy. When we investigated, it became clear that fuel had gotten into the oil crankcase somehow. After changing the oil and getting it all squared away, we talked with the dealer and other boaters as to what might have happened. We had never stored the motor on the "wrong" side; it was either on the dinghy transom or stored upright on a bracket on the stern rail of the big boat. The consensus we all came to was this: While the motor was on the dinghy, but we weren't using it, we would tilt it up to get the lower unit out of the water. In that position there is technically no "wrong" side, BUT apparently in some big wakes/waves, the motor rotated - while it was tilted up - just enough to allow it to behave as if it had been stored on the wrong side and the gas and oil were allowed to mix. There was nothing but friction to keep the motor from flopping to one side or the other while tilted up. Luckily we caught it before starting the motor. After that we used a bungie to keep it rotated around the "right" way when it was tilted up. Perhaps they've improved the tilt mechanism to take care of that by now. In any case, it would only happen in rough water while towing or with large wakes. Something to think about though. FWIW --- Rachel Former owner 1981 M-17 #334, and 1993 M-15 #517