Distance riding?

[maxtrax]

I am looking at making a saddle bag auxiliary gas tank for my bike that will be t'd into the main line just before my fuel pump. It will be made from an old 20mm ammo can with a stainless steel slip in tank (so it matches the other side saddle bag). From my calculations it should hold an extra 3-4 gallons. People have told me that if I can ride 150 miles I will be doing really good if I don't need to stop.

The reason I want to make an aux tank is I will be using the bike on a 400 mile trip to/from visiting family a couple times during the summer. There aren't alot of gas stations around and I would prefer to be able to stop where/when I want and not be dependent on always finding a gas station.

I have ridden 4 wheelers alot in the past and can ride for hours on end without stopping. With a motorcycle does your butt really get that much more sore riding?

[MikeB]

Where in the world do you live that you can't find a gas station every 100 miles or so? Nunavut?

But your plan may not be as simple as you think.
1) The pickup for the aux tank will have to be at the bottom, and that will put it at about axle height. Are you sure your fuel pump has enough pep to pump uphill that far? -- remember that your existing setup has the gas above the pump. Might be a good idea to test this first with a line into a gas can on the floor.
2) When the main tank runs low or dry you will need to have a valve to switch to the aux tank or the pump will want to suck air from the empty tank rather than gas from the aux tank.
3) That's a lot of weight on one side of the bike -- you might have to carry some ballast in the can on the other side.

Seems like a lot of trouble unless you really NEED it. I did have a bike that gave me range problems (a Suzuki GV1200 "muscle cruiser" that was good for only 100 miles or less when all four Mikunis were sucking hard) but on the very few occasions when I thought I might exceed that I just carried some extra gas in plastic soda bottles in the saddlebags.

[JaYdEd]

Wouldn't it be simpler to carry a can with you, and refill your tank as needed?

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[maxtrax]

I will be living in Wisconsin and driving around Chicago to the middle of Michigan. I know sometimes traffic jams around chicago can get pretty bad and I would rather be able to stop where and when I want.

Before I purchase the ammo cans I mocked it up with cardboard and the bottom of the tank will be about 4-6 inches above where my fuel pump is located. Yes it isn't as high above the pump as my other tank but it should be high enough to gravity feed.

My though was that I would run with my main tank off and use the aux tank first. There would be a shutoff in the line to the aux tank so that when that tank is empty I can simply shut it off and turn my main tank on.

I did think about the weight issue but one of the guys that was telling me I would need to stop said that the weight shouldn't be an issue. Another option I did consider is carrying extra gas in welch's grape juice bottles (this is a trick we used 4-wheeling because they were durable and could be strapped to the frame fairly easy) and putting them in the ammo can saddle bags. This would allow me to fill up at rest stops if it was handy and I didn't want to stop at a gas station. However filling those up at a gas station might get me some grief because they aren't "rated" for gas.

[John Hopkins]

It seems really stupid to me, get hit or a front flat tire or any one of a hundred things happen to put your bike on it's side..one spark and that's all she wrote..

John.

[maxtrax]

That is why I was thinking about doing a stainless steel tank inside of the ammo can. Yes those cans are pretty durable and with a tank inside I would not be too concerned about fire. Someone did suggest that getting rear ended could cause some issues but I figure if I get hit that hard the tank is going to be the least of my issues.

[adlowe]

Originally Posted by MikeB

Seems like a lot of trouble...

More than it is worth, IMO. I easily get 150+ miles per tank if I keep the speed under 70 MPH -- WITHOUT going into reserve. I can usually get close to 180 miles per tank without worries -- and that's generally about as far as I can go without getting off to stretch.

Note: No links to the fuel-tank punch mod but that does get me an extra 10 to 20 miles.

Originally Posted by maxtrax

I will be living in Wisconsin and driving around Chicago to the middle of Michigan. I know sometimes traffic jams around chicago can get pretty bad and I would rather be able to stop where and when I want.

400 miles is NOT distance riding. That's not even a challenging day ride in nice weather. I know the roads you're talking about. Gas stations are no concern -- although stopping in/around Gary, IN would certainly be.

If you really, really need to be able to make the trip without stopping -- and think you can ride a Shadow like that -- then you can buy a ready-made aux tank (that can be easily spliced into your fuel system) from Tourtank. (I *think* Sanoke has one.) The web pages might even have enough info for you to figure out a better idea than old ammo cans.

Originally Posted by maxtrax

Another option I did consider is carrying extra gas in welch's grape juice bottles...fill up at rest stops...

Crazy. Buy a 1/2-gallon fuel can and fill it at a gas station. Or go to a camping goods store and get a couple of those cans for campstove fuel, red ones.

[kacealraid]

I think that's too much trouble for not enough result. But, that's just my opinion. I wouldn't just "shrug off" the weight issue. I am sure you'll notice the difference in weight with about 4 gallons on one side of your vehicle. (Hell, I notice it when I'm taking a gallon of milk home).

And there shouldn't be an issue with gas stations if you're on any major highway. Just gas up before getting into the busy places, so you don't have to stop in between there and you can just get out as fast as possible.

[rjdaines]

I a boating scenario we wanted to bring along some extra fuel and bought two 5 gallon cans. After filling them and lifting them, we quickly realized that at 6 lbs per gallon the weight of gasoline is quite significant.

[maxtrax]

I know that 400 miles is not "distance riding" but I'm thinking in the future I would like to be able to ride my bike to the west coast or Alaska.

The tourer tanks are a great idea and could be removed at will if I wanted. It would also keep the weight centered on the bike. Since I already have the ammo cans I think I am still going to make the saddle bags out of them while I can still get powder-coating free.

The reason I don't want to use a gas can is that all the new fill necks seem to leak like crazy. With a jug that is mean to pour with no spout I would be much more satisfied IMO (and the welches bottles would be free).