Soda Bottle Fuel Tank Adapter

[wileydavis]

Just a pic of the adapter I made to use a soda bottle with my EH035 engine. Uses the standard POC 1881 bottle size.

 

[wheelbender6]

That brings us one step closer to a motorbike that can run on beer.

 

[wileydavis]

The beer greases the wheels, the Mt. Dew motivates.

Actually, the whole need for this was my tours often require shipping the bike or traveling on a bus or a train. None of those allow containers that have had fuel in them. No gas tanks allowed. So this allows me to arrive, unpack the bike, buy a bottle of soda, drink it, then just use that as my fuel tank. No hassles with shipping that way.

Every 7-11 keeps an assortment of fuel tanks in stock.

 

[deacon]

Market this item. I would buy one if the price were right, just because I love way out gas tanks. Make them out of plastic even.

 

[wheelbender6]

There was a guy that posted the question a while back if anybody had an easily removable fuel tank. It sounds like you solved his problem with great aplumb.

 

[wileydavis]

Deacon. If you PM me a shipping address, I'll send you one for free to test if you'd be willing to give feedback. (I made a few...the joys of cnc).

 

[sscustoms]

Looks good to me , maybe you could just mod the plastic cap that they come with ,maybe with some brass fittings

 

[wileydavis]

That would work. The problem, though, is that the seal in the cap wasn't designed for very many seal/unseal cycles. So you'd probably have to make a new one every so often. Plus the caps are thin, so getting a stout connection with the fittings is difficult.

 

[deacon]

Tell you what, I am in the middle of testing a bike. I am going to need a new tank so give me a day or two to figure out the placement and I'm all for it. I love to give feed back. Can you mount the battle on it's side or does it have to be straight up.

 

[wileydavis]

Deacon: Side-mount should be no problem. Even upside down will work. it's an air-tight seal. If you're not using a diaphragm type carb with a return line, you'll need to run a vent hose someplace higher than the top of the fuel level. I'll include a drawing.

 

[deacon]

Maybe I can fill the bottle about 3/4, then put the plug on and use the air trapped inside the bottle to force the gas out if I have it high enough. Maybe it won't lock up. Why not put some water in a bottle about 3/4 full put the cap on and see if it will run out freely without a vent. That would give us the answer wouldn't it.

Also I bet that is the same size lid as an oil bottle, which is heaver than the coke bottle. I can also play around with it to see what all it will fit. I like this idea more all the time.

 

[wileydavis]

Without a vent, or a return line, only a small amount will run out before it locks up due to vacuum.

If you don't have a return or want to run a vent, you could put a check valve on it. These let air in (to prevent vacuum) but won't let fuel out. These are standard motorcycle parts:

Opentip.com: Tusk Gas Tank Vent Valve Red

 

[wileydavis]

The nice thing about the soda bottle, is that it was designed to be pressurized. A soda bottle is an amazingly strong thing. A water bottle or an oil bottle is not designed to hold pressure, which can occur when your tank heats up in the sun.

 

[deacon]

I see what you mean. Yes it has the single big line like the china kit line. The vent shouldn't be a problem if the big line will seal on the small fitting.

 

[wileydavis]

If it's 1/4" ID hose, let me know and I can put in 1/4" fittings instead of 1/8. You still need a vent, though.

 

[deacon]

It the 1/4 inch line yes and I can figure a vent out no problem. I just needed a minute to think about it. I have plenty of the really small tubing I'll just plug one and put a pin hole in the line near the end the run it along the bottle. So that when it flips it will be above the gas level.

 

[wileydavis]

Sounds good. I'll ship it early next week. Just PM me an address at some point before then.

 

[deacon]

After I cranked on my new 3.5 hp friction drive bike for fifteen minutes without it starting more than a second at a time. If finally hit me to check the gas tank. You guessed it, too dry to start. I am truly looking forward to your adapter sir. I have already picked out a 24oz diet coke bottle for the first gas tank. I also had an idea after I finish the others in the pack, I am going to wash, dry and save them, even the caps. I can fill them with gas reseal the tops and carry them on longer rides. When the tank runs dry, I can toss it and install a whole new one by just changing lids. That will be the cat's meow.

 

[happycheapskate]

Just don't use the mtn dew bottles! They can melt for some reason (something in the gas). I used to carry cola bottles full of gas for my job weed-eating at a cemetary.

I like the idea of an adapter for soda bottles, but maybe you are missing the obvious: Coke bottles are often used as spare fuel bottles because the caps seal tightly and are reusable for a while. How about a METAL, threaded cap for this purpose?

Here is something I'm going to try out:

http://www.bikepedia.com/Images/image2.aspx?w=300&h=300&filename=WBTC1730.jpg&f=Hawley

Water Bottle Used As Spare Gas Tank ? - Page 3 - MotoredBikes.com: Motorized Bicycle Forum

 

[Dan]

That is really cool Wiley. Great thunking.