reserve tanks

M

matthurd

New Member
so i saw a V-8 gas tank in another thread here(a couple actually), which was cool because it was pretty small and mounted right underneath/behind the seat. problem was it seemed far to small to me, but seemed like it could hold enough to get you a decent distance just in case.

has anyone done this before (i'm betting someone has, but couldn't find anything when i searched)

i did find this thread though http://motorbicycling.com/f3/double-intake-fuel-valve-13729-2.html

anyways i my kit came with an inline fuel filter and a spare one (i think thats the name?) and it also had a valve, which im supposed to shut when the engines not in use to prevent fuel from dripping into the motor/carb.

so i'm wondering how reliable are these valves? one option i thought of was just keep that valve shut on the tin can tank, and move the fuel line if i ever had the need for it. never building a bike yet i'm not sure if the fuel lines get kinda gunked up n stuck to w/e they're initially used on. then i found that other thread about T valves which seemed like a better idea.

anyone got pictures of something like this thats been done? or ideas to make it better?
 
My GF has a small rear cylinder tank on her bike... She just carries a extra quart of premixed gas in a leather handlebar tool bag.
It's real easy to do & it looks good too. ;)
vmb011-1.jpg
 
well i was considering getting fuel containers and putting them in my back pack, but 1 lets gas fumes through it (although it is considered safe and the shape of the bottle is awesome) and the other some say the seals wear out over time. since im often riding with 2-3 changes of clothes, a laptop, or both, would rather not risk it, and it would look cool to have to tanks :p

although the aluminum can i only read 1 person having issues with, again rather just not risk it.

http://www.rei.com/product/402058

http://madmaxexp.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=fuel&x=0&y=0
 
matthurd said:
well i was considering getting fuel containers and putting them in my back pack, but 1 lets gas fumes through it (although it is considered safe and the shape of the bottle is awesome) and the other some say the seals wear out over time. since im often riding with 2-3 changes of clothes, a laptop, or both, would rather not risk it
Click to expand...

That's why she carries the extra gas in the handlebar bag, & not in her backpack! ;)
 
I'm going to fashion my kit 1/2 gallon tank into an extra tank for long journeys.
I'm going to make it (somewhat) easily detachable.
If I'm just riding around the hood or to the store, 1.4L should be fine.
Riding with friends and long expeditions (like to work on the weekend) I don't want to carry a canteen of gas. That would suck.
 
This was my solution. These fuel bottles are available from a lot of places. I bought these at REI. They come in different sizes. These are big 30 oz bottles. The dual bottle cage is from Profile Design. I bought the petcocks from a motorcycle supply. Just had to drill and tap the bottles to install the petcocks. This gives me a range of about 70 miles.

biknut-albums-biknut-repair-album-picture343-gas-bottles.jpg
 
biknut said:
This was my solution. These fuel bottles are available from a lot of places. I bought these at REI. They come in different sizes. These are big 30 oz bottles. The dual bottle cage is from Profile Design. I bought the petcocks from a motorcycle supply. Just had to drill and tap the bottles to install the petcocks. This gives me a range of about 70 miles.

biknut-albums-biknut-repair-album-picture343-gas-bottles.jpg
Click to expand...

i was considering getting those bottles to carry extra but i really like your idea a lot better, looks cool :D

what about the 2 fuel lines?what did you use to turn those into one? and did you still use a normal tank as well (making it 3 lines?

a complete parts list with links would be awesome if you have the time :)
 
The 2 fuel lines Tee into 1. With 2 petcocks it allows me to run on one tank at a time. I didn't run the kit fuel tank because I wanted my MB to look more like a bicycle than a little motorcycle. The way it is now the fuel tanks can easily be confused as water bottles from across the street.

I bought the Profile Design dual bottle rack on Amazon, but a lot of bicycle shops sell them too. It runs about $39.

The petcocks are 3/8 pipe thread for 1/4" fuel line. I bought them from Bates Discount Cycle here in Dallas (972) 620-0929. The petcocks were about $18 each. I bought the brass lock nuts at a local hardware store in the plumbing section. You should be able to find a Tee for the fuel lines there too.

You can get the fuel bottles anywhere.
 
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biknut said:
The 2 fuel lines Tee into 1. With 2 petcocks it allows me to run on one tank at a time. I didn't run the kit fuel tank because I wanted my MB to look more like a bicycle than a little motorcycle. The way it is now the fuel tanks can easily be confused as water bottles from across the street.

I bought the Profile Design dual bottle rack on Amazon, but a lot of bicycle shops sell them too. It runs about $39.

The petcocks are 3/8 pipe thread for 1/4" fuel line. I bought them from Bates Discount Cycle here in Dallas (972) 620-0929. The petcocks were about $18 each. I bought the brass lock nuts at a local hardware store in the plumbing section. You should be able to find a Tee for the fuel lines there too.

You can get the fuel bottles anywhere.
Click to expand...

i think i'll run 3 lines. the only part that worries me about it is setting up the petcocks not sure how you got a good seal on those but the rest seems simple enough :)
 
matthurd said:
i think i'll run 3 lines. the only part that worries me about it is setting up the petcocks not sure how you got a good seal on those but the rest seems simple enough :)
Click to expand...

I went to the hardware store and told them I needed a drill and tap for 3/8 pipe thread.

I used teflon paste on the threads.



 
Hey biknut,
That setup is freaking awesome!
If we ever do a racer mod, you can bet I'm going to steal that idea.
 
5-7HEAVEN said:
Do you vent your fuel tanks' caps? My engine needs to vent thru my gas cap.

Nice setup, though.
Click to expand...

Very good question.

Yes, the tank has to be vented. These bottles have the kind of caps that have what is called a pour hole. It's kind of a cap inside a cap. The way it works is that if you unscrew the cap a little you can pour out of the pour hole.

There's a couple of options for venting them. So far what I'm doing is in one of the caps I drilled a 1/8" hole through the inner cap. It vents all the time.

I left the other cap untouched. It's not vented so when I switch tanks I have to also switch caps. The reason I'm running it like that is so there's no possibility of a leak in the bottle I'm not using.

Another option would be to unscrew the cap a little and let it vent through the pour hole.
 
How about the new aluminum "tall boy" beer cans with the threaded cap?

Can't you just put some fuel in one or two of them on a long trip and dump them in the tank?

I like them cause I don't have to drink 16 ounces at a time, and save some for later.
 
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