Carrying extra petrol

**Motu** · 19th July 2008, 17:47

Looks like us DT230 riders are a bit paranoid about fuel range! I have one of the MSL fuel bottles,it was about $25 when I got mine.Kinda pricey,but they do the job.1litre is not going to get me far....but hopefully I will be heading to somewhere for fuel anyway,it's not like you are going to suddenly run out 100km from civilization,you have to think ahead with a small tank.I also have a 500ml alloy drink bottle for oil,much cheaper and seems to be holding up ok.

Back in the '70's I had some round 1/2 gallon oil tins - they were great in the fuel rationing era and we could pack them around our bikes much easier than the gallon tins we had back then.The Hog Farm used to sell throw over leather bags that were the exact shape of gallon tins.

**Pedrostt500** · 19th July 2008, 17:54

Originally Posted by StClingin

With the old gas scooters I just used an empty meths/turps/etc bottle, of course put a small amount of fuel in it first and shake it around to clean it, don't want to clean the engine with meths... probably explode.

These worked sweet as.

A little meths in your petrol is ok, used to pour a bit of meths into the petrol if there was a small amount of water in the fuel as this would help dilute and mix the water with the petrol.

**Pedrostt500** · 19th July 2008, 17:57

try a Paint shop some times they have empty Thinners cans that are steel, in 1 Ltr and 4 Ltr. or try a panel beater or car painters.

**pampa** · 19th July 2008, 23:03

I have one of those mower 3+ litres containers and a MSR like 1.5Litre fuel bottle bought on discount at 15$ at a trampers shop. The Mower fuel container seems very handy.

**slowpoke** · 19th July 2008, 23:41

Are you blokes frikkin' crazy?! Soft drink bottles?

As kids we used to jump on a soft drink bottle to make the cap blow off and spray our mates.....

Now imagine coming off a bike with all it's sharp protuding bits, the possibly rocky/scrubby/abrasive ground and a shitty soft drink bottle caught between the two at who knows what speed. A spray of fuel, a spark of alloy against rock and you are literally toast.

Chances are you'll get away with it but why even take the chance?

**RiderInBlack** · 20th July 2008, 06:52

Originally Posted by slowpoke

Now imagine coming off a bike with all it's sharp protuding bits, the possibly rocky/scrubby/abrasive ground and a shitty soft drink bottle caught between the two at who knows what speed. A spray of fuel, a spark of alloy against rock and you are literally toast.

Sounds like a job for Myth Busters. Think ya will find the results very disappointing. Would have ta be a very dry hot day.

**slowpoke** · 20th July 2008, 08:45

Originally Posted by RiderInBlack

Sounds like a job for Myth Busters. Think ya will find the results very disappointing. Would have ta be a very dry hot day.

Haha, nice "smilie"! I've seen pictures of a bike going up in flames after sliding down the road at a trackday. Made a hell of a mess after coming to rest in the middle of the track. A soft drink bottle is gonna rupture a hell of a lot easier than a steel tank and if you've ever seen a bike sliding down the road then you'll know there are plenty of sparks....

**RiderInBlack** · 20th July 2008, 09:38

Originally Posted by slowpoke

Haha, nice "smilie"! I've seen pictures of a bike going up in flames after sliding down the road at a trackday. Made a hell of a mess after coming to rest in the middle of the track. A soft drink bottle is gonna rupture a hell of a lot easier than a steel tank and if you've ever seen a bike sliding down the road then you'll know there are plenty of sparks....

Plastic doesn't spark. Alloy is not much better. Steel sparks like hell as long as the surface is right. Not much spark off muddy tracks. Now down tar-seal, yes it is possible. Petrol flame moves slow (about walking pace). The plastic bottle would have to be strapped the the bike in such away as to stay with the bike and be close ta steel as it goes down on hard rock. Possible but unlikely, but then they would have a lot more ta worry about with that fall than the plastic petrol bottle. A tin with petrol would not fair any better in that fall. In fact the tin would be more likely to spark and therefore more likely ta ignite as did the steel tank on the trackday.

**426crasher** · 20th July 2008, 10:39

In the past i have used small 2 stroke oil containers that i get for my outboard. Although they didnt leak i was still sort of concerned that they might when thrown around a bit so i went to the plumbers and bought a small selection of thin O rings and tested them inside the top. Filled them with water and stood on them.No problems at all. If i jumped on them the top blew off. I even tried them full of petrol turned upside down and clamped lightish in the vice overnight with no leakage. I now use them for my chainsaws fuel and its in there for months with no issues.
Cheers Tony

**scumdog** · 20th July 2008, 11:10

Originally Posted by Crisis management

1.5 or 2 litre coke bottles apparently.... I haven't tried it but others i trust swear by them, the bottle and cap are ok.

Try it out first if your unsure, leave it to sit for a few days and then jump on it and see what happens. Should be fine.

I left one full of petrol for a whole year - no problems at all and the fuel was still good

**marks** · 20th July 2008, 14:22

Mitre 10 have ordered me a 3L container which should be about perfect.

Thanks for the responses.

**pete376403** · 20th July 2008, 14:27

Get the KLR you know you want - 21 litre tank. No need to carry additional fuel supplies.

**marks** · 20th July 2008, 15:02

Originally Posted by pete376403

Get the KLR you know you want - 21 litre tank. No need to carry additional fuel supplies.

Go on Pete - kick a man while he's down...

I thought I'd have one by know but the deal fell through

thanks again for letting me ride yours

**offrd** · 20th July 2008, 19:22

My brother used to strap 2L coke bottles full of fuel to him to do big rides on his YZ250, Trust me he crashes just as good as me sometimes and no problems! Transfer fuel to tank and bin the bottle in the right place, less crap to carry alllll the way home......

**jezzaNZ** · 21st July 2008, 14:28

Originally Posted by MOTOXNUT

I have used 2 litre coke bottles for the limited ( 150 km ) range on my drz for a while now and have never had a leak even after leaving petrol in there for a month. I dont fill them right to to top and squeeze them slightly before putting the lid on, this leaves room in the bottle for expansion. Also the advantage with them is that once you have emptied them you dont need to carry them all the way home with you,never had an issue at the service station filling them as most servos are self serv now anyway.

+1 Safe as houses as long you don't have a major off, in which case any fuel container carried on the exterior or your bike is a risk.