Auxialary gas tank

talk to Gust, from the Skunks site.He installed a 5 Gal fuel cell on the back seat [seat is gone] of his bike gravity feed..nice!He also lurks here. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SKUNKtails/

I am into simple. On my Motorvation Spyder I installed a 4 1/2 gal gas tank in the trunk. To it I added a cheapeeee electric fuel pump, ran a wire to ground and got the power feed from the running lights I already had. Run out of fuel ....... I take the wire off the light connector, plug it into the fuel pump, turn the fitting (which in my insurance against leakage)on the hose which is long enough to reach my gas tank or anyone elses tank that I might be traveling with and bingo. I am a traveling fuel tanker for anyone. 160 to 180 miles is about all I get on my rig and by then I am ready to take a rest and some photos. With the exception of riding across Nevada I had never needed the extra tank. However I have come very close and once I had to leave formation to go look for gas. Now, I am set.

I got one from Tour Tank that looks like a bed role, mounted it on the luggage rack of my Velorex. 2.25 gallons looks cool, easy on off.
David

Jaguzzi wrote:
>>I would prefer putting the tank in the back of the sidecar or maybe on the frame somewhere, but then I'd be fighting gravity and I would think I'd have to install a check valve and a transfer pump. Is there a simple solution to this?<<

Rich,
The examples posted already alleviate this concern. The idea of a 'fuel transfer tank' as in the motorvation is probably going to give you the most reserve with the least hassle when mounted in the sidecar.
There are additional options to you.
A valve , either a check valve, as you mentioned, or a shutoff valve will work to overcome the gravity concern. You would have to make sure th emanual valve was set right at all times.
I did see one rig that had a tank in the chair that was hooked up with what may be called a sealed system. In other words the sidecar tank had no cap on it and was filled as the main tank was filled. This guy had modified the main tank with a larger fuel line to the sidecar tank but I bet it still took a while to fill them both at a gas stop. Not sure how he vented the thing.

I still think a 3 to 5 gal fuel cell on the pillion area is the best way to go. passengers are a NO NO there anyway, so that space is just wasted on a sidecar rig. all you need then is a fuel line to the gas tank line on the bike. with a shutoff valve. no pump. run low on gas, open the valve from the fuel cell, and your bike tank fills up from the gravity feed. PS make sure you watch it! my Friend forgot and his bike tank overflowed! this can be done on the road with care, but best to pull over and fill it off the road.

Lots of great ideas, thanks all.

Being fully aware of the advantages of the KISS philosophy, I'm thinking about just getting a 20 liter jerry can and a mounting rack. Stop and fill if needed. Can't get any simpler (or much cheaper) than that.

Rich

Affordable and simple.
Just be aware that some passengers do complain about the smell of gas on
Ural sidecars with the jerry can. Where were you going to put the can?? What sidecar do you have?????

It's a Texas (standard) sidecar.

I haven't figured out where to put the aux tank. Heck I haven't even finished rigging the hack to the bike yet!

Working on the front lower mount-should have this done in the next few days. Then we'll be ready for a maiden run.

RA

The Tour Tank (Tourtank.com) 3.5 Gal. kit might squeeze into the trunk space of the Standard. The only problem with this setup in the boot is potential spillage when filling the tank if there is no outside filler tube.
There again, pillion mounting will eliminate this potential odor problem.

Lonnie

Pillion mounted, mounted in the a trunk on the rear of the bike or mounted in a saddlebag have all been done sucessfully. Putting a tank that is long and narrow between the sidecar and hack has also been done as has under the sidecar in addition to behind the sidecar seat. Lots of options ... just be safe, think of fumes getting to the passenger (especially if the passenger is a smoker..lol) and spillage concerns when refueling. Venting the tank itself and venting in an inclosed area should also be a concern.

Try lookin for a gas tank out of a snow mobile. Made of impact resistant plastic. Will come w/necessary vent setup and my guess would probably fit easily in the hack trunk.

Pre-built plastic and aluminum tanks are available from Summit Racing, located on the internet. Do a google search for "fuel cell" Since you are carrying gas, which is explosive, safety is the issue. A good strong shock resistant tank, solid mounting of the tank to the sidecar or motorcycle frame, and good venting are key components. I like on the sidecar, since on the pillion location is high on the mule. Mine is between the sidecar body and the struts; I have room for a 7" wide tank.

Whatever you do, make sure it is safe, should you ever get in to a crash. You don't want to be saturated in gas if you should crash; especially if the crash also creates sparks in the process.

Whatever you do, make sure it is safe, should you ever get in to a crash. You don't want to be saturated in gas if you should crash; especially if the crash also creates sparks in the process.

remember.... your sitting almost on top of 4 to 6 gallons of gas to begin with. 3 more on the pillion area wont matter, as long as its mounted solid. plus it need no fuel pump.tourtank is the way to go.slip a dummy pack over it and it looks like a bedroll.

the first part of my previous reply was a quote from previous post. I was answering it..something didnt keep the quote marks in...