Who carries Extra Fuel? Where/How?

[Peter Aawen]

^^ That's fine if you only ever ryde in places where there are gas stations at appropriate intervals along your route - or where you can adjust your route so that you can travel between gas stations without running out! (And something I practice ALL the time anyway!) But that's not always the case here in Oz, we have LOTS of wiiide open spaces with maybe one or two roads running thru their guts & besides, pretty much once you get off the few major routes or leave the 'settled areas', which is basically the few hundred mile wide coastal fringe of the South & Eastern States & the far South Western corner of the country, gas stations can often be well over 200 miles apart, and even then they may not be open all the time. Some places in the remote Outback only open when the operator feels like it, or maybe only next Thursday between 12:00 & 14:00!! And that's on the MAJOR routes!!

When travelling in those areas in ANY vehicle, I carry extra fuel, food, & water, & if I'm heading out that way on the Spyder I carry a 4 litre 'Reda-type' placcy gas container in the right hand pannier, which so far, has proven to add sufficient range that I haven't been left pushing! I have had to rely on that extra fuel more than once; here in SA I can be completely out of those 'settled areas' previously mentioned in just a few hours ryde, & heading North from just about anywhere in this State means you are out in the wiiide open spaces in less than a mornings ryde, with nothing much but road ahead of you for the next few days! My recent ECU upgrade has extended the range of my 2013 RT V-twin from about 150 reliable miles to around 250 cruising miles, and that's a great thing, but if I hit head winds or travel much over about 70mph at all (& when the road is a fairly uninterupted flat straight ribbon stretching ahead for the next 3 days, that rapidly becomes tempting!) the fuel usage still goes up pretty damn fast, so carrying extra fuel & water out there isn't only prudent, it can be lifesaving!

So I guess it's not all that surprising that one of the largest/busiest segments of our aftermarket mods & accessories business here in Oz is manufacturing Long Range Fuel tanks; they do them for cars, bikes, trucks, 4WD's, even aircraft!! Only it's pretty hard to fit a larger tank under the tupperware of a Spyder!! It'd be nice, but for now, carrying extra fuel in a container of some sort is our only real option if we want to ryde around/across Aust by any of the 'roads less travelled', and even on the major routes there are places where you either carry extra fuel, or fervently hope you'll get a tow when you run out!

[tomand]

i carry a liter can from REI that is probably for water but shuts tights and doesn't leak and takes very little space.

[ARtraveler]

^^ That's fine if you only ever ryde in places where there are gas stations at appropriate intervals along your route - or where you can adjust your route so that you can travel between gas stations without running out! (And something I practice ALL the time anyway!) But that's not always the case here in Oz, we have LOTS of wiiide open spaces with maybe one or two roads running thru their guts & besides, pretty much once you get off the few major routes or leave the 'settled areas', which is basically the few hundred mile wide coastal fringe of the South & Eastern States & the far South Western corner of the country, gas stations can often be well over 200 miles apart, and even then they may not be open all the time. Some places in the remote Outback only open when the operator feels like it, or maybe only next Thursday between 12:00 & 14:00!! And that's on the MAJOR routes!!

When travelling in those areas in ANY vehicle, I carry extra fuel, food, & water, & if I'm heading out that way on the Spyder I carry a 4 litre 'Reda-type' placcy gas container in the right hand pannier, which so far, has proven to add sufficient range that I haven't been left pushing! I have had to rely on that extra fuel more than once; here in SA I can be completely out of those 'settled areas' previously mentioned in just a few hours ryde, & heading North from just about anywhere in this State means you are out in the wiiide open spaces in less than a mornings ryde, with nothing much but road ahead of you for the next few days! My recent ECU upgrade has extended the range of my 2013 RT V-twin from about 150 reliable miles to around 250 cruising miles, and that's a great thing, but if I hit head winds or travel much over about 70mph at all (& when the road is a fairly uninterupted flat straight ribbon stretching ahead for the next 3 days, that rapidly becomes tempting!) the fuel usage still goes up pretty damn fast, so carrying extra fuel & water out there isn't only prudent, it can be lifesaving!

So I guess it's not all that surprising that one of the largest/busiest segments of our aftermarket mods & accessories business here in Oz is manufacturing Long Range Fuel tanks; they do them for cars, bikes, trucks, 4WD's, even aircraft!! Only it's pretty hard to fit a larger tank under the tupperware of a Spyder!! It'd be nice, but for now, carrying extra fuel in a container of some sort is our only real option if we want to ryde around/across Aust by any of the 'roads less travelled', and even on the major routes there are places where you either carry extra fuel, or fervently hope you'll get a tow when you run out!

Yes, there are always exceptions. This is for sure one of them.

[Fire34]

These are all good points. Unless going off-pavement or doing an iron-butt or battling constant head-winds, the range on a 1330 Spyder is good enough to carry between the furthest fuel stops in the lower 48. The furthest I've encountered is 165 miles between stations, well within the range of my 2014 RT.

I notice the OP is driving a 2013RT (twin) and towing a trailer. He lives near the Canadian border and may want to tour up there. So, maybe for him the prospect of running out of gas is very real no matter how much route planning he does?

Wish I did live near the Canadian border, unfortunately I live south of Chicago in the great state of Illinois, Thanks again everyone

[Fatcycledaddy]

I rode Beartooth highway this summer two up towing a bunkhouse camper and had no problems finding fuel. 20170704_124345.jpg20170704_121629.jpg20170704_124641.jpg

[SPYD3R]

I've done multiple X-Country rides in my time, and never needed to carry extra fuel... what i did prior to GPS and APP's, was to ride on the HALF-TANK-RULE... when you see that you have a half tank of gas, start looking for a filling station... however, with todays APP's on your iphone, ie; GAS BUDDY, GAS GURU, etc, just check where the stations are prior to departing in the AM.... also, most of your map app's have gas station locations built into them....
whatever you do, ride safely and enjoy...
Dan P
SPYD3R

[Grandpa Pete]

The wife and I did the beartooth last june. GORGEOUS. Fueled in Red Lodge and then topped off at Top of The World Trading post. Oh, and we were pulling my wife's RT622 with her essential's. No problem. Have a great ride, you'll love it

[Buddha]

I carry two, one-gallon Rotopax mounted vertically on a Rotopax bracket on the trailer. While I like to top off once I reach 150 miles on a tank (2014 RTS), I don't count on the 24 hour station actually being open at 3 am - even when I check it before I leave home!

RT-622-3.jpg

[easysuper]

I like the Rotopax and have one mounted on my Aspen trailer. We had the 998's but now have the 1300s and I still carry extra fuel just for piece of mind. If I was not pulling a trailer I would not pack extra fuel on the bike as It would make me short of space and I would worry about leaking. I have been over both roads your talking about and did not worry about running out as there are gas stations close enough. Both rides are beautiful and Beartooth is one of my all time favorite rides in the US.
Beartooth Mt..jpg Beartooth Pass Ride 049.jpg Big Hairpins.jpg Top of the World.jpg Beartooth Pass Ride 038.jpg

[Pirate looks at --]

Pete, you don't need extra gas to do an Iron Butt. Most of the time these are run on interstates where you can make good time 70 to 80 mph. Out 13 RT had no problems going 130 to 150 miles on a FULL tank. We planned all gas stops, and those were the only ones we made, and completed the 1000 miles in 19.25 hours. I don't think there is anyone on this forum that does more long distance ryding than Ann, and her point is valid, if you plan the route you should always be able to find a Gas Station within range (although I do seem to remember having a close call in Wyoming, lots of nothing out there). I know for us there was no room for GAS on our trip to Valcourt, and I wonder about the safety of carrying additional fuel! So this spring we are going to attempt a Bun Burner Gold. 1500 miles in under 24 hours!

[Road-Kill]

Pete, you don't need extra gas to do an Iron Butt. Most of the time these are run on interstates where you can make good time 70 to 80 mph. Out 13 RT had no problems going 130 to 150 miles on a FULL tank. We planned all gas stops, and those were the only ones we made, and completed the 1000 miles in 19.25 hours. I don't think there is anyone on this forum that does more long distance ryding than Ann, and her point is valid, if you plan the route you should always be able to find a Gas Station within range (although I do seem to remember having a close call in Wyoming, lots of nothing out there). I know for us there was no room for GAS on our trip to Valcourt, and I wonder about the safety of carrying additional fuel! So this spring we are going to attempt a Bun Burner Gold. 1500 miles in under 24 hours!

Talking about Iron Butt.
I have friends who did the 1000 mile butt burner. Some added extra tanks and some just stopped at gas stations. My buddies who went to gas stations completed their butt burner BEFORE the extra gas can carriers did. The reason I found out was filling the bikes tank from a gas can took extra time. This was from preventing spillage, funnel useage and filling the cans and remounting them at the gas station. It takes a lot more work to deal with gas cans vs just filling the gas tank. You also need to remain cognizant of what you are doing cause you are dealing with a flammable explosive. I'll stick with my bikes gas tank, its faster, safer and cheaper.

[UtahPete]

I have friends who did the 1000 mile butt burner. Some added extra tanks and some just stopped at gas stations. My buddies who went to gas stations completed their butt burner BEFORE the extra gas can carriers did. The reason I found out was filling the bikes tank from a gas can took extra time. This was from preventing spillage, funnel useage and filling the cans and remounting them at the gas station. It takes a lot more work to deal with gas cans vs just filling the gas tank. You also need to remain cognizant of what you are doing cause you are dealing with a flammable explosive. I'll stick with my bikes gas tank, its faster, safer and cheaper.

Good points!

[Pirate looks at --]

Yep our stops were first and foremost to get gas, then use a restroom, and on occasion we would grab a bite and a drink of water. We packed all of our own food and would eat a half sandwich wash it down with some water........and off we went. Our fuel stops averaged about 10 minutes.

[PistonBlown]

Pete, you don't need extra gas to do an Iron Butt.

You do if you do Iron Butts in NZ, Australia, etc. Here in NZ they are normally done off the highways on twisting mountainous routes as we like to make them a bit more challenging:-) As a result you burn through more fuel than you would on highways and open gas stations, particularly at night, are few and far between.

I carry 20 litres (5 gallons) of petrol with me and on the last two day iron butt I had to use them 3 times.

Nights are the worse as most rural gas stations close at 5pm and don't open again until 8am. Though, like Peter mentioned for Australia, opening times are rather flexible if the owners got something better to do. For example its common for businesses close up completely on the West Coast during the whitebait season.

[WilderThomas]

[QUOTE=newbert;1318428]FYI - Beartooth Pass is indeed remote and fuel availability is probably a realistic concern.

However, the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier Park really is not that remote, as I recall. The town of Whitefish, Montana is pretty close by (to the western entrance) and IIRC there's a gas station or two at/near the western entrance to the park.

I'm basing this on a trip I made in 2013 (by car).[/QUOTE

Before going on a long trip, take a moment to check out the website, www.magictank.com. You can buy non flammable fuel which has an indefinite shelf life, to keep stored in one of your saddlebags. It might come in handy, should the next gas station be a few more miles than your Spyder can manage.

[Peter Aawen]

I think that link 'www.magictank...' link should really be www.mymagictank.com Wilder.

[Road-Kill]

Yep our stops were first and foremost to get gas, then use a restroom, and on occasion we would grab a bite and a drink of water. We packed all of our own food and would eat a half sandwich wash it down with some water........and off we went. Our fuel stops averaged about 10 minutes.

Exactly!

"Stopping for gas" has always been more then just filling the tank.
It has also been to stretch your legs, empty your bladder, grab a bite and catch up on the latest gossip.
The amount of time we did more then just gas-up was dependent on whether we had a destination and arrival time.