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Auxillary Fuel Tank Installed!

Dudley said:
Well, I hope nothing happens and you get good use out of it. I just don't think carrying extra gas is worth the risk that I see in your setup.
Click to expand...

:agree:

As others have pointed out, unless you're in far out Wyoming/Montana or riding through deserted areas of Alaska, there should be a gas station that is functioning at least every 100 miles...and you can put in any grade gas...
 
I don't think there is much of a safety problem the way he has it hooked up - even if it popped off while driving it would most likely just bounce on the road with minor leakage.

I see the website sells a grounding unit for it - which should be part of the kit in my opinion---- should ground it for sure.

I think the BRP specs for the rack are around 20 pounds--- but I can tell you after installing it and looking at the whole thing ---- 2 or 3 times that weight would not be a problem - it's plenty sturdy.
 
Well, you will never convince me that this is not a big mistake. I hope nothing happens to him, but if anything does happen it will not provide good results. But again, it's his business. I just think it is a big mistake. And, Firefly, what if it breaks loose and bounces down the highway, right into a vehicle following him. This is just not a safe mod.
 
Got my Tour Tank yesterday (3 Gallon) and will install in the next few days. Will attach a ground wire somewhere... maybe from the outlet port... or the vent tube... or one of the strap mounting bolts to the frame. (yes, I'll remove a bit of paint from the strap to insure contact!) I welded up a rack similar to Stuart's (search and ye will find!), but I used 1" angle iron and mounted it to the front and rear ends of the grab rails and added (2) 45 degree gussetts to support the rear end. I think long after the Spyder is gone, the rack will survive.
The rack cost me $0 since I cannibalized an old bedframe from the storage shed. :2thumbs:
 
dryheat said:
Got my Tour Tank yesterday (3 Gallon) and will install in the next few days. Will attach a ground wire somewhere... maybe from the outlet port... or the vent tube... or one of the strap mounting bolts to the frame. (yes, I'll remove a bit of paint from the strap to insure contact!) I welded up a rack similar to Stuart's (search and ye will find!), but I used 1" angle iron and mounted it to the front and rear ends of the grab rails and added (2) 45 degree gussetts to support the rear end. I think long after the Spyder is gone, the rack will survive.
The rack cost me $0 since I cannibalized an old bedframe from the storage shed. :2thumbs:
Click to expand...

Can't wait to see your photos. Not sure yet what bjt and I are going to do. One idea that popped into both of our heads was to get a Tour Tank and attach it to the Cooler rack on our trailer. Big concern is weight on the tongue though. Not sure if 3-5 gallons of gas would be heavier than putting bottles of water and ice in the cooler as I would think would be expected. We wouldn't have it as an auxiliary tank as much as it would be a safer way to transport additional fuel. We would use one of these to get the fuel to the spyder itself Gas pump
onestopshopcatalog_2049_290754786.jpg


Anyway, we are still in search of what will work best for us.
 
Dudley said:
Well, you will never convince me that this is not a big mistake. I hope nothing happens to him, but if anything does happen it will not provide good results. But again, it's his business. I just think it is a big mistake. And, Firefly, what if it breaks loose and bounces down the highway, right into a vehicle following him. This is just not a safe mod.
Click to expand...

I don't see the difference in danger from this popping off the back of his bike being any worse than a top case or saddle bag coming off. I think too many people have seen the explosions in movies whenever a car is in a crash - which is actually not typical at all.

__________________________
 
Firefly said:
I don't see the difference in danger from this popping off the back of his bike being any worse than a top case or saddle bag coming off. I think too many people have seen the explosions in movies whenever a car is in a crash - which is actually not typical at all.

__________________________
Click to expand...

I wasn't even thinking about an explosion. If the container breaks off and falls in traffic, it then becomes a 40 pound projectile looking for something to hit. Anything it hits will be heavily damaged. If it bounces and goes through a windshield someone will probably get killed. If it hits a car under the grill area and goes under it, you will probably get the explosion as seen in movies, except in this explosion, someone will probably die. IMO the rack will never keep the container secure in a panic stop. It was not built or secured to the Spyder to have this ability. If I were an engineer, I could calculate the physics invoved with weight in motion, etc., involved in stopping. But to put it simply, 40 pounds moving at 70 mph, will want to continue to move forward when the brakes are applied. I am going to guess that the pressure applied to the straps which hold the tank will be in excess of 150 ft/lbs, which in turn will be transferred to the rack in an attempt to hold back the tank. The rack will snap like a pretzel! I just have a gut feeling that this is not a story with a happy ending. I really want to be wrong.
 
Dudley said:
I wasn't even thinking about an explosion. If the container breaks off and falls in traffic, it then becomes a 40 pound projectile looking for something to hit. Anything it hits will be heavily damaged. If it bounces and goes through a windshield someone will probably get killed. If it hits a car under the grill area and goes under it, you will probably get the explosion as seen in movies, except in this explosion, someone will probably die. IMO the rack will never keep the container secure in a panic stop. It was not built or secured to the Spyder to have this ability. If I were an engineer, I could calculate the physics invoved with weight in motion, etc., involved in stopping. But to put it simply, 40 pounds moving at 70 mph, will want to continue to move forward when the brakes are applied. I am going to guess that the pressure applied to the straps which hold the tank will be in excess of 150 ft/lbs, which in turn will be transferred to the rack in an attempt to hold back the tank. The rack will snap like a pretzel! I just have a gut feeling that this is not a story with a happy ending. I really want to be wrong.
Click to expand...

Well, if the Spyder rack system is that weak - they shouldn't be selling backrests that snap into it. During a takeoff or a turn I would think it would be quite easy for a passenger to assert 40 lbs of force on the backrest. The backrest locks into the same system as the cover plate does.

I think you might have missed his post when he said "Some of the bolts go right through the whole rack assembly, not just the plate. "

Hard to tell because he can't take a photo underneath the plate, but from the photos I believe that the front 2 screws go all the way down into the BRP mount - so even if you were to release the plate from under the seat - it cannot come off without taking it all apart.

It would take a heck of a force to break off those screws from the BRP base that is inside the frame - that base is like 1" thick and is held to the Spyder by a large screw that goes through both sides of the Spyder frame.

If he just mounted to that small base plate - I could see your concern - but I don't believe this is the case. Since he has the Corbin backrest setup - he should never have a need to remove the rack plate and tank setup.
 
Nuff said on my part. I just expressed my concern for his safety. There are just too many issues in this mod that wave DANGER!
 
Dudley said:
Nuff said on my part. I just expressed my concern for his safety. There are just too many issues in this mod that wave DANGER!
Click to expand...

The Spyder is tested for many different road conditions...whether it be acceleration, braking, swerving, wet weather, the VSC system, etc...

One thing it is not tested for is personal attempts to add an external fuel tank to a rack...

Simply put, the bike wasn't made to have a 20-40 lb. gas tank sitting behind the rider...it might be a convenience, but you have to ask if it is really a smart idea? Sure, it might work fine, but if it doesn't, then you're in a pickle (or someone else is)...I'd assume most mods. are tested for proper functioning in a variety of settings. This one simply isn't...what you have is a tank full of a flammable liquid that can reach very high temperatures, under pressure (let's say it's 95 degrees out in the sun)...

IMHO, some mods. are really neat and functional...most all are safe. This one, on the surface, looks neat and has a practical function only for a very few who happen live in the middle of nowhere...for the rest of us, risk/benefit has to be considered...

I simply don't see the benefit to 99% of Spyder owners out there...for those who just want to ride longer without taking a break, that's nice but it's not a good enough excuse to put a gas tank in your back pocket...no matter what you drive/ride, you should be taking breaks every hour or two anyway...just as you should if you have a desk job and sit all day long...
 
TravelingSpyder said:
Well, we got it done. I now have 4 gallons of extra fuel. We puchased a 4 gallon Tour Tank and installed it on the BRP Sport rack. I have attached a picture of the final product and will send more pictures if that works.
Click to expand...

Lookin' good, TravelingSpyder! :2thumbs:

.
 
ataDude said:
I don't get why some have to take a poke at a guy who is solving a problem for himself.

.
Click to expand...

I guess you're including me as 'some' here...it may or may not solve a problem if there is an issue with it...

Safety first, convenience second.

Then again, like you're insinuating, it's his bike and it's still America (for now at least)...do all ya want and have fun doing it!

I hope it works well and is safe...
 
There are a bunch of these out there, of each type as well as jury-rigged versions, and no reported incidents that I have been able to dig up. I think the amount of worry may be overblown. It probably boils down to what the individual rider is comfortable with. As a former racetrack safety inspector, would I do it...probably not without some additional precautions. Is it something to rally against and worry about...probably not. Different strokes for different folks. Way safer than driving a Pinto or a Model A Ford.
-Scotty
velo.gif
 
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