Auxillary Fuel Tank Installed!

[John in PA]

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.

Water weighs 8 lb per gallon, gasoline 6.25 lbs per gallon. Weight issues on the trailer have more to do with where you pack it than how much (within reason) Rule of thumb, tongue weight should be 10% of total trailer weight, and extra tongue weight handles better than too little, which can make it handler REALLY squirrelly! Pack heavier items toward the front of the trailer.

Have you checked out the Unigo trailers?? Very classy design, though pricy. They'd look great on a Spyder, though. Unique hitch hookup using an automotive u-joint.

 

[Lone Spyder Ryder]

: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...

IMHO
I don't know where you live but I can tell you this for sure. You can go 200 miles in Idaho, Nevada, Utah Colorado, Califorina, Arizona New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington State, and North and South Dakota and not find gas station and my Spyder won't go 200 mile with out something to drink.
Leo

 

[effgjamis]

I'm still kind of looking at a trailer with a tank mounted on it, for long trips. Could mount where the cooler rack is, and with a small fuel pump, refill as needed.

john

Check my mods I have a tank on the rack of my trailer.

I pack my tailer so that no more than 35 LBS is on the hicth to bike.
and it works and pulls great.

 

[RAL]

I am not taking a poke at him. I am just trying to make him aware of the dangers of what he is doing. If I didn't care I would just have read it and gone on. But as a fellow Spyder Ryder, I cannot in good conscience ignore what he is doing and warn him of the dangers. If he decides to go ahead, then I have done my part.

Like I tell the younger hands at the safety meetings, "If you see something that seems unsafe to you but you just walk off and someone gets hurt because of it, you own part of that accident. No one will likely know but you will have to carry it with you."
You are not a nay sayer, you are only doing what a mature memeber of the pack does.
As to how unsafe this mod is.......it is not as safe as not having it....unless you get caught out in the stix without gas........everything is a trade off and there is no absolute "safe". The thing is to make informed choice's, each person must decide what is the benifit vs the hazards. The mod this fellow did will hopefully not cause him any grief. What you have done is make people think about possible problems with this set up and may have stopped someone from cobbling together some last minuet setup for a trip because they saw this well done mod and did not stop to think about all aspects of carring fuel in this manner. You will never know.
I say good on you Dudley, you may have saved someone a great deal of grief.


RAL

 

[bone crusher]

IMHO
I don't know where you live but I can tell you this for sure. You can go 200 miles in Idaho, Nevada, Utah Colorado, Califorina, Arizona New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington State, and North and South Dakota and not find gas station and my Spyder won't go 200 mile with out something to drink.
Leo

That does stink...on the east coast, we have gas stations everywhere...there are too many of them!...and they don't help competition to lower the price...they all charge too much!

 

[Neez]

That does stink...on the east coast, we have gas stations everywhere...there are too many of them!...and they don't help competition to lower the price...they all charge too much!

I think the problem might be a bit overstated. I've ridden in all the states that were mentioned (except Oklahoma), plus the western Canadian provinces, and I have never run out of gas yet. It does call for a different mindset, though. Study your route beforehand (AAA guide or a GPS helps) and top up when you get the opportunity, even if it's only a gallon or so. I've found I appreciate the stops anyway, to stretch the legs, de-hydrate, re-hydrate and have a look around. Carrying extra gas might be OK, but it would make me nervous.

 

[bone crusher]

I think the problem might be a bit overstated. I've ridden in all the states that were mentioned (except Oklahoma), plus the western Canadian provinces, and I have never run out of gas yet. It does call for a different mindset, though. Study your route beforehand (AAA guide or a GPS helps) and top up when you get the opportunity, even if it's only a gallon or so. I've found I appreciate the stops anyway, to stretch the legs, de-hydrate, re-hydrate and have a look around. Carrying extra gas might be OK, but it would make me nervous.

I've never actually been on the bike for more than 1.5 hours non-stop at a time anyway...I always take breaks as sitting for too long anywhere is not good for you! I haven't been out northwest, so I cannot comment on how sparse the gas stations are...I know there are plenty in Iowa and Illinois...for that matter, usually any major highways are going to have stops every so often...in regards to Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, maybe not...as far as carrying fuel with me, I won't do that...I'll just use the GPS to make sure I'm always covered...on the east, we don't have to worry about it at all anyways...

 

[Roger]

if

If that tank is dot approved then hey go for it it's as open as a pair of saddle tanks on a semi. Would i do it? probably not cause it will force me to take a break and refuel myself. Hey if you like it thats all that matters. happy traveling. :2thumbs:

 

[jima1153]

If I happen to hit the powerball lottery, I will buy a second RT / trailer, turn the trailer into a tanker, and put one of those in-flight refueling systems on it like the air force has on their fighters. Then just give me a call and I will refuel you on the road. There is an idea for the 3rd gen Spyder. (or not). :roflblack::roflblack::dontknow:

 

[RShrimp]

While we are on the subject. How far will a Spyder go on a tank?

 

[RAL]

While we are on the subject. How far will a Spyder go on a tank?

That depends how fast you travel, how hard you twist the throttle to get up to speed, weight of load ( you + passenger + gear) and your machine. If you travel between 45 and 55 mph, don't take off like a rocket and you have not moded it for more scoot you might travel 250 miles :shockedit would take a lot of displine to do this). If you ride like a 17 year old with a 6 pack under his belt about 100 miles:yikes:. I think most folks get 150 to 200 MPT. At 70 mph my machine gets about 31 MPG. At 55 on the flat she can get 44 MPG if I don't go hyperspeed passing a gravel truck or two. YMMV

RAL

 

[NancysToy]

That depends how fast you travel, how hard you twist the throttle to get up to speed, weight of load ( you + passenger + gear) and your machine. If you travel between 45 and 55 mph, don't take off like a rocket and you have not moded it for more scoot you might travel 250 miles :shockedit would take a lot of displine to do this). If you ride like a 17 year old with a 6 pack under his belt about 100 miles:yikes:. I think most folks get 150 to 200 MPT. At 70 mph my machine gets about 31 MPG. At 55 on the flat she can get 44 MPG if I don't go hyperspeed passing a gravel truck or two. YMMV

RAL

Depends a lot on the gas supply and the climate, too. Our GS/RS, which is not ridden hard, has averaged 29 mpg over two years. Right now my RT-S is really thirsty. It needs some miles to get broken in.

 

[bone crusher]

That depends how fast you travel, how hard you twist the throttle to get up to speed, weight of load ( you + passenger + gear) and your machine. If you travel between 45 and 55 mph, don't take off like a rocket and you have not moded it for more scoot you might travel 250 miles :shockedit would take a lot of displine to do this). If you ride like a 17 year old with a 6 pack under his belt about 100 miles:yikes:. I think most folks get 150 to 200 MPT. At 70 mph my machine gets about 31 MPG. At 55 on the flat she can get 44 MPG if I don't go hyperspeed passing a gravel truck or two. YMMV

RAL

Wow...that's awesome...I now average about 30...but I do tend to ride pretty hard...weight of the rider and other goodies also likely plays in too...

 

[dryheat]

That depends how fast you travel, how hard you twist the throttle to get up to speed, weight of load ( you + passenger + gear) and your machine. If you travel between 45 and 55 mph, don't take off like a rocket and you have not moded it for more scoot you might travel 250 miles :shockedit would take a lot of displine to do this). If you ride like a 17 year old with a 6 pack under his belt about 100 miles:yikes:. I think most folks get 150 to 200 MPT. At 70 mph my machine gets about 31 MPG. At 55 on the flat she can get 44 MPG if I don't go hyperspeed passing a gravel truck or two. YMMV

RAL

150 if you encounter nothing but flat land, with a tailwind, don't exceed 55 and fill up before the fumes become a necessity. I just got back from a 700 mile trip across Az, New Mexico, and into Tx. At a constant 80 mph I got maybe 26mpg. Drop it to 70 and get about 30. At 60 (come on... does anybody ride at 60mph on the freeway?) you might get 35 if you don't get run off the road first! 44mpg??? Sorry, I think there was some fuzzy math and/or an incomplete fill.
Since I was riding with a friend on a GS (8 gal tank and 45 mpg) who (it seemed) NEVER had to stop, I was really glad I had my Tour Tank and extra 3 gal. just to avoid being totally embarassed. :gaah:

 

[retread]

I generally get 33 mpg on the road cruising at around 75 to 80, stop and go gives me 30 to 32.

john

 

[burg650]

I remember seeing somewhere that someone was doing a auxiliary tank that would go under the panels on the left side up front, what ever happen to this setup.

 

[bone crusher]

I generally get 33 mpg on the road cruising at around 75 to 80, stop and go gives me 30 to 32.

john

Hmmmm...how the heck ya doing that? I'm at 5500 rpm at I think it is 70 mph...is this where you are at? I get about 30 max at this speed. I get the best mileage at about 60 mph in 5th...stop and go does kill the mileage as I'm never soft coming off the line...