hi all,

i am about to buy a used MSR WhisperLight stove. what is the most versatile part? which part should i check firmly?

thanks.

__________________
ozhan u.
website under construction

The pump-housing is plastic and brakes from time to time.
The design of the housing has changed multiple times. I have changed my pump four times and have had three different designs.

It’s a great burner (when working), but it also tends to clog up if you use leaded petrol.
Mine is replaced with a Primus…

thanks AliBaba,

nice information. is the pump housing realiable? or does it break easly? i know that the msr stoves are reliable overall.

i'll use same petrol as i use on motorbike so it should be unleaded. however, how can i clean if it is cloged up?

also, is there any easy way to transfer petrol from the bikes petrol tank rather then sucking it with a hosepipe?

__________________
ozhan u.
website under construction

Well, I have changed my pump four times, so I wouldn’t call it reliable. When I see the picture I realize that it’s also cracked beside the lower “weak point comment”.


I guess that depends on where you would like to travel. Some places unleaded is all there is, mine have clogged up all over Africa and some places in Asia.

It depends on your bike. On my bike it’s easy, but on some bikes you need to do some plumbing.

I had a whisperlite. I sold it. Not because it was bad, but I wanted to upgrade. I did have to clean it a couple of times during our trip (burning unleaded is MESSY!!), but this is easy as the cleaning procedure is clearly explained in the instructions (also downloadable if you don't get a copy, I'm sure). The bits needed to clean are either integral to the design or part of the small mutlitool that comes with it. Its a great little stove for the money.

I did upgrade to a Primus also, but just because it was even more multifuel than the whisperlite, with full flame control (Whisperlite is ON-OFF only) and more robust that the MSR range, IMO.

Allegedly, the reason for a plastic bottle pump design on the MSR, rather than the metal on the primus Omnifuel is that, in the event of the unit catching fire (uncontrollably that is), the plastic melts to release pressure, thus avoiding an explosive pressure release of a metal bottle.

Personally, I'm not entirely convinced of this logic, or at least not enough to make me not buy the Primus, IYKWIM...

If you want a compact, capabe stove then I think yiou'll be pleased with it. Note these are pretty cheap as multifuels go, so make sure the saving is worth it as about £40 would get you a new one... (EDIT; OK that was from a US store over Ebay, buts its possible...)

__________________
Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

hi,

i'll pay about GBP40 for it. the owner says it is in working order but not in mind condition. brand new costs about GBP120 here in Turkiye.

However, i am not sure whether i really need an stove for my Morocco trip or not. it is good to something have for cooking, on the other hand that means more weight on the bike with cooking gear and food. also, I can use this money for my schengen visa. so i am still considering it.

i probably use unleaded with it, as my v-strom loves unleaded, however, it is not easy to fill up using petrol hose like old BMW's. i wish i had my old f650 funduro

__________________
ozhan u.
website under construction

If you are worried about weight, firstly the W-L is very light and cpmact. The bottle is about the size of a bottle of , so not massive. A stove is always handy unless you never plan to camp, in which sace you have already saved youself 5-7kg in camping gear anyway!!

Although the cannisters are not recylable (), you can buy gas burners for about £25 like:





Very light!

__________________
Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

i have also considered about getting a gas operated stove, however, it is hard to find cartidges in a place you dont know. but petrol is always with you. so i am still considering.

__________________
ozhan u.
website under construction

Be sure to carry a spares kit. I found the rubber o ring where the stove attaches to the bottle to be the one that wears out. Grease it by rubbing your finger beside your nose, if you have nothing else. It will last along time if you lube it, as it takes a lot of wear otherwise from assembly.The little wrench like tool they supply, along with a jet needle and spare jet, if you don't have the shaker jet variety, works well.

Keep it from clogging by running it with a spoon full of carb or fuel injector cleaner in the tank. I carry some anyway for the bike-a little keeps the stove from clogging from varnishing up. The fuel tanks/bottles come in three sizes-I use the smallest for ease of packing, and carry two large ones -1l each- for spare bike gas. Doesn't hurt that they are stove bottles, as they are strong, and I carry some spare gas for emergencies anyway.

I have used various kinds of MSR stoves starting in 1981, for over 1000 days. Very reliable when you get used to them, and simple to service if you need to. Used ones can be had cheap on ebay, and they are rebuildable with a spares kit.

I have a whisperlight, they are good but very messy, also I think having a seperate fuel container is a pain.

if i were to get another petrol stove it would be a coleman.

but I want to experiment with a pepsi can stove.

alternatively the litle gas stove by MSR is very good and super light/compact

Been using MSR's since they were first sold, and just sold a few of my old ones for $US 25 each (beat up but working, some spare parts with each). A used stove shouldn't cost $US 60, and the guy who's trying to charge you that much probably knows it.

They're great for anyone who wants a stove that'll last forever with some tinkering. Various parts need tending (jets, pump cups, etc.) but with a parts kit you can fix anything quickly, anywhere in the world. If you want foolproof, buy something else. And as for the pumps breaking: I've broken one (1) pump in 30 years. That's a far better percentage than almost anything else I own. What's more, even when broken as shown, the pump will still function perfectly.

MSR discussions on trekking forums are the equivalent of oil or tire threads on motorcycling forums. Lots of opinions, lots of heat, no hard and fast answers.

Hope that helps.

Mark

MSR change the pump for free. mine broke after 4 years, free replacement in 3 days. whisperlite is great, MSR is the Merc of stoves

My MSR kept breaking- so got sectioned to room 101! and it did not last forever- weakest part was the pump-
So I became a convert of this Primus stove (I still have one as this stove also does gas which the Optimus does not)

But for liquid fuels I am now much prefer the Optimus multi fuel Plus
On that stove, no need to change fuel jets and the cleaning is done without dismantling by just passing a magnet under the burner that pushes a cleaning needle up and down.
The pump construction is all metal and feels really solid & well built (unlike the plastic Primus one)
and the quick disconnect does just that without squirting fuel over your hands which the Primus does.
That Optimus multi fuel plus really ticks all the boxes for me.
If there's small timber around, then my BushBuddy gets fired up for free! (see avatar!) it uses very very little wood -morelike twigs, using a process called wood-gasification which is very efficient- self contained so fire doesn't go wild on you and a wood flame is so much more friendly if slower than the Optimus.
Makes great bannock though!

i had a coleman exponent for years, it was brilliant. it took a little time to understand the proceedures for lighting and maintenance but it never let me down and burned really well. it was clean too, everyone says MSRs are dirty, but are they really?
on my xt600 i just used to pull the fuel hose off the carb and use the fuel tap to fill the stove, but thats tricky on a lot of bikes.

i got given a suitcase full of pro/butane cans so ive gone over to gas for a few years, i must admit its much easier to just turn a tap and flick a lighter and not have any noise or soot anywhere.

__________________
dave