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Old technology fuel "station" from 1985 Old technology fuel "station" from 1985
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Morocco Topics specific to Morocco, including Western Sahara west of the berm
Photo by Lois Pryce, fueling up in Tunisia

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Photo of Lois Pryce, UK
fueling up in Tunisia



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Old 23 Dec 2020
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Old technology fuel "station" from 1985
Video cameras in the early 1980s were heavy devices that recorded onto an even heavier VHS tape recorder slung over one's shoulder.

Our rental Renault sounded like it was falling to pieces on the track to the waterfalls which even in those days was mainly dry due to the water being diverted for irrigation.

But the key bit of this video is the "petrol station" where the attendant pumped fuel into the one-litre sight glass, and then released it into the tank. Then pumped again for the next litre. And so on, and on and on. It could take quite a few minutes to fill the tank.

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Last edited by Tim Cullis; 24 Dec 2020 at 00:01.
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Old 23 Dec 2020
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Not come across of those. But I remember a fuel station on the Atlantic route in Western Sahara where they had to wind the fuel pump with a handle. 2002 I believe. Could have just been a power loss I guess.

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Old 23 Dec 2020
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I have had my bike filled from a similar pump in Thailand in the 1990s, my most recent filled from a jerrycan experience was in Baja California three years ago on a 200 mile stretch with no stations, enterprising locals were offering the service at around the half way point.
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Old 23 Dec 2020
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This was an interesting one! Angola 2010. The guy blew into the can rather than sucked, to push the fuel out.

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Old 23 Dec 2020
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Who needs technology. Tajikistan older technology skips the pumping and measuring and goes straight to gravity and the gerry can estimate....



.............shu
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Old 23 Dec 2020
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My most memorable fueling experience was at an old Soviet style station in Georgia:

- Walk up to the tiny glass window in the concrete bunker and show fingers to indicate the number of liters you want.

- You pay and the attendant sets the pump to your amount.

- Local denizens start to wander out of the brush to gather around.

- Put the nozzle in the tank.

- Man runs across the street to bring back a bottle of vodka and some glasses.

-The pump starts up at full pressure.

-Find out that though you estimated 16 liters, your tank is full at 14! Gas spewing all over your moto and the parking lot because the pump won't stop until it hits the full amount.

-Lots of laughing and clinking of glasses and shots tossed back. Best entertainment in town!

............shu
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Old 23 Dec 2020
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That’s a great little bit of film Tim. I really wish we’d had some way of filming on our early trips but even Instamatic stills cameras were a stretch back then so an 8mm was way beyond our reach. I don’t think I got a half decent video camera until some time in the 90’s.

Re old school fuel stops, no 1 on my list was back in 1971 when we needed fuel somewhere in the Greek mountains. We rode up a dirt track into a tiny village, not expecting to buy fuel but hoping someone could tell us where to buy it. They kept pointing to the village shop. We went in and asked and the shopkeeper brought some out from his back room in home brew style glass jars. It took about three to fill the bike. Why he kept it I’ve no idea because there were no cars in the village. Plenty of donkeys though. Sadly no pictures - it just didn’t seem that noteworthy back then.

I’ve come across handcranked pumps (but without the dispensing reservoir) a few times over the years - once in the middle of France in 1970 and again in southern Morocco in 1978. There were six of us on three bikes that time and what seemed like the whole village turned out to watch. Good job we found the place as we were running on fumes at that point.
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Old 29 Dec 2020
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I think I stopped at the same ZiZ station as IanC back in '79. Modern pumps, attendant came out with a 3 foot handle. On fumes by then - I'd have kissed his feet for a few litres if needed.. Incidentally, beach camping along there sometimes results in waking up with scorpions attracted by body heat.
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