Fuel Range, can't believe it's not a thread
 

Just did a search on it and was amazed not to have found anything so I thought I'd start one.

What's the fuel range required for the riding most of us have done/ will be doing across South America?

I've got a GS Dakar which apparently can do 1/23. With the setup I've got in mind I can do 525 k's assuming 1/22. I'm thinking of getting a Liquid Containment fuel bladder for each bike just in case. The smallest is 10 litres which makes the range 750km. They're not cheap though at AU$180, but are repairable and a life time sort of item.

this has been discussed a hundred times at least, so you may have used the wrong search terms (-:

Why and when do you need 750km range?

Not in CA or SA for sure!

I am here on a KLR 650 with a range ofr some 300-400 and it is MORE than enough.

I have two 1 gallon plastic cans with me that I can fill if needed. Not really needed though.

Save your money and pick up empty plastic bottles down here if and when you need.

Look at the map and assume that every town has at least low octane gas and it wont be far of.

Happy riding, and dont worry.

a few years back i toured with a group through Peru, always top up at the end of the day, plenty places to get fuel. Longest distance without fuelstations was about 200km. I've heard Chilli got some routes which requires 300km range or more.

For my alaska-ushuaie trip i have a 20ltr tank and carry a 5ltr container just in case. i don't like risks, so i always assume 1:15, bike does about 1:20 with relaxed riding, more when speeding.

perhaps it's possible to open a thread in the tripplanning section to registrer known routes/roads without fuelstations??

regards,
sander

Riding the Pan Am from Bogota to Chile, then east to San Pedro de Atacama, to Jujuy, Argentina, then south through Cordoba to Ushuaia, the biggest gap was 175 miles, or about 300km.

It was not unusual to find gas stations with no gas, or a ration on gas. Especially in Ecuador.

The winds in Argentina took my economy from 45 miles per gallon to 30 miles per gallon.

Octane varies. I seem to get better mileage with lower octane. I don't know why.

Running dry?
 

I'm in South Chile on my 1995 f650 which has a maximum range of 250mls -350km - BUT that is with good fuel and on good roads. I've run out a couple of times but carry a couple of ltrs and that got me out of trouble the first time, (I took a wrong turn :oops2:- thanks Garmin - :thumbdown:) the second time was in Bolivia on a pig of a road across mountains and through rivers where my fuel consumption went down to 150mls - 240km - due to all the low speeds and high altitudes. My f650 has a carburetter with a vacuum compensator, but this only works when you get some revs on, otherwise the engine is running rich all the time.:confused1: Lucky for me I had some petrol in my camping stove, and that got me to the next petrol station. :D
Also I expect my air filter needed cleaning which didn't help.
Now I carry about 4ltrs in a platic container, but checking my map of Argentina I don't think I will need it, but you never know.

I heard on the news here that Ecuador had some trouble with supplies due to roads being washed out during recent floods, :stormy:same goes for N.Peru, but I came through after the first few storms in Feb, and although the rivers were swollen they had not yet washed away the roads.:boat:

I spoke with Duncan-the-cook in Arica and from his experience I think you can rely on people to help you out if you do get stranded for any reason.
I'll let him tell his tale when he gets on line, (Hi Duncan, those private mechanics in Santiago are great - see seperate thread)