One thing I haven't noticed being addressed above: topping off from external fuel tanks--whether coke bottles, plastic fuel cans with spouts, or bladders--is not always a simple thing. I learned this to my dismay on one of the very few occasions when my ~20 liter tank wasn't sufficient (a series of towns without fuel in Patagonia); decanting in 100+ kph winds left me, the bike, and the surrounding ground covered with gasoline even though I'd pulled in behind a building for shielding.

On another occasion (dusk combined with miscalculations driving over a remote 15,000 ft pass in the Andes) I ran out of gas at a low spot in the road. Of course I was carrying extra fuel, but the real problem was that I'd busted my clutch cable and didn't have a spare because I'd previously busted my spare. Getting the bike underway was quite a project in itself, but at least I didn't have to spend the night out in the cold.

On both occasions better planning would have saved me some trouble, but needing to plan better can be a real source of stress.

yes if your going round the world ......... big tank ........... but for 99% of us a standard tank is ok ?

Absolutely!! Even for RTW, it's highly debatable. You will only need it a couple of times, is it worth the price? Is the ease of not having to pay attention to your fuel worth the price? And remember, even with the big tank, you CAN run out because you forgot to fill up because you do it so seldom!!

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

We make the SAFARI TANKS here in Australia, most of the time you wouldn't need the capacity (normal roads) but if your going 'bush' its pretty much essential or if you're Dakar type racing (flat out).

Mezo.

Hello
Topics on RTW or other longer rides are the reason to look into this forum.


Yes, yes and yes

With a fuel gauge I run only once out of gas, with the old bikes several times.
All within civilisation, just didn't think about going to the gasstation right away when I turned the lever to the reseve.

On my XT660Z I have 24l of gas if I really fill it up.
That gives me up to 500km with my average fuel consumbtion but I plan with less.
To me, that is the minimum every bike should have, not only travel bikes.

On my RTW I had additional jerry cans mounted with a tension set on the front of the panniers on the footpegs of the back seat.
Lost only one 5l jerry can, then secured them with additional rope.
I had in northamerika and mexico 2x5l, southamerika 2x2gal, Australia 1x5l + 2x10l water, asia-mongolia-russia none.

The longest route between gas stations was 550km in Bolivia, lagoon route. If I'm going on a route like this where I don't know if I can make it, I like to take more gas so I could turn if it gets to difficult for me.
Also if between point A and B is a difficult rivercrossing just before point B, I calculate the total distance with the turn back to point A.

In Bolivia it was nice to have those jerry cans when they told me at the gas station that they can't sell gas here to foreigners.

Argentina with dry gas stations...

In Chile on the carratera I was glad I had filled up the jerry cans, although not necessary from the distances, but when they had closed the area with road blocks, all the gas stations went dry.
I had enough gas to go to Coyhaique to wait there for the gas instead at some little gas station where they sold only biscuits.

Sadly today there are only very few bikes in europe (euroX regulations) with large gas tanks.
I will never understand why they made the new T7 with such a joke of 16l.


sushi


P.S.
Before you push your bike, check the gas bottle from your stove.

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My RTW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

OK, I didn’t know that there were Euro regs limiting the size of fuel tanks - can you point me to them so I can read up on them please?

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You will have to do without pocket handkerchiefs, and a great many other things, before we reach our journey's end, Bilbo Baggins. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you. The world is ahead.

Ha ha, been there, done that. With some of the opaque big tanks you need a torch to see how much is down there. If you don't have one handy the workaround is to shake it, listen to the sloshing sound and make a guess. Sometimes you get the guess wrong ...

A lot of the plastic ones are translucent so you can see the fuel level inside. I've marked mine up on the outside in 5L amounts with a black marker and that helps. The alternative is to plumb in some clear plastic tubing at the bottom - either via drilling a hole and a spigot or a T from the petrol tap, and run it up the outside so you can see the level in the tube (early Japanese road bikes used to do it as a crude fuel gauge).

I have not heard of any regs about size but some countries particularly Germany have regs about approval, if a 25 litre Acerbis is approved for an XL650 but not a DR650 that it happens to fit you are not allowed to use it whereas here in freedomsville UK we can do whatever we want to our bikes and as long as it is safe it is not a problem.

PS I have no idea whther an XL650 tank fits a DR650 I was just using that as an example.

Hello


The regulations regarding emissions, therefore a lot of bikes are not available.
DR650, KLR650 etc.


sushi

__________________
My RTW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

australia is a BIG place ! but most of the popultion live where petrol stations are in most towns!

I know this (i live here) and currently doing my second lap.

I know this also, like i said "if you're going bush" like most of the 'population' doesn't do.

Mezo.

The German TUV model of modification passports is a key element of European policy. There is no point mandating teflon coated tyres to reduce dust pollution or diverter valves so no air goes through the engine when we are allowed to bin them as soon as we get the bike home. The European model also loves how easy it is to enforce when they basically ban anything that isn't on the manufacturers list (the massive price hikes that result are for your own good of course, although giving up personal transport all together would be better ). Chipping key components is coming, so you'd have to dig the chip out of the OE tank and fit it into the safari one. There is little sign of anyone trying to stop this direction within the EU.

It is too early to tell if the UK will avoid this. There is hope, we design many more components than we build vehicles and what we do build are often bespoke and for non-EU markets. There is risk because the importers are still generally grouped geographically and aren't ready to do their own work with VCA beyond rubber stamping what they are sent from European HQ's. If you want choice, buy from the grey importers and more flexible brand importers and hope they get the message.

Andy

What's driving this Andy? Is it simply a reflection of national stereotypes, a sort of Teutonic 'obay the rules' approach that, as the Germans are in the automotive sector driving seat, has now expanded out to become European policy? Or are there some other factors in play here - the foothills of a push to get us all into electric vehicles comes to mind?

Technical advances do seem to find their way into legislation via a combination of 'moral outrage' and behind the scenes lobbying - speed cameras for example. Are we talking about 'now that we've got the ability to chip everything and the logistics to track the chips, we'll get them made mandatory and that'll give us a competitive advantage. It'll shut out the cheap Chinese spares industry and we can sell it as a 'safety' advance.'

Euro 5, for all its 'save the planet' P.R complete with videos of coughing children playing in a fog of exhaust smoke, does seem to be almost unnecessary given how quickly the I.C. engine is being dumped. Looking at how many bikes are being withdrawn from sale because of its requirements it looks more like a motorcycle Covid crisis than anything. The few survivors we'll be left with will undoubtedly be packed to the gills with anti tamper technology to ensure the emission levels are kept to. Backed up with MOT checkable microchips no doubt. And that looks like where we came in.

I'm not aware of any movement to microchip wine bottles to stop you making lamps or anything out of them - the stereotypically French area of expertise.

That's pretty much it. The environmental, protectionist and safety lobbys are getting together to run a very technocratic process in a direction they want to go.

Andy

Okay, first of all - policies across the EU can be very different. There are things you can do in one EU country, that you can't do in another. Levels of modification on private vehicles, strictness of technical tests, etc. With cars for example, there are some EU countries where it is much easier to register an American-market or Japanese-market car than in others.

Second of all - for Germany, part of it is the "obey the rules" mindset, but it's not in isolation. Making sure everyone obeys the rules - and all the cars, and bits on those cars, are in provably good technical order - is what lets Germany have no-speed-limit autobahns.

You might look at an DR650 tank and see that it more or less fits an XL650 - and you can go ahead and fit it. But you can't know if there is some difference in the kinds of bolts or washers, or vibrations in the mounting points, that are different between the two, and make the fitment a risk at high speeds, or in extreme situations. Oh, and if the tank really does work well for both models? Then the manufacturer can just certify it for both models, in the same way that a single oil filter is certified to work on almost any car.

This is an extremely convenient talking point to espouse while you are *already* experiencing the benefits of Euro 5, a.k.a. being able to breathe in a town center.

But yes, of course, the rules should not apply *to you*, because you are special.