OzSTOC
General Category => LONG DISTANCE RIDING, Proper preparation, Safety and Tips => Topic started by: STroppy on August 13, 2015, 07:53:31 PM
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For those who are interested in taking on the long distance rides that Lionel and a few others do, you may be interested in these Mil Spec fuel bladders to get you thru those distances in the middle of the night where petrol stations aren't open . . Worth a look . .
http://liquidcontainment.com.au/category/12/Motor-Bike (http://liquidcontainment.com.au/category/12/Motor-Bike)
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Dunno about carrying 3.5 litres of petrol strapped to my back, even not riding a bike, but some aspects of a collapsible, flexible container look interesting.
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I've got a 12 litre fuel bladder that I strap onto the bike.
Its difficult to manage when full until you get the cap on. In Port Augusta I managed to spill about a litre over the bike when I lifted it off the ground to get the cap on. The trouble starts if you sit it on its base when full and remove one hand to screw the cap on.
Mr Plod was watching me but said nothing.
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Anyone see the safety concerns with carrying fuel this way?
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I think I will stick with my old method of having a 10 litre in each side case or using the 20 litre (for car) one placed in the trailer. :think1 40 litres plus 28 might mean Nundroo to Norseman (1049 km) without needing to stop for over priced fuel in between. I like that idea.
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Anyone see the safety concerns with carrying fuel this way?
Yep! High potential for spills, and difficult to safely secure.
A couple of mates use these http://rotopax.com/1-Gallon-Packs/ (http://rotopax.com/1-Gallon-Packs/) and find them to be quite satisfactory.
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I'm not against carrying fuel, it's the bladder type container as opposed to a ridgid container either plastic or metal . that would worry me....
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The bladder being more flexible is less likely to wear through the container as I have seem in the Army with steel jerry cans. Metal on metal over bumpy roads.
Motor racing cars have a bladder because on impact it is less likely to rupture.
Having said that, I wouldn't strap one too my back.
I would possibly put one inside an aluminum containment vessel though.
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I wouldn't strap one to my back, but I would put into my panniers or my topbox . . I also would only fill them for the sections of a ride where I think I might need the extra fuel . .
I think I would probably go for maybe 2 5ltr or a 10ltr . . And so depending on the ride, you could take 5, 10, 15 or 20 litres with you . .
Taking them would only be because of fuel unavailability on certain legs at certain times, otherwise mt in TB.
I definately wouldn't be riding anything like 900ks with only one stop to fuel up from the bladders . . My own would need mting more often . .
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I've learnt not to fill the bladder. If I only put about 9 litres in it is much easier to hold it on its base with one hand while putting on the cap with the other.
I agree about the disadvantages. I've found that the petrol smell permeates the top box or pannier whether in a hard or soft container.
One advantage of the bladder is you can roll it up when you don't need to use it.
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Excellent idea, however better for letting fluids drain on a long trip rather than putting liquids in.... ;-* ;-* ;-*
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Excellent idea, however better for letting fluids drain on a long trip rather than putting liquids in.... ;-* ;-* ;-*
You mean you collect and save it?
Is there a refund location?
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Lots of off road riders use them, particularly when they are carrying lots of gear. They are easier to strap on to and under things and they don't tend to bust when the bike goes down. They are also soft when you land on them (or lean on them) or when they hit you when you fall over.
They aren't difficult to secure at all. The decent ones have eyelets you can use to tie them down. Not all bike are big sheets of plastic with boxes everywhere like our ST's. Rolling them up when empty as Lionel does is a great advantage. They don't suck in and crease when empty and it gets colder. But as others have said, they can be more fiddly to use.
No additional safety issues I can think of when compared to the hard ones, just different benefits. The powers that be must agree, they've been selling them for quite a while now.
The rotopax plastics are good too, particularly if your bike/rack/topbox/panniers suit the lockable mounting brackets. If I were going to stick a jerry in a pannier or topbox they'd be the ones I'd use. Very solid and the tops sort of ratchet. I've not been able to make one leak fuel or fumes yet. However I generally don't put jerry's inside panniers etc. Not long back I rode with a very experienced LD rider who had one leak all through his pannier, yuck. Fortunately we weren't relying in it being full as part of the ride plan. But we are quite restricted for choice on the ST's.
Oh, reduced temperature --> lowering gas volume in a sealed container --> air pressure pushes in the jerry - they don't actually suck in......zzzzzzzz. I hope no-one noticed or if they did they read this far.
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I love science.
The military use bladders too.
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However I generally don't put jerry's inside panniers etc. Not long back I rode with a very experienced LD rider who had one leak all through his pannier, yuck. Fortunately we weren't relying in it being full as part of the ride plan. But we are quite restricted for choice on the ST's.
I use the standard red 10 litre ones you might get in stores like Kmart or BP etc. so the filler is up top and to the rear and it won't tip over. Other incidental stuff can be packed in as well. So far I haven't had the smell of fuel from the side case that I had in fuel stowed in the trailer when towed behind car on one trip.
Oh, reduced temperature --> lowering gas volume in a sealed container --> air pressure pushes in the jerry - they don't actually suck in......zzzzzzzz. I hope no-one noticed or if they did they read this far.
Well, I read this far.......as the fumes cool they contract and the outside air pushes that container inwards and the opposite happens if you place the container in the sun or warm air; the fumes get heated and expand the container.
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Well, I read this far.......as the fumes cool they contract and the outside air pushes that container inwards and the opposite happens if you place the container in the sun or warm air; the fumes get heated and expand the container.
:rofl My wise old grandfather taught me about gang hooks. "The second hook always catches the tricky ones m'boy," he used to say. :rofl
Having said that, you reminded me of another gotcha Alan. In hot conditions you are better to fill the jerry than have it half full because the fumes (fumes=gas) expands (expands = increase in volume = increase in pressure) more than the liquid. More gas, more expansion. Don't overfill it though. And in heat always take the jerry off the bike before you open it.