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Carrying extra fuel, what are you pratices?

Willie

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Hey Guy’s & Gal’s,

I carry extra fuel in a MSR fuel bottle and am wondering what you folks do, do you freshen up the fuel every few fuel stops, or do you use fuel stabilizer for the season. I was thinking many probably do not give much thought to this, but wanted some opinions.

Thanks for your input..... Willie
 
1 gallon rotopax mounted to the top of the top box. I only fill it for those long segments of a trip. Then drain it and leave it empty when I know I won’t need the extra fuel. I never leave fuel “stored” in it beyond the trip segment where it might be needed.
 
In RotopaX or MSR bottles, I usually add a little Stabil and keep the fuel in the container for the spring riding season, then replace it for the fall riding season (I don’t generally do long motorcycle trips in the summer due to the heat). Even though it’s much discussed, I don’t have issues with aged fuel. Only once have I called open the extra fuel to bail me out of a situation, so usually the fuel stays in the container the whole season and then gets dumped into a vehicle with a large fuel tank at the end.
 
Desert Fox fuel bag. 5 Liter size. Fill it only for long legs of a trip. Roll it up and stow it away when not in use.

No extra fuel carried on a daily basis.

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I only fill a small fuel bottle if I’m going on a long trip. If I use it on the road, I just refill it with gas from the pump. When I’m done with the trip, I dump it in the tank and let the bottle dry out and store it away.

If I were exploring remote areas, I would carry an appropriately sized fuel can (like a Rotopax). As soon as the tank is empty enough to take it, I would dump the extra gas in the tank.

JT
 
I only fill a small fuel bottle if I’m going on a long trip. If I use it on the road, I just refill it with gas from the pump. When I’m done with the trip, I dump it in the tank and let the bottle dry out and store it away.

If I were exploring remote areas, I would carry an appropriately sized fuel can (like a Rotopax). As soon as the tank is empty enough to take it, I would dump the extra gas in the tank.

JT
And this is when I carry extra fuel.

I don't carry extra fuel on a daily basis. Despite the fact that I live in a rural area I'm never far enough away from a gas station that I can't manage to refill the tank somewhere along my ride. Honestly I don't really understand the need to carry extra fuel on a daily basis. It adds excess weight and provides very little to zero practical utility on a daily basis.

Load the bike with gear for a long distance adventure trip and it seems to have roughly 200 miles of realistic range, depending upon load, road & riding style. Head off into rural Canada or remote areas of the USA and carrying a gallon of fuel makes a lot of sense while on a road trip.

Seems like owners of NC700x/750x bikes are more likely to carry around MSR fuel bottles on daily rides than other bike owners.

I'm not sure why. Is it just a Farkle?
 
Seems like owners of NC700x/750x bikes are more likely to carry around MSR fuel bottles on daily rides than other bike owners.

I'm not sure why. Is it just a Farkle?

The NC’s 3.7 gallon fuel capacity is, in my opinion, unusually small. Ridden gently, the range is OK and on a par with other motorcycles. Ride crazy into a strong headwind with windshield and saddlebags and the range is ridiculously short. Maybe that drives the desire to carry extra fuel.
 
The NC’s 3.7 gallon fuel capacity is, in my opinion, unusually small. Ridden gently, the range is OK and on a par with other motorcycles. Ride crazy into a strong headwind with windshield and saddlebags and the range is ridiculously short. Maybe that drives the desire to carry extra fuel.

I understand the desire but how often is it actually needed when not out on a long distance trip in remote areas?

I’ve had to pull in for fuel sooner than when I wanted to do so but never have I, when not on a trip to remote areas, found myself stranded and in need of a liter bottle of fuel.
 
I carry 2 full MSR bottles all the time. For my 2600 mile trip i added 2 more just for the piece of mind. Twice on the ride i found myself needing fuel late at night/early in the morning and was unable to locate a place for fuel that was open or that had 24hr pumps, which was (S/W Montana and Eastern Idaho). Those two times i filled up using 3.4gals and 3.5 gals. For me, it was nice just knowing i had the fuel if needed. :{)

I attached two MSR bottles per side(the extra 2 up front and the permanent 2 in the rear). For my Alaska trip next year i will find a nice spot for a larger container. :{)
easy to mount
MSR bottles installed.jpg

and a perfect fit with the luggage.
MSR bottles installed2.jpg
 

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I carry 2 full MSR bottles all the time. For my 2600 mile trip i added 2 more just for the piece of mind. Twice on the ride i found myself needing fuel late at night/early in the morning and was unable to locate a place for fuel that was open or that had 24hr pumps, which was (S/W Montana and Eastern Idaho)...
Right. On a 2600 mile trip. In remote areas.

But on your daily commutes, afternoon rides, etc that is when I question the actual need to carry fuel.

Sure I do agree with everyone here, fuel tank is too small. Agreed. But outside of trips, is carrying extra fuel just a Farkle? I think, in practical terms of daily riding, it is nothing more than an unneeded, weight adding, accessory.
 
Right. On a 2600 mile trip. In remote areas.

But on your daily commutes, afternoon rides, etc that is when I question the actual need to carry fuel.

Sure I do agree with everyone here, fuel tank is too small. Agreed. But outside of trips, is carrying extra fuel just a Farkle? I think, in practical terms of daily riding, it is nothing more than an unneeded, weight adding, accessory.

Agree. For daily riding, extra fuel is unnecessary for those living in populated areas with plenty of fuel stops. But then again, not everyone does “daily riding”. I don’t run errands or go to “town” with my NC. I don’t and never did commute to a job by motorcycle, either. People use their motorcycles differently, so no one practice fits all.

I do only carry extra fuel when riding to places I expect might to have scarce fuel availability. On trips with riding buddies, I’ll carry a gallon of fuel and make it available to the group as needed, in case they have a problem outside my control.
 
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Honestly I don't really understand the need to carry extra fuel on a daily basis. It adds excess weight and provides very little to zero practical utility on a daily basis.

You obviously either don't commute every day, or have a short commute ;-)

I run 60+ miles a day (just to get to work and back) and also use the NC for errands and shopping during the week and weekends. The itty-bitty fuel tank and horrible mileage when loaded and at speed mean that sometimes I have to fuel every other day. That is insane. Did it for almost a year, then started carrying an additional 3 gallons of fuel. I've had my low fuel light go on at 120 miles when running fast and heavy on my I-95 commute.

Is it necessary? No. Does it add practical utility to the motorcycle? Yes!

Until you have had to refuel every other day or so for a couple of months you probably wouldn't understand how annoying it can be.
 
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ld_rider you assume much.

Pretty much have to refuel every time I ride.
What difference does it make if I stop at the gas station or dump it from an aux tank? Either way I’m refueling. There are some times when I will top off at home using the gas I store from the lawnmower. But regardless I’m still refueling almost every ride. I see no utility in carrying fuel when there are stations aplenty to stop. And I live in a rural area, 15 minutes to the nearest small town.
 
My commute is 120 round trip and I do have to fill up every day which is a bit of a hassle

When I go on a longer ride where getting gas could be a problem I bring 1 liter just in case but between cell phone and Google maps or gas buddy knowing where a gas station is or isn't hasn't gotten easier then it used to be
 
I commute almost daily on my bikes during spring/summer/fall. My round trip is 76 miles per day (60 miles on the superslab)...I dont carry extra fuel and yes I have to refuel every other day, but heck it only takes 5 minutes to fill up and there is a Shell station next to my on/off ramp on the Interstate (on both ends). Lucky I live east of the Mississippi and I am never more than 15 miles from a 24/7 convenience stop. Even on trips to the Smokies on the 2 lane highways and on my 1000 mile butt burner in 17 hours, never more than a few miles from a gas station when low fuel started blinking..on my long rides to the Smokies (380 miles each way) by the time the bike is needing a refill, my bladder is needing an empty... I do see in the remote areas of the country which dont have all night convenience stops, the need to carry extra fuel on long rides or even long commutes...my C50 Boulevard has a 4.7 gallon tank but the overall tank range is no better than the NC700 and I have did 800 miles in 13 hours on it (superslab to Florida). Still never needed to haul extra gas...I commend you guys who live out in the remote area of the country and you can be hundreds of miles from civilization...if I rode in those conditions or did the Iron Butt Association rallys, heck yea, I would have gallons of extra fuel.
 
ld_rider you assume much.

Pretty much have to refuel every time I ride.
What difference does it make if I stop at the gas station or dump it from an aux tank? Either way I’m refueling.

In that case, the only difference is that you don't have to stop at a gas station to refuel, since well, you have the fuel with you!

But, suggesting that carrying extra fuel has no practical benefit assumes that the only way to refuel is to stop. That isn't true.

Sorry I wasn't clear in my post that refueling can be done 'on the fly' with no need to even slow down which is a huge practical benefit.
 
...but how often is it actually needed

I’ve pulled into gas stations on fumes before, but I have never needed to use the extra gas for myself.

I have helped other motorcyclists that were out of gas on the highway before. That small amount in a MSR bottle is good for 5-10miles to get them to the next exit. This usually happens when I’m on longer trips where there are 20-30 mile sections of highway without gas stations. People stretch their fuel and come up a few miles short all the time. Most recently on Memorial Day late evening. Guy was just trying to make time to get home after a long weekend.

JT
 
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