Silly ideas. Fuelcock?

[stinkwheel]

Right. Silly idea #43965

Need to extend the tank range on my KLE500 for adventure biking next summer. How the hell to do that? I hear you cry. Never fear, 'tis simple. You simply jack the parcel rack up a bit with some home made brackets and fit a C90 fuel tank underneath it (silly idea courtesy of www.ratbike.org/bbs ). Instant extra fuel capacity.

Now the rub. How to connect it in? The sexy way would be to keep the top of the auxillary tank level with the top of the standard tank and link the two together. That would even give me a fuel guage as there is a sender unit in the C90 tank.

The easy way would be to splice the auxillary tank into the fuel line with a T-piece and switch it on if required.

I am all for an easy life but doing it the easy way will require an inline fuel cock. Otherwise if it is on all the time I risk overflowing one or other of the tanks if they are not perfectly level. The tank just has a spout coming out of it, the tap is on the carb on C90s.

So, inline fuel cock anyone?
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Ichy]

https://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/part.phtml?PartID=1409

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HARLEY-CUSTOM-INLINE-FUEL-COCK-TAP_W0QQitemZ8017728460QQcategoryZ10458QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Something like that and a Y piece into the fuel line?

[loply]

Is your auxilliary tank not "sealable" so that it wont leak when overfilled? If you could seal it then you could just jack it in with a T-Piece and have it permanently connected and permanently full.
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[stinkwheel]

[Ichy]

Another thought, anti back flow valve. Don't even know if you can get one for fuel but if you had two then the fuel wouldn't be able to level it self out between the two tanks. Have to think that one through, might only need one.

You might even be able to get a T/Y connector that has a tap, have to have a look.

[stinkwheel]

Aye, a couple of ball valves might do it. They'd need to make a very good seal though.

I suppose the other potential problem there is that the aux tank would be bypassing the vacuum tap and supplying a head of fuel to the carbs all the time. Given the reliability of modern Japanese needle valves, I could land up with a crankcase full of petrol.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[mchaggis]

https://i17.ebayimg.com/04/i/04/67/f1/77_1_b.JPG

Fit a one-way aquatic valve and do it the easy way.
https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/8mm-NON-RETURN-ONE-WAY-VALVE-KOI-FISH-POND_W0QQitemZ7727636913QQcategoryZ57230QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


I dunno about the tubing size, but I'm sure you can bodge something together. It'd have to be petrol proof though, and any rubber membranes/ plastic parts might dissolve straight through into your carbs.

Petrol-engined model aircraft are the place to look for that sort of thing I'd think, they need non-return fuel valves for aerobatics.


Edit: Thinking about it some more, you could use a banjo bolt to connect the smaller tank to the output pipe from the main tank and then persuade the main fuel tap to fit underneath it. That'd get around the vacuum tap problem. A one-way valve would also stop it backing into the smaller tank.

I don't think you can get around the vacuum tap problem without making more or less irreversable changes, or perhaps machining a sleeve to screw onto the fuel outlet, to fit a banjo bolt onto, and then fit the conventional fuel tap onto that?
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[stinkwheel]

The original fuel tap is a non-fuck-with item. It is recessed into the side of the tank with no room round it.

Just a thought, do they put check valves in oxy-acetylene sets? If it is acetylene proof, it is petrol proof.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[mchaggis]

[mchaggis]

I thought I'd just knock up a quick drawing of a check valve. Unfortunately, this type is commonly used for oil passageways, which are pushing the spring under considerable pressure, rather than sucking it from the other side with engine vacuum. You might have a challenge in getting it to flow from the C90 tank rather than just sucking air from the main tank, though with a suitable spring/ suitably expensive valve, that needn't be a problem you'd encounter.

Generally for fuel stop valves, the more expensive, the less the restriction to flow, though obviously nothing can get back. The fluid pressure needed to open the valve is entirely dependent on the spring stiffness.
____________________
I must not be a troll...
Mmmm, Guinness
Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.

[map]

I realise not ideally suited to what you're doing but I did come across how to fit additional Touratech fuel tanks to the BMW GS.

This does involve drilling the original tank. As said, not sure if appropriate but you might get some ideas.
Link is here - click me, the link to the other pages are at the top of the page shown.

HTH
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[stinkwheel]

Hells bells! Bloody glad I don't have a BMW. That is a rigmarole and a half even to get at the fuel tank, let alone do anything with it.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Bendy]

I'm looking at this far too simplistically, but why not just stop, have a wee rest and syphon from the backup tank to the main one with one of those 'don't need to suck on it, can be the same height' syphoning tubes.

In fact, why not just tie a jerry can to the back and be done with it.

[stinkwheel]

I considered the jerry can option, but If I am going to be carrying all my gear for a fortnights adventure touring within the arctic circle, I'll need all the space I can get. That said, I will be designing the luggage racks with a jerry can in mind (some sort of 'lazy tongs' style fold out or hinge-down shelf arrangement if I can be arsed).

I still think one of the inline fuel cocks is the best idea. Then I just need to fit a T-piece in the main fuel line and the fuelcock. Even easier than a syphon then. Run out of fuel, switch on fuel cock, carry on for another 40-50 miles.

Another thought. What about Quick Detach fuel couplings?
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Robby]

Can you not just drill a couple of big holes in the bottom and top of the c90 tank and corresponding holes in the original tank and run some very thick tubing between them. Use the lowest point to attach a normal fuel tap to, job done.

[MarJay]

what about a fuel pump off of another bike. A thick bit of petrol tube.

Connect in the other fuel pump to the electrics with a switch.

when running low on fuel, flick switch.

Pump pumps fuel into main tank.

You just need some way of attaching the tube to the top of the main tank without butchering the main tank...
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Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Ichy]

[BFG]

Suzuki intruder 1400 has a remote fuel tap, which you could pick up from a breakers. Has two inlets - one for normal, one for reserve - and one output.

Or get two of these:
https://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/products/ProductDetail.asp?cls=MSPORT&pcode=FSECFTU10

[stinkwheel]

[feef]

on boats with outboards, a common solution is a little manual fuel pump running from the auxiliary tank to the tank on the outboard. This works cos the aux tank is usually below the main tank, so no worries about fuel over flowing and such like.

https://www.iboats.com/mall/index.cgi?keywords=primer%20bulb&session_id=647163236&cart_id=682984317&list_time=1145534460&view_id=2935

something like that would mean you could put your spare tank(s) inside something like panniers, low down. Downside woud be it reauires some manual intervention to top up the main tank.

a
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[feef]

[nrml76]

Why not just get a larger tank and fashion suitable mounts, and chop the seat if needed to accomodate it on the frame. A tank with a few dents on it from a breaker would be probably cheaper and less liklely to fail, than an elaborate modification.

[stinkwheel]

Well, I have been through all the options in the last few months, including fitting a larger tank (which is going to be pretty much impossible as it is a cradle rather than a spine frame). I have a large tank off a KLR650 Tengi if anyone needs one, it wont fit your KLE though.

In the end I plumped for something uber-simple. A jerry-can mounted on a rack on the side of the bike which I can take off and pour into the tank if I run out.

Haven't fabricated it yet but I will get round to it.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[ZRX61]

You could just convert a 5 gallon air pig into a fuel tank...

[mr.z]

Not sure if its the same in scotland but in the uk 5litres is the max your allowd to carry, not that many copper are likely to know that, or care.. but if there covered or disguised as an ammo box then whos to know Allthough if its a bolted on aux tank than must work differently...

Theres aux tanks made in the us with fuel pumps built in (drag racers use suposedly) but they are reeealy expensive..

Anchor army supplys do sturdy looking lockable jerry can racks, might be worth a look even just for ideas..
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