Look up fuel bottles and you will find a ton of threads about various options and they all work for oil bottles as well. As for your original question, if you only need a little top off oil and your concern about putting it into the bags is based on normal containers leaking after they have been opened then I reccomend a 250ml nalgene bottle. They are small enough to fit under the seat but I have never had one leak so I just throw it in my top box. My bike consumes a pretty good amount of oil so I carry this one for when the oil gets to the bottom edge of the sight window in 800-1000 miles I dump this in and it gets me to the middle of the window and another 400-500 which is usually enough to get me home without having to buy more along the way. Picture included for size comparison not debate.
Oh, not just that! The high gloss sheen left by Royal Purple has rendered me absolutely irresistible to the opposite sex. They throw themselves at me left and right. I am exhausted!
The Germans have had your solution for decades--I have one 30 years old that's blue with a roundel sticker and a 20-year-old black one as well See Touratech: http://shop.touratech.com/vehicle-equipment/luggage/pannier-accessories/canister-2-litre.html Lots of mounts for back of panniers, too.
I've read many posts in this thread that question the need to carry oil. I agree that the need is unlikely to suddenly present itself and I also agree that oil is widely available but... It has never happened to me, and I do not carry oil even though my wee-strom drinks it prodigiously, but I have seen quite a number of photos here of folks who have managed to put a hole in the engine case large enough to lose a substantial amount of oil. I notice that JB Weld or some similar material is used to make a workable repair, but without some extra oil on hand it seems to me that such a repair would be rather pointless. What good is patching an oil leak after the oil has leaked out and there is no replacement oil available? It's like the old saying about shutting the barn door after the horse has left; there's no point in shutting the door if there is no longer a horse to be held behind it. What are the thoughts on this scenario?
I would have agreed with you, if it wasn't for the fact that one morning during a multi-day adventure ride, I found the bottom of the pannier swimming in oil. A few too many bumps, a plastic bottle and a metal pannier don't work - so experience tells me. Use the metal cannisters now for oil, carry a little over 1L if you need it, handy being self sufficient. Stores usually only carry 4L bottles, bit hard to suddenly carry a 4L bottle if you need oil (plus it's plastic).
Unless you carry 3 quarts of oil, you are still SOL! The odds of that happening are so small as to be silly to contemplate. Further, if that is the case, send a buddy for oil! Jim
Let's take a look at those ideas one at a time: 1) "Unless you carry 3 quarts of oil, you are still SOL!" Well, that may not be entirely true. A. That makes the assumption that all the oil was lost and that may not be (any likely would not be) the case. B. That also assumes we need to refill the crankcase back to full capacity, but that is also not the case. Just because the oil is not full to capacity does not mean that there is not enough oil to get to a place to buy more oil. An engine very low on oil (perhaps even just one quart) can possibly be driven to someplace to get more oil. 2) "The odds of that happening are so small as to be silly to contemplate." Again, not necessarily true. As I wrote, I have seen evidence of quite a few cases this actually occurring. I suppose the likelihood of such an occurrence hinges largely on what bike is ridden and the type of riding one is doing, so it is impossible for you to tell others the chances of it occurring without knowing all the details of any trip that anyone could possibly take; clearly impossible. 3) "Further, if that is the case, send a buddy for oil!" This is again a somewhat presumptuous assumption that everyone travels in groups. I for one, always travel solo, so this is clearly useless advice for me. I'm sure some would take this as an opportunity to declare how travelling solo is dumb. Well, all I have to say to that is tell it to folks like Dr. Gregory Frazier, who has been around the world more than once and usually travels solo. There are, of course numerous other examples of solo travelers. Life is about managed risk. Some think the advantages of travelling solo outweigh the risks, just as some may feel that carrying extra oil is worth it.
I've carried oil and the only time I needed it was when I didn't have it. The Pamida store in MT had the type of oil needed. IMO it's not worth carrying unless you're in the real boonies. I'd rather use the space for a small air compressor. After I used that bit of oil in MT I gave the rest of it to a pickup truck driver.
If you are alone, and riding in such a way that you smash your case, you better have a SPOT or at least a cell phone. I will not continue this debate, as it verges on the absurd! If you think carrying one quart of oil is a panacea for all mechanical breakdowns, then more power to you! Jim
"...you better have a SPOT or at least a cell phone." I do, but that is beside the point. You are advocating the same philosophy as not carrying a spare tire or jack in your car because you can always call AAA. I will let other readers form their own opinions about that philosophy. I suspect it would not find favor with many, as it is almost the antithesis of adventure. Just because we *can* call for someone to help us does not imply that we should do so without attempting to help ourselves first. "If you think carrying one quart of oil is a panacea for all mechanical breakdowns, then more power to you!" It's a sign of poor reasoning to make this kind of all-or-nothing statements. Clearly that was not what I was advocating. Had you read my original post, you would have seen that I do not normally carry oil. I was simply asking others what they thought about the idea of carrying *some* oil. I neither specified a quantity of oil to carry, nor claimed that is was "the panacea for all mechanical breakdowns." "I will not continue this debate, as it verges on the absurd!" I'm pleased to hear it because, while not a debate, I have to agree with you that your portion at least is quite absurd.
That would be fine if I didn't mind mixing oil brands and motorcycle oil stockists were more aplenty. I have mounted two document tubes under my top box. In the one I carry oil in an aluminum fuel canister and in the other I carry an aerosol can of that puncture repair/inflator gunk. At least if either leak, my iPad, clothes etc. won't be affected. (I carry the puncture repair can ever since on a long, deserted and dusty road I developed a slow puncture with no water around to help me find the hole) <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/geckoracing/8309509812/" title="P1400153 by i90si, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8354/8309509812_39fa311e49_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="P1400153"></a>
look at the touratech pannier mounts. Couple people have mentioned them in this thread. I have them and use one for oil in a small MSR fuel bottle. Works great, keeps the oil outside the cases, gives you a bit more room, and you have oil when you need it. I have an 04 1150 with 57,000 miles and I use about 1 liter every 5000 miles. Just returned from Inuvik - Dawson - Alaska - and I was adding oil as needed.
We came across these guys on the WABDR last year. The rider had punched a hole in the valve cover. I'm sure his buddies would have been thrilled to make the 4 hour round trip to bring him back some oil.
After reading the recent posts in this thread, I'm going to start taking the bus and leave the bike at home.
