Pro's and Con's to Airhead Aux fuel tanks?

[drhach]

Assuming you intend to stay in the U.S. it seems unlikely that you would run out of gas before finding another gas station. I think in the old days that may have been a justification for a bigger tank. Beyond that, it's been shown that getting off of the bike once in a while is good for you and actually helps you to ride longer distances. Having to stop at a gas station every couple of hundred miles gives you an excuse to stretch you legs, look the bike over and take a leak. I have the bigger tank on my R90 and it is plenty. I can't imagine sitting on that thing for the duration of eight gallons of gas. I usually burn about four gallons and I'm ready to pull in for a couple of minutes.

I thought about those Lufty side tanks too. For the price, the hassle and considering what I previously said, it really didn't seem worth it. They are novel, but I'm not so sure about them being useful. I think there's a reason why they never really caught on. Even traveling at night, many stations leave their pumps on so that oyu can use a credit card. I just can't imagine a scenario where I would run out of gas efore encountering another gas station. That is other than choosing to ignore that I am low on gas and riding on. But you can do that with aux tanks too.

[bmwblake]

to me it isn't about making it to the next gas station, it's about being able to stop more along the way at places that aren't gas stations. i like to not be tied to gas stations for stops.

Originally Posted by drhach

Assuming you intend to stay in the U.S. it seems unlikely that you would run out of gas before finding another gas station. I think in the old days that may have been a justification for a bigger tank. Beyond that, it's been shown that getting off of the bike once in a while is good for you and actually helps you to ride longer distances. Having to stop at a gas station every couple of hundred miles gives you an excuse to stretch you legs, look the bike over and take a leak. I have the bigger tank on my R90 and it is plenty. I can't imagine sitting on that thing for the duration of eight gallons of gas. I usually burn about four gallons and I'm ready to pull in for a couple of minutes.

I thought about those Lufty side tanks too. For the price, the hassle and considering what I previously said, it really didn't seem worth it. They are novel, but I'm not so sure about them being useful. I think there's a reason why they never really caught on. Even traveling at night, many stations leave their pumps on so that oyu can use a credit card. I just can't imagine a scenario where I would run out of gas efore encountering another gas station. That is other than choosing to ignore that I am low on gas and riding on. But you can do that with aux tanks too.

[drhach]

Originally Posted by bmwblake

to me it isn't about making it to the next gas station, it's about being able to stop more along the way at places that aren't gas stations. i like to not be tied to gas stations for stops.

I guess my point is that even going to places that aren't gas stations, in the U.S. you will likely pass a gas station where you can take 5 minutes to fill up. To me it doesn't make sense to spend hundreds of dollars to save a few minutes. There is a point of diminishing return here. Beyond the stock large size fuel tank, you will spend a lot of money or give up a lot of cargo space for very little gain. Save your money and spend it going to places that aren't gas stations.

[AntonLargiader]

Originally Posted by bmwblake

to me it isn't about making it to the next gas station, it's about being able to stop more along the way at places that aren't gas stations. i like to not be tied to gas stations for stops.

Exactly. Looking at it from the other side, why should we have to fill the tank every time we stop? Which is what it comes down to, on trips. If I never had to get fuel, I'd probably stop more (because there was no need to make it coincide with an efficient fuel stop) and enjoy myself more.

[chasbmw]

I have used the lufty tanks on a trip south of the border and around Australia, given that you can't fill them to the brim they don't really add much to real range 3-4 litres only I seem to remember.

Going round Aussi I also had a 5 litre plastic can strapped on the rear rack for those occasions, where I felt comfortable with the extra range.

Find yourself one of the standard large tanks, that and a fuel can should see you right.

Charles

[drhach]

What will you gain? The elimination of one fuel stop maybe two? We're talking ten minutes at best. Most of the time you don't even have to get off the bike anymore to fuel up. The card goes right in the pump. For this you are willing to fork over large sums of money. We're all different. To me it seems pointless to even worry about it. To each his own. Good luck with your search, I'm going for a ride, after I stop for gas of course.

[bmwblake]

i don't have the luft tanks, i have a 4 gallon fuel cell. that saves more than 10 minutes over a day of riding. it also gives me the flexibility to stop at places that aren't gas stations.

Originally Posted by drhach

What will you gain? The elimination of one fuel stop maybe two? We're talking ten minutes at best. Most of the time you don't even have to get off the bike anymore to fuel up. The card goes right in the pump. For this you are willing to fork over large sums of money. We're all different. To me it seems pointless to even worry about it. To each his own. Good luck with your search, I'm going for a ride, after I stop for gas of course.

[drhach]

Fair enough

[Bigger Al]

Originally Posted by AntonLargiader

Exactly. Looking at it from the other side, why should we have to fill the tank every time we stop? Which is what it comes down to, on trips. If I never had to get fuel, I'd probably stop more (because there was no need to make it coincide with an efficient fuel stop) and enjoy myself more.

I agree with this point. Having a KLR650 with an IMS tank has really spoiled me. I can go for quite a distance before worrying about gassing up, and it opens up possibilities that don't always exist on the Airhead.

I've got an old /7 tank in the garage that has a rusted-through spot in it, and I'm considering having it repaired and enlarged at the same time. The thought of having an extra 2 gallons appeals to me.

[bmwhacker]

Bigger tanks are the way to go.......I found this neat old Cop tank a while back...6.2 Gallon minus the volume loss from the "tool box".......



This , by far,is my favorite tank....around 8.0 to 8.5 gallons ................ugly to some....beautiful to others.....




I messed around with the Luftmeister saddle tanks.....worked this one down to raw aluminum but decided the tiny 1 liter each quantity wasn't worth the hassle....besides it interfered with my kick starter and was a plumbing nightmare.....thing was kind of pretty after many hours of working off the rotten old (very thick) epoxy paint and polishing....

[Bigger Al]

I'd love to get my hands on one of those old aftermarket big tanks, but the prices the command nowadays are prohibitive for me.

I'll gladly take the functionality over the aesthetics any day.

[bmwhacker]

Originally Posted by Bigger Al

I'd love to get my hands on one of those old aftermarket big tanks, but the prices the command nowadays are prohibitive for me.

I'll gladly take the functionality over the aesthetics any day.

My budget is on a shoe string when it comes to my motorcycles.....I got real lucky and found very cheap deals buying old junk bikes with some decent restorable tanks. The bikes are then parted out to cover the initial costs and then some......