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Bonneville Auxilliary Gas Tank

15K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  bobmig 
#1 ·
Hi Guys,

I ride an '07 Bonnie Black with TORs and the AI kit. My gas mileage isn't great, but I'm not riding huge distances. A buddy of mine in Colorado has a '06 T100. I think he has D & D pipes, with the AI kit. He also has an oversized rear tire. He is complaining that on long trips he has to stop quite frequently for gas. I think he gets about 100 miles per tank. I remember reading on this forum about a year ago about some members who have put oversized gas tanks on for long distance touring. I thought I also saw some mention of an extra gas tank mounted on the rear rack or in a pannier. If any of you out there can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. He is threatening to get rid of the Bonnie and getting something else with better range.

Thanks! Kaffles
 
#3 ·
Tank

I never could imagine WHERE you would put something like that? 100 mi / tank is a little short!! I & all friends are geting 120-160/ tank. 120 till reserve- & then how much you can slosh over to the 1 side of the tank. If I were on a long trip- the Renetec would be packed, so I dont know where Id put an extra tank? There is a web site for gas stations on a trip. I think taht would be the way to go unless this gas crap gets outa control? 100 mi- id check out the jets or something, or go "easier " on the right hand?
 
#4 ·
Some of the wide open spaces out west, away from most towns, a 200+ mile range is real handy... I don't see myself springing for the NH tank, but some spare fuel would be a real nice thing to have when venturing off the beaten path. Range is one of the reasons I almost didn't buy a Scrambler... Suzuki's 650 V-Strom in comparison carries nearly six gallons of fuel and generally averages 50+ mpg. I'd love to have a solid 250 mile range capability... I just fell for the good looks and basic simplicity of the Triumph! Don't regret my purchase in the least - but I'm going to have to figure some way to carry a little extra fuel on some trips...

Regards, Guy
 
#5 ·
I'm with the Captain on this one .... my T100 and my buddy's 2001 Bonneville both averaged 45-47mpg on a trip two years ago. Both of us could ride 140-145 miles before hitting reserve. Granted, we weren't running 90mph, but riding two lane roads where we ran between 60-65mph most of the time. 5000 miles out and back, from Ohio to New Mexico then north thru Utah into Wyoming. No gas issues.

I agree, another 50 mile range would be nice if you want to travel on the Bonnie. We took the Bonnies instead of a VStrom and R100GS just to experience traveling Brit style.

Bob
 
#7 ·
Re carrying extra gasoline, I saw an older R Series BMW airhead at the BMW bike shop a few weeks ago that had aftermarket sidecovers that looked slightly different than stock.... they sort of bulged slightly. A closer look showed them to be auxiliary fuel tanks. I'd guess each one carried a couple of quarts, which would get the old Beemer another 45-50 miles down the road.

Bob
 
#8 ·
You have a few options. One would be to get something like a Tour Tank.

http://www.tourtank.com/

You could mount it to a rear rack or fabricate a rack to attach under the seat and sit above the rear part of the seat. Alternately, you could buy a Summit Racing or custom fuel cell and attach it in a similar fashion.
 
#9 · (Edited)
The ONLY place I've ever ridden or for that matter have seen without services (Gas) is the 110 miles on I70 between Green River and Salina(s) Utah. So if a Triumph can make that span I'm good as gold.
I guess all you guys are complaining about range because you DON'T like to stop and smell the roses. :Cigar: Well, I have to get off of any bike to take a fanny break after an hour or so. :arghh:

But, i gotta admit those TOURTANKS look like the solution.
 
#10 ·
It's really the difference between forced to stop at a point and having the option of stopping when you feel like it. I've found a bunch of 70+ mile gaps where my fuel was at a "questionable" level when I reached the last service point. Even if I filled up with fuel an hour earlier, I'm forced to stop again. My highway touring range with the NH tank is now about 170 miles before reserve (I carry heavy loads) with another ~15 to 17 miles after that. It makes a bigger difference than you might think.
 
#13 ·
This is what I have problems with.. I rode from seattle to bellingham, and had to stop for gas in bellingham as I had 70 miles worth of gas for an 80 mile ride home. basically, I ended up topping off my bike twice on a 150 mile ride.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the link to the aux fuel tanks. When I take the T100 out West again, I'd consider adding the small 1.5 gallon version with nylon cover. The Renntech rack should hold the additional 8-9 pounds of fuel and weight of the aluminum tank with no problem, and would probably leave room for a couple other items in roll packs (tent, air mattress). Another 65-70 miles would be a nice comfort factor.

Bob
 
#17 ·
I'm in the same boat with my Scrambler.

I'm planning on doing some big rides to some far away places so fuel range is going to be critical, especially with a loaded bike.

Ideally I would like to get 600kms from a fuel load. Obviuosly this is riding in ideal conditions and is simply a point of reference. This may be a little optimistic as it would make the bike somewhat of a rolling fuel tank.

So far I'm looking at getting a main fuel tank custom made to hold 20 - 25 litres. An auxilary tank of about ten litres to be mounted on the left side, in between the frame and the left pannier and a small tank, probably about 5 or 6 litres made to fit underneath a rear rack. I'll replace the stock tail light assembly with a slim unit to create some space.

Of course all this sounds great, I just have to wait for the savings plan to take effect!
 
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