My auxillary tank

[mike72903]

Purchased one of the 4 gallon RCI Fuel Cells. http://www.summitracing.com/search/product-line/rci-aluminum-fuel-cells/capacity/4-gallons .Tried it out temporarily directly on the bikes rack. Worked great.  Made a removable base for the tank that is easily installed/removed but very secure on the rack.  Plumbing is typically Teed into the gas line from the petcock with valves/filter/quick disconnect.  It's going to be an infrequently used accessory (solo long distance rides) so wanted to keep the cost low.  I figure I've got less than $120 in it so far. (hint) check ebay for the tanks (new) and I found a very inexpensive source for the fittings (JIC to NPT) to fit the tank online at surpluscenter.com. I will need to buy some kind of additional brake light to mount on the base or tank (I'm thinking an LED strip) as I'm not comfortable with how much the original light is covered.  Haven't fitted the vent line yet in the photos (one of the fittings on top, the other is a fuel return that's just capped) and want to ground the tank.  Painted tank and base black and polished some 1 inch wide aluminum from Lowes for the hold downs.


I was originally going to put the tank into a trunk (non Valk) I got with the bike. This was the largest capacity tank I could find that would fit the trunk. Ultimately, decided not to drill holes in the trunk.

[YoungPUP]

How does it handle as you go through the fuel?  Did get the plain tank or the one with the foam in it to prevent sloshing? I've been toying with a variation of the same Idea but using the 8gal version and mounting it on the rear fender mounts  in place of the rear seat on the Standard for longer trips.

[mike72903]

I'm kind of a new biker and some subtle things may escape me but I can't tell any difference in the handling.  For the first and only test so far I put 3 gallons in, not four. Can't imagine another gallon (8 pounds) would change that.  It doesn't affect balance as far as I can tell.  Not like having someone kinda heavy as a passenger.  The tank I got does have foam in it though I didn't notice that when I bought it on eBay. Just a happy accident.   All different sizes of these tanks are listed on ebay.

[YoungPUP]

The only thought I've had in my planning was that I would use a check valve type vent line just in case things go ass over tea kettle.  Keeps you from getting a gas bath.

[Firefighter]

Kicked around extra gas, never wanted to do away with trunk, and wanted gravity flow only. Thought about in the trunk, but you would have to be careful and vent to the outside. Sounded kind of iffy with tail lights and all. Looks good.  Firefighter

[pancho]

Looks good to me,, sort of blends in with the lines of the bike,, nice job on the cosmetics.....  That extra gas sure will come in handy when making a trip,, I went 1400 miles in two days a couple of weeks ago, and I was stopping for gas every 130 miles or so,, too often.  An extra tank sure would have been handy on that trip.

[deadwood]

Mine was a little less sophisticated.

[mike72903]

The RCI tanks all have a rollover vent.  It's one of the fittings on top.  The other is a "gas return" that I capped.  There are also 2 supply ports one of which I capped.  These are advertised as having AN fittings (Army/Navy).  But the JIC hydraulic fittings work also.  They have the same configuration, just not the same tolerance as the AN.