portable gas can in trunk of trike

[nevtat]

My Ultra Classic motortrike with a 103 gets maybe 30 mpg now and then and I've almost run out of gas several times. Can you safely carry a gal of gas in the bottom trunk? I suppose it has to be vented somehow. Does anyone sell something like this! It runs good and sounds good with 91 octane. On the road, if I have to make a choice, think I would go for 87 octane rather then 91 with 10% ethanol just from listening to the motor.:xzqxz:

I've used the angled gas can for Baggers for five years and never had an issue. I plan to use it with the TriGlide on certain trips. Living west of the Mississippi River, there are plenty of places where one can get in trouble with gas stops. (Nevada & California's coast)

 

[pcombe]

Ok, thanks, I like the outside container solution and have a fairly large space right next to the front of the rear fenders. When my gas light comes on, I'm suppose to have exactly one gallon of gas left which is about 26-30 miles. Any truth in this as I don't want to run out of gas just to prove it.

I wonder if you thought that through?
If you place the can at the front of the fender you expose it to engine heat and the gas has a tendency to expand under heat. (just sayin)

My friend has carried a 1 gal. gas can from harbor freight in his trunk for 50,000 miles with no ill effects.
Personally i haven't had the need, I do long trips and i can read a map telling me about distances, I have never ran out in 91,000 miles.

 

[Sloufoot]

I wonder if you thought that through?
If you place the can at the front of the fender you expose it to engine heat and the gas has a tendency to expand under heat. (just sayin)

My friend has carried a 1 gal. gas can from harbor freight in his trunk for 50,000 miles with no ill effects.
Personally i haven't had the need, I do long trips and i can read a map telling me about distances, I have never ran out in 91,000 miles.

And I would guess that you call ahead to make sure they are still open, or not shut down for some reason? If a person might get off the freeway sometimes they find all sorts of oddities . Just say'in........
I like to do the 100mi or so stops also, but I have seen the need a couple of times for some extra juice in the tank to get to a pump. Some adventures call for unplanned roads & stops. Also things happen to towns that happen to only have one station. Usually only temporary, but I usually don't choose to wait for them to open. A gallon or two sure is nice !
Also to be able to help out someone that might have misjudged miles on their travels. Here's hoping you aren't ever in that position......

 

[Lakeman]

I have never had to use mine, I did run out 30 feet from the pump once. I feel sure it has saved me from getting an ulcer though. The piece of mind is worth all the cons someone may come up with. When I am in an unfamiliar place with my wife on the back!

 

[msocko3]

One way to look at it. Carrying a gallon of gas in the trunk and get rear ended by a teenie bopper texting or yacking on the phone and you might get a chance to go down in a blaze of glory.

 

[Sloufoot]

Yeah, it is flammable. But in the trunk inside a safety container seems to have a lot more protection from fire than that 6 gal gas can held between your legs, that is thin enough to bend with just a hard bump from your hand & sitting over the top of a great heat source in case of a leak or splash.
And they do rupture in accidents. Not all, but it does happen.
Just say'in.....................

 

[THEREALTRIKKY]

So, I have a question/observation that I didn't once see brought up in all of this. Many of you mention if you're hit from behind, etc. Here's my "thoughts" on this. If you do have a "worst case" scenario, get hit, or have a mishap, fuel spilled, etc. Are you sure you're insurance would cover any damages as a result? I can see several "loopholes" that would allow your insurance company to deny any claim as a result and put you 100% out of pocket for any damages as a result.

Maybe it's just me, but the "piece of mind" for carrying the fuel isn't worth the thousands of dollars you could potentially pay out in damages. I would look for an approved "universal type" auxiliary fuel tank that's designed for such a purpose. This would prevent any possible liability on your behalf for carrying around a gasoline container in the back of your trike also. Can you tell that I've dealt with countless insurance companies in my job? haha

 

[ehroyal]

In July, my wife and I made a 6000mi. trip through the western states. I pulled a trailer behind my 2011 Tri-Glide. The trailer had a rack on the front for a large cooler, so I took a cooler and put 2 of the one gallon angled gas cans in it along with oil, cleaning supplies, and a few tools. Worked out great and was glad to have the extra gas as I had to use a gallon of gas before I found a gas station.

 

[Sloufoot]

So, I have a question/observation that I didn't once see brought up in all of this. Many of you mention if you're hit from behind, etc. Here's my "thoughts" on this. If you do have a "worst case" scenario, get hit, or have a mishap, fuel spilled, etc. Are you sure you're insurance would cover any damages as a result? I can see several "loopholes" that would allow your insurance company to deny any claim as a result and put you 100% out of pocket for any damages as a result.

Maybe it's just me, but the "piece of mind" for carrying the fuel isn't worth the thousands of dollars you could potentially pay out in damages. I would look for an approved "universal type" auxiliary fuel tank that's designed for such a purpose. This would prevent any possible liability on your behalf for carrying around a gasoline container in the back of your trike also. Can you tell that I've dealt with countless insurance companies in my job? haha

If you do anything that Harley doesn't approve or install themselves can be termed as modification that isn't approved. The insurance co. would jump on that also. There are auxiliary fuel tanks that other trike conversions are using, these are installed when they do the conversion, but I haven't heard of any for the Tri Glide. Has anyone else ?

 

[msocko3]

So, I have a question/observation that I didn't once see brought up in all of this. Many of you mention if you're hit from behind, etc. Here's my "thoughts" on this. If you do have a "worst case" scenario, get hit, or have a mishap, fuel spilled, etc. Are you sure you're insurance would cover any damages as a result? I can see several "loopholes" that would allow your insurance company to deny any claim as a result and put you 100% out of pocket for any damages as a result.

Maybe it's just me, but the "piece of mind" for carrying the fuel isn't worth the thousands of dollars you could potentially pay out in damages. I would look for an approved "universal type" auxiliary fuel tank that's designed for such a purpose. This would prevent any possible liability on your behalf for carrying around a gasoline container in the back of your trike also. Can you tell that I've dealt with countless insurance companies in my job? haha

I don't think there will be any insurance issues. Myself I wouldn't want to waste the space to tote a gas can when I can stop every 100 miles, get gas and also give myself a reason to stretch and walk a spell. There has only been 2 times I've come close to running out of gas, both were my fault. I figure I have road side assistance for a reason, they can bring me a gallon of gas if I should need it.

 

[Oldmsocko]

Last year my bride and I traveled to Yellowstone and back which was a 5,300 mile roundtrip and I never came close to running out of gas. We just stop every 100 miles or so to stretch our legs which is needed.

 

[vettriker68]

I would think if we were hit from behind we would be thrown from the trike.

love your positive thinking and do you carry hot dogs to roast if there is a fire??

 

[Sloufoot]

love your positive thinking and do you carry hot dogs to roast if there is a fire??

As a matter of fact I do sometimes along with a small bag of briquettes for a nice picnic. It's fun .....Try it sometime!:cxtv:

 

[Lakeman]

I have never heard of any insurance restrictions as to what I carry in any of my vehicles.
If I am hit from the rear I think I would be thrown clear of the trike.
I don't think it would make any difference insurance wise whether HD approves of it or not. HD doesn't approve my trike conversion and I had no problem insuring it.
I do love hot dogs!

 

[rhino 2]

With all the nimrods out there,
You have more of chance getting hit on the side of the road out of gas' than just riding around with an extra tank in the back... [Target fixation]..:xszpv:

 

[Urlawyer]

On our trip to Alaska in 1992, my wife and I each carried two 1 pint hiker fuel bottles on our FLSTC's. Only once did we come close to using the gas but I was glad we had them.

The hiker fuel bottles are designed to carry fuel in backpacks, so they do not leak and they are very light but very strong.

 

[rhino 2]

On our trip to Alaska in 1992, my wife and I each carried two 1 pint hiker fuel bottles on our FLSTC's. Only once did we come close to using the gas but I was glad we had them.

The hiker fuel bottles are designed to carry fuel in backpacks, so they do not leak and they are very light but very strong.

ThumbUpThumbUp I carry one on my Sporster never had to use it, But like you said, nice knowing it's there....

 

[Smitty Werben Manjensen]

That hiker bottle is a good idea -- now I have a reason to use it for the first time in 25 years.

 

[John Luciano]

Don't forget when you get home to empty the gas into the bike tank or a lawn mower etc. storing the gas is not for indefinite periods of time.

 

[roadking2]

I don't have one or need one, but many of the conversion companies offer aux. fuel tanks that have their own pump to fill your main tank. Most of them hold anywhere between 3 and 5 gallons. I'd imagine a creative mind would be able to find a way to retro fit one of those on their trike. If they are all that dangerous to have, why do CSC, Hannigan, Roadsmith, even Lehman, and others offer them in their conversion kits? If there was a explosion, fire, crash danger, don't you think they would NOT be offering them? A bare bones can sitting in the trunk or strapped on may be something different all together though. I really don't know how safe either option is, but you're sitting with a gas can basically in your lap to begin with, so how much more danger is there in having a spare in the back?

 

[Shriner Jim]

I ain't much on carrying a bomb in the trunk. I ain't muslim. I have been riding for years and have run out of gas twice, both my own fault. Once in the mountains of New Hampshire, once on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I have tried to learn from these experiences, but I'm not sure I did. Time will tell. Now when you are riding for a known long distance where there is absolutely no petrol, by all means pack a bomb. Just my $0.02.

 

[GARYD]

I'm still trying to figure this one out. You know how far you can go on a full tank. Why do you need to carry more. Do you have a a can in your cars also - just in case??? I would think you'd WANT to stop every 100-150 miles just to stretch your legs.

Is there any stretch of highway in the U.S. that a gas station is farther away then a tank of gas? Out west maybe? I don't know. I've never encountered one.

 

[Peter A.]

Re: portable gas can in trunk of trikeI

I totally agree - living out WEST I have never experienced a situation
of running out of gas (except once/twice due to own ignorance). My
2010 trike goes 200 miles on the stock tank but THE RIDER only goes
100 miles..........problem solved pepper.

 

[msocko3]

I'm still trying to figure this one out. You know how far you can go on a full tank. Why do you need to carry more. Do you have a a can in your cars also - just in case??? I would think you'd WANT to stop every 100-150 miles just to stretch your legs.

Is there any stretch of highway in the U.S. that a gas station is farther away then a tank of gas? Out west maybe? I don't know. I've never encountered one.

:Agree: I've only come close to running out of gas on 3 occasions, all 3 were my fault.

 

[Trent]

I'm still trying to figure this one out. You know how far you can go on a full tank. Why do you need to carry more. Do you have a a can in your cars also - just in case??? I would think you'd WANT to stop every 100-150 miles just to stretch your legs.

Is there any stretch of highway in the U.S. that a gas station is farther away then a tank of gas? Out west maybe? I don't know. I've never encountered one.

None that are ridden regularly that I know of out here Gary. There fer sure is no gas on some very remote stretches across Oregon & Nevada, but Bikes would avoid those roads. Once going across Nevada on I-80, I skipped a gas stop just west of Winnemucca because I was sure there was a station at the next junction where I was getting off the freeway to get to Yosemite the back way. There was no station there, and we had to make it to Fallon across the most desolate 2 lane, 110 degree desert you can imagine. The Jackrabbits were wearin' canteens!!! The R quit reading when it got down to 20 miles and was flashing at me to get gas now dumb-ass!! When I coasted into the Chevron there, I put in 6.2 gallons. My fault, I should have stopped earlier...lesson learned.

 

[Lakeman]

Peter A you just answered you own question about running out of gas, read your post.
Shriner Jim you also said you have run out of gas twice, I think you all are confused you state you don't think you should carry extra gas but then both of you talk about running out of gas??? Maybe it's me that is confused.

 

[tom w]

IMO any one considering to carry gasoline on board their trike should first torch off 1 gal. of gas in a sealed container.

I have seen it. It aint pretty! but, its your a$$.

me , im stopping for gas around every 100-120 miles. the wife is ready for a break by then anyway

 

[GARYD]

Peter A you just answered you own question about running out of gas, read your post.
Shriner Jim you also said you have run out of gas twice, I think you all are confused you state you don't think you should carry extra gas but then both of you talk about running out of gas??? Maybe it's that is confused.

I think they said they learned a lesson and won't do that again. Also 1 or 2 times out of how many thousands of trips? ? Not bad odds.
I do not want to chance gas fumes in my trunk = + a spark = BOOM!!!
I know they say they're leakproof, I'm just not taking the chance. Besides they take up too much valuable space....and I need all I can get........ and I ride solo.

How far is a pint or quart of gas going to get you - maybe 8 miles??

 

[Peter A.]

A very astute observation Gary - I've been riding for approx. 50 years with
50 thou. on my trike and over 260 thou. on my current 2-wheeler......I truely
hope that ALL riders can ride as many trouble free miles as I have all these years!
The VER BEST TO ALL,

 

[Lakeman]

"won't do that again" does that mean they wanted to run out of gas the first time or two. I don't think anyone ever wants to run out of gas. That's like having a wreck and saying damn that was not fun I'm not going to do that again. I don't carry a pint I carry a gallon and by the way I have never run out of gas and have never needed the extra gallon, but I have come real close and did not like it. I also ride with five gallons between my legs.