- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 1,023
- Reaction score
- 10
- Location
- Beaumont, Texas
- First Name
- Ken
- Last Name
- Phenix
The Bun Burner Gold has been taunting me. I knew I needed to increase the old 919's range in order to plan fuel stop intervals of 200 miles or so to give me a better chance. I encountered a few issues and I think I have them all ironed out. I mean, just how hard is it to get gasoline to run downhill anyway?
I took the rig on a little test run from Beaumont to Ft Hancock to grab an Angie burger and back again. Here's what I learned.
The RCI model 2040A Fuel Cell I scored on ebay was cheap enough at $90 shipped. And I easily spent that much again on plumbing. The tank came with a cheesy plastic cap that leaked and would hang up when trying to remove it. RCI cheerfully gave me an upgrade. The built-in vent/rollover valve fitting protruded down into the tank and became submerged when I filled the tank and shot fuel out through the vent line onto the pavement. I could only carry 2 gallons in the aux tank.
Other issues included the bike's oem fuel cap had a vent/tip-over valve that was too sensitive and let no air escape, pressurized the tank and prevented gravity feed transfer. I had to leave the cap open for the gravity feed transfer to work. For ease of removal I ran the transfer line from the aux tank down close to the pegs and back up to the bulkhead fitting. It shouldn't have but it caused some restriction in the flow. Lastly, the quick connect fitting I chose proved to be another contributing impediment to fuel flow.
I proceeded to remove the tiny reed valve (behind the black plastic cover) in the cap. it was so sensitive it allowed the tank to hold enough pressure to prevent the gravity feed transfer. Now the cap vents both ways.
I replaced the more restrictive marine quick connect fitting (left) with this 1/4" hydraulic hose coupler from Tractor Supply (right) which is rated for 3000psi and flows fuel much easier.
I also rerouted the transfer line in a more direct path from tank to tank.
I decided on this 45º billet aluminum filler & cap by Speedmaster. I'm very pleased with it. So much so, I couldn't bring myself to drill and tap it for an external vent line as I planned.
So I did a little brainstorming. I wanted to give the vent as much altitude in the tank as possible but I didn't want it hanging off the filler neck as I have often seen. I decided to "tap into" the unused 8AN fitting in the bottom of the tank. Literally. I tapped the fitting to 1/8"NPT from the inside. Then I installed a 1/8" nipple and 1/4" compression fitting and ran 1/4" aluminum tubing up inside of the filler neck to the absolute highest point just below the cap.
Sorry, no flash pictures from inside the tank.
Here's the new hidden vent line in the filler neck.
And here's the vent line (clear) as it exits the tank.
So far so good. The whole project is documented here in my smugmug.
https://kphenix.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Auxillary-Fuel-Cell-/
I took the rig on a little test run from Beaumont to Ft Hancock to grab an Angie burger and back again. Here's what I learned.
The RCI model 2040A Fuel Cell I scored on ebay was cheap enough at $90 shipped. And I easily spent that much again on plumbing. The tank came with a cheesy plastic cap that leaked and would hang up when trying to remove it. RCI cheerfully gave me an upgrade. The built-in vent/rollover valve fitting protruded down into the tank and became submerged when I filled the tank and shot fuel out through the vent line onto the pavement. I could only carry 2 gallons in the aux tank.
Other issues included the bike's oem fuel cap had a vent/tip-over valve that was too sensitive and let no air escape, pressurized the tank and prevented gravity feed transfer. I had to leave the cap open for the gravity feed transfer to work. For ease of removal I ran the transfer line from the aux tank down close to the pegs and back up to the bulkhead fitting. It shouldn't have but it caused some restriction in the flow. Lastly, the quick connect fitting I chose proved to be another contributing impediment to fuel flow.
I proceeded to remove the tiny reed valve (behind the black plastic cover) in the cap. it was so sensitive it allowed the tank to hold enough pressure to prevent the gravity feed transfer. Now the cap vents both ways.
I replaced the more restrictive marine quick connect fitting (left) with this 1/4" hydraulic hose coupler from Tractor Supply (right) which is rated for 3000psi and flows fuel much easier.
I also rerouted the transfer line in a more direct path from tank to tank.
I decided on this 45º billet aluminum filler & cap by Speedmaster. I'm very pleased with it. So much so, I couldn't bring myself to drill and tap it for an external vent line as I planned.
So I did a little brainstorming. I wanted to give the vent as much altitude in the tank as possible but I didn't want it hanging off the filler neck as I have often seen. I decided to "tap into" the unused 8AN fitting in the bottom of the tank. Literally. I tapped the fitting to 1/8"NPT from the inside. Then I installed a 1/8" nipple and 1/4" compression fitting and ran 1/4" aluminum tubing up inside of the filler neck to the absolute highest point just below the cap.
Sorry, no flash pictures from inside the tank.
Here's the new hidden vent line in the filler neck.
And here's the vent line (clear) as it exits the tank.
So far so good. The whole project is documented here in my smugmug.
https://kphenix.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Auxillary-Fuel-Cell-/
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