Hey guys,

As I sit here with snow outside and bike asleep, my mind wanders..


Torn between getting a larger tank or carry fuel bottles...

I'm not a big fan of the really large tanks, but the Clarke is only .7 gallon more than stock... Is it worth it spending 250$(300 by time it's converted to Canadian).

I can get a back rack, and 2 fuel bottles for 100$. And these I can remove if I don't need them, but not as easy to use as a bigger tank..

Thoughts?
Thanks!

 

I was in the same boat. I have had the oversize tanks on other bikes and they worked just fine. My only complaint was that the added weight was over the front of the bike. On this bike I decided to go with the small PMR rack and add a 1 gallon Rotopax when needed. I redrilled the mounting holes on the rack so as to turn the gas tank sideways and move it as close to the seat as possible. This allowed me to install the factory vinyl pouch after the gas tank on the end of the rack. This set up makes a nice flat surface for me to strap my expandable back pack on to for whatever crap I need to carry.

 

Thanks! Any pics? So the PMR rack the best/better one out there?

 

After research of a variety of companies out there, I chose the small PMR rack and it has worked just fine. I like the simple side panel protection I can add if I choose to do soft bags in the future. The rack mounts to existing bolts, and seems pretty solid and light. I am not sure I have a pic with me, still searching.

 

I went with a 1 gal rotopax also and like it. I like that it's flat and out of the way and easy to deal with. Filling those small fuel bottles seemed like it would be a pain and I didn't want to make the bike any bigger with a bigger tank.

 

I went with the PMR large rear plus the side racks and a 1 gallon Rotopax like a few others because I like having the option of not using it. Your $250 USD ($350 CAD now) could be spent on other things.

Before that, I purchased these 1l Primus fuel bottles from MEC for $20 CAD, and since you are a fellow Canuck, here is the link: Primus Fuel Bottle 1L - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

I searched for a long time for a rack and PMR is one of the only choices. Given that I was getting the rack from them, I opted to also get the Rotopax 1 Gallon tank and mount combo kit since the bump in shipping was not too bad. You can get the Rotopax from places in Canada from these guys and more, but in my search they had the best pricing in Canada:
https://www.canadasmotorcycle.ca/cat...ult/?q=rotopax

I have no material connection with MEC (other than a membership), nor with Canadasmotorcycle.ca (with free shipping over $49 CAD)

I hope that this helps. No pics as the bike is in storage.

 

...wish they made those 1 gallon rotopax in black.

 

I also went with the PMR rack and a 1 gallon rotopax.

 

I wonder if Black Plastidip would have any adverse affects on the rotopax - not likely. You could just plastidip the rotopax black...

I think they do different colors to make it easy to recognize what's inside - red for gas, white for water, yellow for diesel, blue for kerosene, black for tools, etc. Then, if you see a vehicle tip over and you see a red rotopax rupture, you know it's gas (and flammable), but if it's a white container, it's water and not a big deal?

 

Painting a plastic fuel tank is a losing battle. I've never had one successfully stick. I have read that this is because fuel vapor leeches through the plastic and breaks down the paint.