You may need to carry extra gas on your dirt bike for a few different reasons and we all know that running out of fuel sucks. You might be preparing for a long road trip or wanting to maximise your time on the trails, what ever your reason hopefully one of these 6 ways will fit your need.
Here are the 6 best ways to to carry extra gas :
- Dessert Tank
- Liquid Containment Fuel Bladder
- Jerry Fuel Can
- Auxiliary Fuel Tank
- MSR Fuel Bottles
- RotaPax System
My highest recommendation is the desert tank, an unobtrusive solution to increasing capacity without comprimising the bikes agility and probably the most popular way for carrying extra gas.
This may not be your chosen method but after reading this post I hope you will have enough info to decide on which one best suits your riding needs and you may even end up combining more than one.
For each method I will cover certain aspects of what it brings to the table, this will include, fuel capacity options, price, weight, safety and practicality.
My Number 1 – The Desert Tank
This just seems like such a no brainer for me. If a desert tank is big enough why woud you consider other methods?
For thos who aren’t in the know, a desert tank is an upsized tank that directly replaces your current dirt bike tank. It is simply a matter of swapping them over and you are good to go.
There maybe the odd situation where your bike doesn’t have a desert tank available but those are few and far between.
So lets go through the criteria .
Desert Fuel Capacity
You will have options on this. Typically you will be looking at around 11 or 12 litres but I have seen 15 litres tanks. Some of it will come down to the make and model of bike you have as well as the manufacturer of the tank.
Acerbid are my go to brand for these but IMS is another very popular brand.
Desert Tank Pricing
You can expect to pay $300 USD for a brandnew Acerbid fuel tank, that equates to around £250 for the UK readers.
These are therefore not your cheapest option, and I would be happy looking at the second hand market for these, somewhere like eBay and Craiglist or Gumtree. You see them going for around a third of the price and generally speaking they either work or not, there isn’t anything to go wrong with them.
Desert Tank Weight
When talking about weight in this post I refer to the product themselves because the weight of the fuel is a given in all products.
The desert tank will add minimal weight to the bike because you have to remember you are loosing the weight of the original tank.
The impact of additional weight the tank provides on the bike and rider is negligible. In addition the tank is well positioned as it will be centred. This is unlike most if not all other extra gas carrying methods where you are attaching something extra to the bike.
Safety and Practicalities
Im rolling these headings into one here because there is not much to speak about.
For obvious reasons there are no real extra safety issues in having a desert tank that aren’t already present on the bike with the standard tank. A small amount of addtional weight and when full, extra fuel. These are the only 2 considerations on safety.
The tank is the most practical product as it replaces the existing tank and causes no changes to the riders position or movement. Bike handling is not effected either.
Desert Tank Conclusion
It’s a winner in my eyes. One time install, convenient, looks good and doesn’t effect riding.
The only reason I would be looking at other options is if the desert tank alone wasn’t big enough, and that would generally be if I was going on a road trip and planning routes away from fuel stations.
If this was the case I would be looking to couple it with another solution.
Perhaps one factor could be price but I see it as an investment, and if the cash was a problem then secondhand is the way forward.
2. Liquid Containment Fuel Bladder
This fuel bladder ranked number 2 and is very close to option 1, the desert tank. The bladder can be rolled up and tucked away into a backpack or stored away eslewhere when empty. I like them.
Fuel Bladder Capacity
These bladders come in different sizes so you can make the decision based on your requirements and limits of the bike / journey.
I have never purchased one of these although I have used one once. These guys (liquidcontainment.com) get mentioned alot although I’m sure you can find others .
https://www.liquidcontainment.com.au/category/12/Motor-Bike
They offer a wide range of sizes, and can even custom manufacture, but their 15 litre product would suit most people on a dirt bike. They have this in a jerry can format, so comes with a spout and nozzle for ease of filling but is still able to roll up when empty.
You may also consider smaller options like the 2 litre, which would maybe work well as an extra to the desert tank in the right situation. The link above goes direct to the bladders used for motorbikes.
Fuel Bladder Pricing
In terms of price per litre these are a good price. The 15L version from the company mentioned above will cost you $145 Aussie dollars. Thats around $102 USD or about £80 if you in the UK. Thats a third of the price of the desert tank.
I don’t see these around secondhand so can’t comment on price but as they are reasonably priced anyway I would always buy these new. Then you know its age and condition.
Fuel Bladder Weight
You will be unlikely to beat these on weight. Is there likely to be another solution that brings less additional weight to the bike than a bag? I dont think so but I may be wrong.
Safety
The product itself is safe, they are tested and comply to holding fuel, however because the product has the excellent ability of being easy to transport on and inside things then caution and common sense should perhaps be exercised when using these.
When full you are best off strapping it to the bike rather than keeping either in a backpack or strapped to you in someway. Although tempting to make use of the versatility it offers, if something goes wrong the last thing you want is to be a walking flame ball.
People will always be happy to carry them full, in a backpack, but it’s not for me, just putting it out there.. your call.
Practicalities
I love the practicalities of this product. They have tie down options so you can pretty much strap them down to all the obvious places on your dirt bike. The rear, over a side panel, on a luggage plate.
What turns me on the most though is that when the unit is empty you can just roll it up and tuck it away. Either in a bag and strapped neatly to the bike.
The fuel bladder is never going to be a problem for riders unless you are daft enough to decide to have a 40L hanging off one side, for which the balance will be way out!
Fuel Bladder Conclusion
Cheap, simple, easy to use, easy to store. Great at adding small and large quantities of extra fuel and can be stowed away nicely when empty. Hell the more I think of it the more i’m tempted to move it to the top spot!!!
3. Jerry Fuel Can
Everyone knows what these are and you probably already have one. The reason I have put it sitting at number 3 above the remaining products is the price and capacity when comparing them.
If there are a any downsides to these it is the fact they are little bulky and because they are not deisgned as dirt bike fuel tanks, they have no purpose designed fixings to be able to mount to your bike. You are going to have to manually strap it on and the shape limits it’s position. Its basically front or back.
Jerry Can Capacity
Starting at 5 litres this size is ideal for a dirt bike and the 10L is also a contender for longer trips. They do go bigger and its common to find 20L jerry cans in someones garage but you would be abit mad to strap that on your bike. You would be better off with two 10L if you wanted that amount of fuel.
Jerry Can Price
These are very cheap. You can pick up a 5l plastic jerry for under 10 bucks or a military grade metal one for about $30 and thats new.
The 10L cans are not much more expensive, with the plastic ones around $15 and the metal ones at $40-50.
Jerry Can Weight
It doesnt matter if we are talking plastic or metal, either one is reasonably light and wouldn’t add much weight to the bike.
Safety
These are made to hold fuel so are more than adequate of doing the job and both plastic and metal containers are tough and would take a knock. The only safety issues would be in dispensing the fuel. If you are buying new then there is a good chance of getting a spout with the can, but if not then a funnel maybe used.
As these have no fixings as such you would need to try and make sure they are balanced when attatching them to the bike. Keeping them as low and as close to center as possible.
Practicalities
Easy to fill and dispense, the main downside is the mounting on the dirt bike. They would be happiest sat on a rack or the back of the seat if you can afford the room.
Jerry Can Conclusion
An excellent budget option and fuel capacity options are not an issue. Best suited to people using their dirt bike for longer journeys and treks rather than a day on the trails as it would probably become a burden.
Widely available from just about every hardware store and gas station, you wont have trouble getting your hands on one.
4. Auxiliary Tanks
This is very similar to the jerry can in many ways and in my opinion it is a jerry can with the ability to fix it to your bike.
Auxiliary tanks can be bought for the front or rear of your bike as well as the handle bars. One feature I love is the ability to add a feed from the auxiliary to the main tank. This means the fuel is syphoned from the auxiliary to the main so you don’t have to stop and manually refill.
Auxiliary Tanks Capacity
Handle Bar tanks are generally the smallest at around 2l, then the front and rear tanks come in larger sizes like 3l, 5l and 6l. Thats a decent range of options and you can have more than one.
Auxiliary Tanks Price
The main brand here is again Acerbid, and you will pay alot more than a jerry can. The smaller units like the handle bar tank will cost around $100 and the larger tanks from around $110 to $150. Still cheaper then a desert tank though.
Auxilary Tanks Weight
Similar to the jerry can option, these are all plastic and wont add stacks of additional weight to the bike. The nice thing is that because they are purpose made for dirtbikes the weight is where you would want it when you add one of these.
Safety and Practicalities
I dont see any additional safety issue with having an auxiliary tank as they operate just like a standard fuel tank would.
These are practical and easy to use.
Auxiliary Tank Conclusion
If you have the cash then a good solid option. Fit for purpose and durable, if you were to couple these with a desert tank you could be doing a world tour without trouble!
5. MSR Fuel Bottles
The MSR fuel bottles are a good solution for transporting smaller amounts of fuel meaning you will require a few bottles to fill a tank.
Made from metal these will happily withstand a knock and the cap is designed to be child resistant.
A downside besides the fact they are small is you will need a funnel or another way of dispensing the fuel.
I guess these are small because on the manufacturers website it states they are designed to be used with all of their camping stoves, which I assume you wouldn’t need much fuel for compared to a dirt bike.
MSR Bottle Capacity
This is the biggest draw back for me. The largest of the 3 options on these is a mear 30 fl oz, which is just under 900ml.
When comparing this to all other options it is a tiny capacity . The 2 smaller options are 20fl oz and 11fl oz which you definitly wouldn’t bother with in my opinion.
MSR Bottle Price
You can hit up Amazon and pay about $16 for the 30floz fuel bottle so it isn’t huge cost, but bear in mind to get the same sort of fuel capacity as the other options you would need to buy a fair few which will start to add up.
MSR Bottle Weight
These guys are light weight but tough, and because they are small and you would have a few it means you can distribute your load evenly around your bike in theory. No sure how practical that would be.
Safety
No issues on safety, the MSR fuel bottle is metal and will survive a drop or light crash im sure. The child proof lid here is a nice touch so I think they have covered all bases.
Practicalities
There is another reason why I dont like these and it is associated with them being small. Assuming you are going to have a small collection of these then how do you transport them all?
I have seen someone use a seperate holdall which is probabluy the best solution and also keep a funnel with it which you will definitly need. That said a jerry can in a holdall is going to do the same job for a fraction of the cost.
MSR Fuel Bottle Conclusion
People love these as a solution but I just don’t get it. Maybe if you have one bottle strapped under your seat just in case, and hope it gets you to a fuel station, but as a planned option I don’t think its the best solution.
Nothing wrong with the quality of product and the price is good, it’s just not for me but maybe you think otherwise for your dirt bike?
6. Rotapax Fuel System
If you haven’t come across this before let me fill you in. Rotapax is company that design and manufacture systems for carrying liquids in the outdoors. All of their products are generally made from blow molded plastics and are tough and durable.
We are insterested in the FuelPax range. As the name suggests, it is their products for carry extra fuel. These are pimped up jerry cans. They benefit from being stackable and mountable.
They mount by installing a bracket on your bike then the containers can easily be mounted on and off.
Rotapax Fuel Capacity
These start at 1.5 gallons and go up to 4.5 gallons so plenty of fuel capacity. The 4.5 gallons is over 17 litres.
Rotapax Price
The 4.5 gallons bought direct from Rotapax will cost you $100 so not unreasonable. You also have 1.5G at $60, 2.5G at $70 and 3.5G at $80.
This works out cheaper by per litre capacity than the desert tank and auxiliary tanks but more expensive than the jerry can. So it sitting in the middle ground for price.
Rotapax Weight
These are among the heaviest option because you have the thick plastic container plus the bracket system that will need mounting on the bike.
Safety and Practicalities
Safety wise these are absolutley fine for holding fuel and are tough enough to take a knock. One of the aspects I dont love is there bulky appearance and could this have an imapct of practicality, maybe.
RotaPax Conclusion
This is a good product that is well made and the system works, with the tanks being stackable and after the mount is fitted you simply slide them on and lock the bracket system.
The reason they are sat at the bottom of my preferred method for carrying extra gas on your dirt bike is because I just feel that they are better suited to the touring bike rather than a dirt bike.
Sure the product can be used with a dirt bike but I think it comes into its own when you are taking larger quanities of fuel than a dirt biker would need, taking advantage of the mounting system and stackable factor.
Using on or 2 of these on a dirt bike would perhaps be over the top when a jerry can or auxiliary tank would do the job and maybe in a better fashion.
Extra Fuel Capacity in Summary
Well thats my take on the options and I think there are some great products for different kinds of situations. My recommended setup for carrying extra gas on my dirt bike is the desert tank, and it can easily be used solo, or in conjunction with another one of these methods.
