South America fuel options and a 14l Tank
 

South America fuel options and a 14l Tank
 

My tornado gets around 280k per its rather small 11.5 tank, and I'll definitely be buying either a 5 or 10 lt can when I start touring. There are after-market tanks but 180 dollars feels expensive for a mere 3.5 lt rise in capacity. I think in Chile and on the panamerican you would be fine but not sure about those long and lonely roads through Brazil, so depends a lot on your route. For Patagonia and the atacama I would also be interested in hearing people's experiences.

My wife and I did it on Aprilia Pegasos, 15l tank. Only issue was in Chile from Arica to Iqueque so the 8l spare came out :-) The biggest problem will be Bolivia with the "not filling foreign vehicles" problems around La Paz. Again, just make sure you have an 8l spare can, and fill up often :-) Also I have met many KLR 650s on the road, they all managed.

Good advice Bruce, :thumbup1: ... but keep in mind, I'd bet most of the KLR's you met were the USA "A" models, which come standard with a 23L fuel tank. Far as I know, the "C" model is virtually unknown outside the EU. I've never even seen one. Far as I know, never imported into USA, pretty rare this side of the pond.

But as you say ... a plastic jug (or two) of just about any kind will suffice to carry an extra 8L or so of fuel.

Coastal Chile and Peru' and Bolivia's Uyuni salt flats, you for SURE will need more than 14L. Carry 8L extra at least. :thumbup1: ... and never pass a fuel-up opportunity.

Alternate:
You may post around and find an "A" version tank for sale cheap. Will it fit on the "C" model? I've no idea.

I'm sure "A" tanks are for sale cheap in USA. But shipping one to EU would not be worth it. (probably $150 usd to ship?) But if you begin your S.A. ride in the USA, then it'd be easy to pick up a larger tank once in US. Just a thought.

Keep in mind, with a strong head wind (common) and a fully loaded KLR, your fuel economy may drop down far below your average. Also, sometimes only low octane fuel is available, this can reduce range further (kms per liter).

The other fuel issue common in S. America are labor strikes and political protests. This especially true in Bolivia, Peru', Ecuador and Colombia. Often times roads are blocked and fuel stations shut down or empty.

Also, at times, fuel stations RUN OUT of fuel because fuel trucks are blocked from making deliveries. Most travelers work around these obstacles. But pay attention so you don't get caught with no access to fuel.
bier

An "A" version tank (around 22/23 Liters) will directly fit on the "C" model KLR I've seen it on Europeans and Australians KLR's travellers here. Apart of Acerbis I think IMS and Clarke in the states made bigger tanks. Also the Oz Safaris for the new (2008 and on) should fit on any older model with minor mods…
Saludos

My wife and I did it 2012 /13 on 650 BMW's 14 L tanks, carried a 4l can through Argentina & Chile, had to ask locals sometimes, never stuck, great people, just do it don't worry, it'll work out ok
Gino & Fiona Rondelli

Fuel
 

THANKS for the great advice :)

I’ve decided to keep my tank and get a Fuel Bladder easy to pack, out of the way and available for just when I need it :)


http://www.skyshopeuro.com/shopexd.asp?id=33

bottles and such
 

A sailing (and rider) friend also mentioned taking a fuel bladder when kicking around the idea of taking Brazil 319, a road without gas stations for 300-400 miles. Taking a "can" metal or plastic will be rather bulky in my opinion.

Camping fuel bottles helped me a few times. The 1.75l bottle was strapped onto the panniers, until it wasn't. I lost about a dozen 1 liter water bottles that were loosely attached to the bike, so take care designing something that will hold flammables.

While riding back from the Death Road of Bolivia it was hard to find a gas station that had gas. My friend had a few large soda bottles of gas in his panniers, which saved the day for me. Cheap, easy to find, disposable when you don't need them...

My first day into northern Mexico (2008 trip), I left the border town without filling up, passed a gas station on the other side of the highway, at the next station the pumps weren't working, passed small towns that were a short ride off the highway...two mountain passes and a very small fuel bottle later I ran out of gas with the lights of Monterrey in sight. I learned a few lessons that day.

If you intend heading down to Villa O'higgens, you can't rely on there being fuel available there as they often run out and it might be a couple of days for a refill. That would be about 450km without fuel available.

As others have said, when the winds are so strong you can't ride your bike safely - which can be the case for days at a time, you can't count on anything close to standard fuel consumption

Good simple solution. But where does it ride on the bike when it's full of fuel?
7 liters is about 5 kgs. (11 lbs.).

filler up
 

I looked at the bladder on www.skyshopeuro.com - We have European Dealers! winced at the price, 81 AUD = 75 USD. Everyone has a budget and personal requirements. For me, carrying a ~2l bottle as backup and a plastic tube for a siphon (never used it for gas, but cut pieces off to fabricate something...) If I ever do a road like BR319 (where the is a long stretch without services) I'll buy a cheap plastic gas jug or more like load up with several large soda bottles... For the next trip I might break down and get one of those plastic gas boxes and attach same to the panniers, as metal fuel bottles don't pack very well.

If you go through Venezuela, know that in the land of cheap gas foreigners can't buy gas within ~100 miles of the border. You have to buy from people sell gas out of plastic bottles on the side of the road a somewhat inflated prices.ere myself.

Gas in Brazil is probably the most expensive and I have heard it contains high levels of ethanol, which means lower performance.

There are many reports of difficulties getting gas in southern Argentina, but I haven't ridden there myself...not yet.

In Bolivia gas is always a problem. The higher price charged tourist to finding a station with gas...ugh. So in the countryside don't hesitate to seek out gas in places other than a classic gas station. I rode off the highway and into a small town, asking in broken Spanish, "donde vente gasoline"? Which won't win an awards for smooth translation...but people pointed me in the right direction to a dusty little shop that sold gas.

Buying gas in Venezuela on the side of the road...
http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Dx4Gde85_gI/UW...jpg?imgmax=800

fuel bladder
 

In the various pictures I saw on the net, most people had them strapped to their cargo carrier under their soft luggage pack. Some on to of a pannier, and one at the back of the soft luggage (looked like the best option to me)
It does seems quite secure even more so than plastic bottled ( I lost a couple of those in Mongolia, filled with water, everything needs extra secure packing to survive the Mongolia roads )

I do agree it is pricey but a lot less than a new fuel tank which I just cannot afford. Basically it looks like I will face similar fuel issues in South America as I faced in Mongolia and Siberia. There I had an extra tank, but you still needed to make frequent stops due to intermittent fuel shortages.


This is a all good info THANKS ... I think I will find the 81 and get the bladder, I would just feel more comfortable :)