Touring Spares

[Wapping]

Bugger me, he's going to Europe on a GSA and bods are suggesting extra fuel.

I go quite happily on a 17.50 litre tank bike, remarkably unadventurous in shape and live to tell the tale. Is anyone really suggesting that over 30 litres is not enough?

2 litres of fuel will buy you what? 20 miles perhaps, over and above the 300 or more that you've done already, apparently without once seeing a petrol station that is open. An achievement that is well, an achievement, all of its own.

 

[hutchy]

Bugger me, he's going to Europe on a GSA and bods are suggesting extra fuel.

I go quite happily on a 17.50 litre tank bike, remarkably unadventurous in shape and live to tell the tale. Is anyone really suggesting that over 30 litres is not enough?

2 litres of fuel will buy you what? 20 miles perhaps, over and above the 300 or more that you've done already, apparently without once seeing a petrol station that is open. An achievement that is well, an achievement, all of its own.

Llf!!!


Lets be honest, France, Germany, Italy etc

Ffs! All ya need is breakdown cover debit/credit card

Bulbs, drop of oil and a puncture kit, sense of humour


H


Sent from my iPad using Technology I do not understand

 

[B4ndit]

Llf!!!
All ya need is breakdown cover debit/credit card

Bulbs, drop of oil and a puncture kit, sense of humour

Got all that. On the bulbs front are the indicators unbreakable (LEDs). Got the oil and puncture kit. Not sure about the SOH.

Just wondered if the TC had a n achillies heal like most motors. And if it was a small part then it might be worth carrying. If the TC is pretty sorted then time not to worry.

BTW my brake failure light is currently on and I can't get the seat off at the present moment (So these machines aren't perfect(Yet)). So into BMW it is. Whats the use of having a GS 911 if you can't even get the seat off.

 

[(RIP) Edvard Munch]

Got all that. On the bulbs front are the indicators unbreakable (LEDs). Got the oil and puncture kit. Not sure about the SOH.

Just wondered if the TC had a n achillies heal like most motors. And if it was a small part then it might be worth carrying. If the TC is pretty sorted then time not to worry.

BTW my brake failure light is currently on and I can't get the seat off at the present moment (So these machines aren't perfect(Yet)). So into BMW it is. Whats the use of having a GS 911 if you can't even get the seat off.

Do the relax thing.

There's some good suggestions previously. Personally I do the minor drop/off type 'get you back on the road stuff', cable ties, gaffer tape etc, mebbe a drop of oil that one party member will take, ditto 12v compressor, puncture repair, some fuses and bulbs.

If anything else happens it's breakdown cover time bugger toting components around.

If it's one of my old girls I take a slightly different approach

 

[Bendy toy]

Bugger me, he's going to Europe on a GSA and bods are suggesting extra fuel.

I go quite happily on a 17.50 litre tank bike, remarkably unadventurous in shape and live to tell the tale. Is anyone really suggesting that over 30 litres is not enough?

2 litres of fuel will buy you what? 20 miles perhaps, over and above the 300 or more that you've done already, apparently without once seeing a petrol station that is open. An achievement that is well, an achievement, all of its own.

Funny but deliberately missing the point. Is W(r)apping short hand for Clarkson?

Of course the GSA has huge range but it's let down by poor instrumentation negating a significant chunk of that range.
Agreed 2 litres will buy only 20 miles of reserve but it won't add much weight in the wrong places and it is peace of mind.

Bumbling along at 40mph because you missed the fuel stop isn't fun. Who hasn't done that?

A fuel tap could give a reliable 40 miles reserve but the cost must be enormous because the BMW bean counters deleted it from the parts list.

 

[Wapping]

Are you suggesting:

(A) That you do not know how far three hundred miles is

(B) That, if anyone suffers from a poorly functioning fuel gauge, that the odometer and / or trip meter won't won't work either?

(C) That someone on a vanilla GS (with what, a 22 litre tank?) with a similarly faulty gauge, accompanying our intrepid hero as a riding buddy, should take 2 litres, too? Raising his mileage to roughly 240 before he conks out, the GSA still having at least 60 extra, plus 20? Will the bod on the GSA then tip his 2 litres of reserve fuel into his mate's stranded bike, going an extra 20 miles, so now up to 280? What happens then? Does the fellow on the vanilla bike hop onto the back of the GSA as they go hunting for fuel, no further than 10 miles away? No, of course they don't. They both employ some common sense and fill up in good time before they run out, as most normal people do. Particularly if they know their fuel gauges are dodgy.

 

[Steptoe]

BTW my brake failure light is currently on and I can't get the seat off at the present moment (So these machines aren't perfect(Yet)). So into BMW it is. Whats the use of having a GS 911 if you can't even get the seat off.

I'd counter with "what's the point of the owner having a GS911" and asking what spares to carry if he hasn't even got the gumption to work out how to get the seat off.

I presume it's the front seat that's testing your operating skills ?

Press the front section down and back as hard as you can, turn the key anti-clockwise.

 

[(RIP) Miff]

I "did" France on my ZZR600. I didn't realise that with full Givi luggage and pillion, cruising at 95mph on the Peage toll roads, that I would hit reserve tank in 95 miles. Normally it would be anywhere from 110 to 130 miles

Oddly, I never actually ran out of fuel. The reserve tank is 4 litres, so roughly the same as the GS reserve. I simply started looking for fuel at 80 miles. After 2 tanks, the Mrs was ready for a break anyway.

I took the same list of spares that I mentioned above. I didn't bother with spare bulbs, because I'm a rebel

 

[Bendy toy]

The issue with the GSA is NOT having think about stopping for fuel then suddenly the fuel computer is shouting low and the last petrol station was miles back. A small tank never lets you get comfortable so running out isn't an issue.

The trip miles default to total miles when you forget (or cant be arsed) to wait for the diagnostics to run so unless you stop you cant see the trip value. Try holding the odo button to get the right trip while riding. You only do that once.

Of course that always happens when already low on fuel on the motorway and you miss the service exit. So either get paranoid, top up early and drag around all that extra duel for no benefit or carry an emergency 2 litres for those brain fade times when you forget to stop in time.

A MUCH better option (and no doubt cheaper than venturi pump and fuel gauge) would be a fuel tap on both sides of the tank. When one side runs dry the other side still has fuel. It's an old but surprisingly clever idea invented many years ago called reserve fuel.

 

[Wapping]

Blimey, I never knew it was so complicated.

 

[Bendy toy]

Hey that's progress.

 

[Mark Hooton]

Gaffer tape

All the suggestions are good, based on individual experience and/or knowledge but to sling my ten penneth in the gaffer tape is something I`d always not considered until a mate of mine brought a roll, and spank me till I`m rosy red, I could n`t believe how handy it was.

Honestly - chuffing amazing from keeping screens in place to temporarily covering electrics up to covering up rips in jackets

Gaffer tape

 

[Riktus]

I certainly wouldnt bother with fuel canister - Christ knows why you would run out - you have "miles to go" indicator and if that is not accurate (mine is) then you have 1 x odometer 2 x trip meters plus sat Nav indicator plus Sat Nav "find fuel" function - if after all that you run out of fuel you deserve to feckin walk!

If you are really that worried about fuel take a meter of flexi tube for use as a syphon pipe its much easier and lighter and takes up less room.

Also forgot to mention gaffer tape but I tend to have some with me to stick on any exposed bodywork if I am using bungees anyway....

Rik

 

[kevmean]

I'm just a little unnerved that Mark has got a mate who spanked him until he was rosy red and then showed him uses for Gaffa tape ;-)

 

[hutchy]

I'm just a little unnerved that Mark has got a mate who spanked him until he was rosy red and then showed him uses for Gaffa tape ;-)

He was probably shown at least two uses before he was spanked

Bound and gagged!




Sent from my iPad using Technology I do not understand