I bought a 1-liter Laken fuel bottle a few weeks ago from Amazon for the sole purpose of carrying spare gasoline in case my motorcycle runs out. I intend to store the bottle lying sideways and bouncing around in a saddlebag and just leave it there till I (hope I never) need it. This seems like an inherently dangerous thing to do because of the risk of accidentally setting the gasoline on fire. I have some questions about storing gasoline in this bottle.
(The link to the Amazon page offering this bottle is https://www.amazon.com/MSR-MSRFUELBOTT-Fuel-Bottle/dp/B002L1413S. On that page are these words: “Also great for carrying extra fuel for your motorcycle . . . .” And yes, I did write the manufacturer at laken@laken.es with these questions, but I have not received any response.)
( 1 ) The bottle is designed to contain camp fuel, which apparently can be set on fire to heat a camp stove. Will whatever differences there are between camp fuel and ordinary, 87-octane, lead-free gasoline matter to my and my passengers’ and my motorcycle’s resistance to fiery explosions?
( 2 ) Will any such differences between the two fluids matter to the long-term integrity of the plastic cap and the O-ring?
( 3 ) Should I fill the bottle to the very brim so as to leave as little air space as possible? I know fire needs heat and fuel AND AIR. Or should I leave air space to help counteract expansion and contraction because of temperature changes. Where I live it reaches over 100 degrees F in summer (and probably a lot more in a closed saddlebag in the sun) down to less than 0 degrees in winter. Will this bottle change shape or size or in other way fail catastrophically depending on how full it is? FWIW, there’s a line on the bottle near the top that’s labeled “MAX FILL LEVEL WITHOUT PUMP (890 ml / 31 fl.oz).”
( 4 ) Should I burp the bottle every so often, by which I mean opening the cap enough to equalize the pressure inside and out? There’s some suggestion on the Amazon customer-comment pages that that’s desirable.
( 5 ) I have a product called Ethanol Shield that I’ve been using for lawnmower gasoline. It is said to retard the natural deterioration of gasoline over time. Should I add it to the gasoline in the bottle? Would you from time to time replace the gas in the bottle with new gas, and if so how often?
Carrying gasoline is always a dangerous proposition, especially in a nonstandard container. So it’s 100 degrees and you go to burp your bottle… and the mist sprays right into something that triggers it. Mini FA bomb, right in your face.
Don’t most motorcycles have a built-in reserve tank, or simple aftermarket versions thereof?
An oblique answer, but I’d always dump the spare fuel in the tank and refill it, at least every second or third fillup, rather than let it sit for months before being desperately needed.
Few bikes if any have reserve tanks these days. The name is misleading anyway, as it wasn’t an extra tank, but just a lever that that switched between a higher and lower pickup point in the gas tank. The old system was a rudimentary gas gauge, since bikes had no other indication of what was in the tank. You know that if you had to switch from main to reserve that you had X number of gallons left depending on model.
What I see most commonly these days in terms of extra fuel carrying are setups for people either off-road riding in areas where gas stations are slim or riding in less developed countries where fuel availability is questionable. Larger fuel tanks or things like the Rotopax containers are popular options.
I would be reluctant to carry loose fuel bottles and would probably only do so as a last resort to transit some extremely remote areas of the western US. Along the coast, I’ve never had a situation where I couldn’t get fuel before it was too late.
Do not fill the container all the way. Leave room for exansion. As a practical matter camp fuel would be ideal, it has no additives and will not sour or turn to varnish like regular automotive gasoline. It will last for years and years. The octane is only about 50, but if your concern is just having an emergency reserve to get to a fueling station this won’t matter. Camp fuel (Naptha) is perfect for storage purposes in generators and items that need to start first time every time, though infrequently used.
If I stored a gas container in saddle bags. I would ensure it was upright all the time. Position it so the top is at the top of the bag and near an opening for venting.
Such an arrangement is pretty equivalent to the gas tank itself. I would consider that saddlebag to be a gas tank and take the usual precautions. Don’t open it up and rummage around with a cigarette in my mouth for instance. Check items stored in that bag before using them. Air them out a bit first?
If you look at images for motorcycle fuel bottle. Many look identical to the Laken. The Oring and such are probably multi fuel safe.
I’ve ridden on and off road for 40 years. During that time, I’ve carried spare fuel in plastic bottles and jugs (like the ones antifreeze comes in). I’ve been pitched off the bike while wearing one in my backpack on a few occasions. Never a problem. If you want to make sure of compatibility with fuel, look for a 2 in the recycling symbol. That designates High Density Poly Ethylene which is what most modern fuel tanks are made of.
I use a wide-mouth water bottle, like this. I tried one like posted in the OP but the narrow top was very difficult to fill from a gas pump. The bottle I have is red (I really need to write “FUEL” on it). It has an o-rng seal. I keep it filled, with perhaps an inch of air space.
I’ve carried it in my black, hard plastic saddle bag for a few years now with no leak. At first, I tried to keep it upright, but that was a lost cause. Now, it just bounces around in the bag, along with a pair of jumper cables and a 12Volt air pump and tire plug kit. I have not noticed a leak in that time. Yes, my bike has a “reserve tank”, but I’ve managed to be glad I had the little bottle (I’ve managed to run it out despite the “reserve”; I am still not sure how). The bottle only holds something like 20 ounces (a little more than a pint), so it’s only good for 10 miles or so, but that’s better than nothing.
I started carrying it, along with the air pump and tire plugs, because I would go or rides with various groups and if one in the group runs out of gas (or has a flat), it can ruin the ride for everyone.
To the OP. I don’t think you have a problem. I am not surprised you have not heard from the manufacturer; there is no benefit in answering your questions and they could be used to imply liability. My answers would be
the differences between the camp fuel (white gas) and 87 octane unleaded are minimal. The only question I would have would be if ethanol would affect the seal. I only use non-ethanol gas in my bottle (although when I started, I could not get non-ethanol gas, so I don’t think it matters. I believe the seal in my bottle is silicon rubber).
The only question I would have would be ethanol, see above.
You want to leave an air space, perhaps an inch. The gasoline will expand and contract with temperature. The air/fuel mix in the bottle will not be explosive (it will be way too rich), but if you don’t have an air space, the expansion of the fuel will cause a leak.
There is no reason to “burp” the bottle. This achieves no benefit and is dangerous. The danger is small, but why take on a risk for no benefit? Just leave it sealed and check periodically for leaks.
I have no idea what “Ethanol Shield” is. Perhaps it is supposed to help reduce the effects of gas with 10% ethanol? I would just empty the bottle into your bike’s gas tank once a month or so and refill. Again, consider a wide-mouth bottle. You will have a tough time filling that small opening with a gas pump.
You do have to practice common sense. Gasoline is dangerous. Handle with care. Do not open the bottle near hot objects (such as your bike’s exhaust pipes), sparks, or open flame. Do not smoke.
It is a bottle designed to hold liquid fuel. Here it is in use with an MSR Whisperlite International, a stove which burns white gas, kerosene, and unleaded auto fuel.
Carrying gasoline in the Laken fuek bottke can be done safely in a motorcycle saddlebag if I leave a little air space to accommodate expansion and contraction. The underside of the cap says, “EEC” and below that is the numeral 2. I assume EEC refers to the European Economic Community (these bottles are made in Spain), and I don’t know what the 2 refers to. How many times the letter E appears on the cap?
Laken did finally respond after a little nudge, and below is their email dated November 7, 2016.
Dear Johnny,
We apologize for our delayed answer. We forwarded your email to our quality manager in order to get the answers you needed. But we regret it is not so easy:
Black line level: all type of gasolines generate pressure inside the bottle. It is not recommended to fill the bottle above this line when the bottle is going to be connected with a fuel stove. If the purpose is just to be a container for fuel, you can fill the bottle more, but you should leave some room because of the pressure.
Plastic cap: we regret we do not have a clear answer for this question. We, of course sell replacement caps because we manufacture the caps ourselves. The material used to inject this cap is special to be in contact with any type of fuel, but we do not know for how long. Apart of our own branded fuel bottles, we are producing these bottles for different brands producing fuel stoves. We have never had a single claim regarding fails with the cap for a continuous exposure to gasoline.
O-ring: same answer as with the cap.
Ethanol Shield: sorry but we do not have experience mixing ethanol shield. Anyway, after more than 20 years manufacturing fuel bottles, we do not know any type of fuel which can damage the bottle, cap or the O-ring.
Kind regards,
–LAKEN
I have no idea what “But we regret it is not so easy:” means. I didn’t know that “all types of gasolines [sic] generate pressure in the bottle.” I assumed only extra heat would generate extra pressure. Laken misunderstood my question about the black line; I was clearly referring to the upper line, the one for use if no pump is attached.
But the last sentence, assuming it’s the truth and the whole truth, is the most important. It says the bottle is safe for storing gasoline. I did go to the trouble of finding gasoline that contains no ethanol, in case ethanol accelerates the deterioration of the gas.
I also went to the trouble of wrapping the bottle in an old-fashioned diaper for protection against impacts. The diaper is white. If it were black would that make a difference, considering that it will be stored in a closed saddlebag? Exactly what is it that white surfaces reflect more than black ones, or that black ones absorb more than white ones?
