Fuel and Water Setup

Overview


Although the WR250R gets good gas mileage at around 50-60mpg, the available fuel tanks are not large by overland touring standards. The BMW F650GS single-cylinder motorcycle manages similar gas mileage but can be outfitted with Touratech gas tanks for a total load of 9.5 gallons. For the WR250R, the IMS tank is the largest at 4.5g, making for a total range of around 200-250 miles. There are some remote stretches of road that can require more fuel range, and so I wanted a flexible solution to carry additional gas. A rigid container, such as a Rotopax, seemed like an inelegant solution. Even when not filled with gas, it would make the motorcycle even wider, and add hard brackets that could bend in a crash.

After reading reports about riders using a variety of soft bladders, I decided that would be the best approach. The pennytech solution is a bladder taken from a Starbucks coffee box, while the MSR Dromedary is the more durable and puncture-resistant option. From the handful of reports I've read, an o-ring is not required to prevent leakage through the cap, and in fact the danger is that the gas can sometimes cause the cap to glue itself to the threaded opening.

I initially tried draping a pair of 10L Dromedary bladders across the rear side panels of the bike, under the saddlebags, but the heat from the center bolt on the exhaust melted a hole in one of them. It might have still worked with that bolt removed, but the mental image of 2 gallons of gas pouring onto the exhaust made me rethink the approach. As can be seen below, I simply strapped the remaining 20L bladder across the top. It'll make for a tight cockpit when full, but still OK. Should I need even more gas, I can use any of the water containers.

Although I have a water filter in my equipment, I wanted to be able to carry a fairly large amount of water, enough to wash myself and clothing and cook and drink for a day or two between refills. I settled upon the idea of using 5L Dromedary bladders strapped to my Giant Loop Tankbag and across the IMS gas tank.

Edit: I can no longer recommend placing MSR Dromedary bladders filled with water in contact with a plastic gas tank. The taste of gas will leach into the water. MSR bladders in contact with a plastic gas tank should contain only gasoline.

Gas


1 MSR Dromedary 10L Bladder for additional fuel
2 2x Nalgene 32oz Wide Mouth Bottle for water
3 2x MSR Dromedary 5L for water, can be drained and rinsed with fuel then filled with gas for maximum range. Dried ideally and blend first tank of gas with MDR Water-Zorb from marine supply store. They make very comfortable knee-rests and add positive control when you grip the tank.
4 IMS 4.5g Fuel Tank. The IMS gas tank does not fit well and required removal of all the locating dowels/bushings from the front and rear mount points, and grinding the rear subframe holes for the seat mounting bolts.

Water 


1 SAE 2-pin cable. SAE 2-pin cables can be difficult to find, but are available as accessories to battery tenders in both motorcycle and vehicle supply stores. I also found some in Radio Shack as part of Enercell product packages. I found short pigtails at Fry's Electronics as Vanco NVBL1 Quick Disconnect Bullet Leads.
2 Zip Tie with 75lb rating used to secure MSR Dromedary 5L Water Bladder to Giant Loop Tankbag
3 Zip Tie with 75lb rating used to secure MSR Dromedary 5L Water Bladder to Giant Loop Tankbag
4 Dorman Analyzer wire routed under MSR Dromedary
5 Mouth of MSR Dromedary 5L rests on the divot in the IMS 4.5g Gas Tank. Left side is mirrored.


6 Fasty Tie-Down Strap from IKEA used to cinch water bladders together and secure the mouth of the bag on the edge of the gas tank.


1 REI 32oz Bottle w/ Dromedary Cap, for water and also to better space the right saddlebag
2 REI 32oz Bottle w/ Dromedary Cap, for water and also to better space the right saddlebag
3 3x Oatey Heat Shield, 9x12", available at Home Depot, applied using 3M Spray Glue to exhaust and heat shield, protected with layers of aluminum foil
4 Wide Adhesive Velcro Strips, applied to side cover and to bottle sides
5 Narrow Adhesive Velcro Strips, applied to both bottles at touching surfaces and across the top