How I carry extra fuel!

[HenryJ]

Awesome! unk03:
Thanks for the idea!
http://www.kolpinpowersports.com/products_3.html

I have been considering my options to extend my range. The Kolpin fuel cans really do seem like an economical way to do this and the integrated bracket system sure seems like a good idea.
I like to do lots of research prior to a buy and found numerous complaints about the second generation of their fuel containers. The early models with the vertical fill and separate vent were VERY good , or so the consensus is. The problem containers are the ones with no vent and the fill at 45 degrees on the corner of the can. Once they eliminated the vent and redesigned the container in preparation for CARB compliance, the problems seem to have started. Leakage. Some have had luck with greasing o-rings and overzealous tightening.

In mind the best option is a larger tank. There is no bolt-in tank for my application. There are some conversions, but I am not sold on what needs to be done to make things fit just yet. A fuel can seems to be the answer. I had almost resigned myself to tossing a Blitz can in the trunk, or finding a bladder when I ran across one of the Kolpin Jr. cans w/bracket on Ebay. New unused. Old style. It has not arrived yet, but my fingers are crossed.

Just wanted to help put the word out that the new Kolpin cans may not be all they are cracked up to be. No first hand experiences though. Anyone here have experience with them?

 

[deserteagle56]

After a lifetime spent exploring the outback on dirt bikes I recently decided to try a quad. For the most part, I love it. There is one glaring downside - the fuel mileage. Even though mine is only a 450cc it never gets better than 20 mpg. My Jeep does nearly as well! Anyway, whereas I was used to getting 75 mpg on my current dirt bike, riding all day on a couple gallons of gas, the quad was going on reserve at 60 miles into the trip (the tank is 4 gallon)! Not acceptable! The local Artic Cat dealer carried the Kolpin gas containers and I had seen them in the Cabelas catalog so I assumed they must work fine. I bought one from the dealer and immediately went to a service station to fill it up. I screwed the lid on and sat it in the back of my pickup - only to see gas spilling everywhere! I took the lid back off, checked it, and tried a couple more times to get it to seal, to no avail. So I strapped the container upright in the back of the pickup so the lid was pointed up and drove back to the Artic Cat dealer. Apparently he had experience with this problem before - he grabbed a set of Channelocks and REALLY screwed down on that lid. I had no idea that plastic lid could take torque like that! But it did stop the leaking.

I carry a spare spout/lid for the Kolpin, just because I'm afraid that one day I will break one. But the trick seems to be to CAREFULLY align the spout and lid pieces and then use a lot of force screwing it down. I've carried the Kolpin on many long rides on the rack of the quad now with no leaking problems. Because they have to meet the CARB specifications, these things do NOT vent - on a cold morning the container is flat but in the hot afternoon sun it swells way up!

 

[HenryJ]

I found an old style kit on ebay. I used the supplied bracket from the kit. I drilled the bracket to run a heavy zip-tie around the upper back bar of the rack. I used a 5/8" rubber U spacer around the bar to properly space it from the box and line it up vertically.

The cap sits at the same level as the Action Packer.