Camel Tank for Honda CRF 250L Published in: Gear ADVMoto’s project CRF 250L came from the dealership with a 2 gallon gas tank. During our initial test rides, we couldn’t get to 130 miles before worrying about how far the next gas station was. IMS supplied us with a 3.1 gallon tank that increased our ranged to about 200 miles. That’s not bad, but not good enough for our rally replica. After all, real rally bikes carry up to 9 gallons of fuel making them capable of racing at over 100mph for hours at a time. Our 250L won’t be winning races anytime soon, but we can at least make sure it has enough fuel to cross the finish line. To help us go the distance, we contacted the experts at Camel Tank who responded by sending us a 1.5 gallon auxiliary tank that attaches to the rear of the motorcycle. By adding it to the rally project, the CRF can now carry a total of 4.6 gallons of gas for a range of over 300 miles. Although installation was simple, we did have to overcome some obstacles to install the Camel Tank, as it was designed for a stock bike with the original tank and license plate holder. If your CRF has a Yoshimura tail tidy installed like ours, note that the left rear turn signal will make light contact with the Camel Tank’s fuel cap. Replacing the stockers with some smaller LED type indicators could resolve the problem, but it we’ll leave it as is for now. The Camel Tank comes with three mounting brackets. It’s important to leave these brackets loosely bolted to the tank, then tighten them after the tank is on the bike. This will ensure proper fitment and make sure everything lines up correctly. The rear bracket mounts to the stock license plate holder so if you’ve swapped it out, you’ll need to find another way to stabilize the rear bracket. In the future, we hope to see Camel Tank offer an option that will work with fender eliminator kits, or find a different mounting point for the rear bracket. Here’s how the system works- The OEM fuel pump draws gas from the main tank, which results in creating a vacuum. This vacuum pulls fuel from the Camel Tank (which has its own built-in vent to draw air). What this means is the auxiliary tank will empty before the main tank. Camel Tank was generous enough to supply us with extra fuel line for us to experiment with our hose routing, since the vent on the stock tank and aftermarket tanks are in different locations. They also recommended tapping the IMS tank with a fitting, but instead we used a swivel fuel line to directly feed into the IMS cap. The fuel and vent lines are hidden behind bodywork and secured with zipties to offer a clean look. Our kit came with clear instructions for installation, and videos are available right on Camel ADV's website. As expected, the Camel Tank fueled up adds weight to the top, rear end of the bike. The kit itself weighs 5.3lbs Add fuel (9.15lbs) and now there’s an additional 14.57lbs the little CRF has to schlep around. We plan to only fill the Camel Tank when the additional range is necessary - in remote areas or while commuting. For shorter off road skirmishes, the main tank should hold enough fuel between stops. Note: We tried using IMS’s billet aluminum cap with our current set-up and experienced some vacuum issues. The Camel Tank will siphon to the IMS’s original plastic gas cap just fine. We can’t comment on how the tank would hold up during a crash, although the tank protrudes less than the stock exhaust, giving us some foresight that the handlebar, front fairing, and foot peg would all hit the ground before the tank does. We do wish there was some sort of guard or a way to protect the tank, if for nothing more than peace of mind. Soft saddle bags would be a great idea, as the tank could add support to the bags, and the bags could help cusion impact to the tank. On fire roads and light trails, the CRF doesn’t feel any less capable despite the extra weight. For the tighter stuff, it is a bit top heavy, but certainly manageable. On road you’ll forget you’ve even got the tank installed; besides the fact that you’re fuel gauge won’t start moving until after a hundred miles. While we’re on the subject of fuel levels, it is difficult to see how much gas you’ve got in the Camel Tank, so be sure to fill-up slowly. After a thousand miles of mixed on and off road riding, there are no signs of leaks and the system works perfectly. If you're looking for a way to reduce the number of fill-ups throughout your work week, or add peace of mind on your adventure ride, the Camel Tank viable solution to carry extra fuel on your motorcycle. MSRP: $399 Camel-ADV.com PROS CONS ▲ Extended range ▼ Deletes tool box and helmet lock (for this model) ▲ Easy to install ▼ Needs different rear mounting point ▲ Sturdy build quality ▼ Difficult to see fuel level ▲ Unobtrusive ▲ Will work with most soft saddlebags {gallery}ARTICLES/Gear/Camel_Tank/CRF250L/Gallery{/gallery} Other CRF 250L Rally Project Mods: Rally Replica Fairing Kit and TowerGalfer and Bel-Ray Brake UpgradesIMS 3.1 Gallon TankRisk Racing Fusion 2.0 GripsDobeck Performance EJK Fuel ControllerAntiGravity 8-Cell BatterRace Tech SuspensionScaggs Aluminum Billet Rack http://ift.tt/2ibMLNj
from Totally Motorbikes http://ift.tt/2ibMLNj
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