Mounting the jerrycan.

Another issue solved today was the mounting of the jerrycan (if you don't know the term or its history, Wikipedia's entry makes for interesting reading).

I'd been looking around for a container that I could use as the basis for fashioning a rack to hold the jerrycan and a litre of two-stroke oil, but without success. Thanks to the versatility of a scooter, there's no need to strap them to the back of the vehicle (as would be the case on a motorcycle) - they can be placed between the feet in front of the seat. Like this:

 
As it turns out, my jerrycan and chosen brand of oil fit perfectly in the space. Now to secure them for the ride...

As the basis for my rack - an old wire drawer:

Trimmed and bent into shape, it holds the containers nicely. In case you are wondering why it doesn't extend the full length of the space, it's because I still need to open the fuel flap to refuel - a full rack would prevent this (the key slot is visible behind the jerrycan, below the seat).

To secure the containers during bumpy sections of road and to discourage anybody from simply walking away with them, a top section was also made.

The mounting to the scooter wasn't as obvious as I had hoped. I had planned to drill a few holes through the floor and then use brackets to secure the rack. However, a quick look under the floor showed that there was no space to drill through and secure bolts, so another method of fixing was needed. The solution: two strips of dowling, with notches carved out to hold the rack in place, secured with a few spots of epoxy resin. Not elegant, but ought to work well.

 To make it effort look better, I spray painted the pieces.

The end result doesn't look too bad.

 

To ensure that the rack was mounted properly, I took the scooter out for a quick test ride with a full jerrycan to find out how well it performed.

Things I learnt:

• The jerrycan takes over 5.5 litres (rather than the advertised 5 litres), but overfilling it isn't a good idea as the pouring nozzle has to go back into it;
• Petrol smells are hard to remove from one's hands;
• The scooter handles very differently with an extra 7kg on the floor - it doesn't want to turn in as well as without it;
• The paint will likely look far worse than it currently does by the end of the trip, as it will flake off;
• Petrol spills won't dissolve the epoxy resin, as I discovered when I spilt fuel whilst refilling the tank from the jerrycan after I (deliberately) ran out of petrol;
• Running out of petrol isn't a good idea as it take the scooter a while to start again as petrol moves through the fuel system;
• The petrol smell still lingers after washing my hand several times.

I'll need to make sure that I remember that the bottom rack is attached whenever I ride the scooter between now and departure, as it isn't particularly visible. I don't want to mangle it, given how well it works.