Twigg
Just an old, bald man!
We are all aware, by now, that if you want to ride far, especially in the heat of the summer, some kind of on-board hydration system helps
Drinking when you are thirsty is not enough. You need to be drinking enough that you don't get thirsty in the first place. Get the balance right and you don't need extra bathroom breaks either.
I had a system on the Venture Royale, but I wanted to improve it while keeping it simple and affordable.
The easy way is to mount a Coleman Cooler and fit it with a drinking tube and bite valve. So far so good but that doesn't address the need to wet-down the inside of your jacket when the going gets warm. So some kind of pumped system (it just got more complex) was in order.
Requirements are to be able to drink on the move. To have the ability to get water inside my jacket. To be able to remove just the jug for quick refills, and to be able to remove the whole lot from the bike quickly and easily.
Here is what I came up with:
The 90 degree bite valve helps with the need to drink while wearing a helmet ... a modular helmet helps even more
The button is a momentary switch for the pump
At the other end of that arrangement is a Coleman 1 gallon cooler sitting alongside my auxiliary gas tank
The clear tube is attached to the pump inside the cooler
The water tube has a quick disconnect right on the lid of the cooler, and the wiring goes to two Amps connectors alongside the seat
When I want to re-fill I disconnect the upper wiring connector and the tube at the cooler lid. Pull the cooler, refill then reverse.
If I want to remove everything disconnect the Amps connector by the seat gap and tuck the wiring under the seat .... Sorted!
I may tidy it up a little with some 90 degree pipe connectors and a replacement for that horrible brass piece, but it is all working well.
Hope this helps someone.
ps ... I could have mounted the cooler on the right rear passenger footpeg. I didn't because I had the space above, and I like to use those pegs when I have a lot of "boring stuff" (Kansas) to cross. However, for the lower mounting position, the pump is even more useful ... less sucky!
Drinking when you are thirsty is not enough. You need to be drinking enough that you don't get thirsty in the first place. Get the balance right and you don't need extra bathroom breaks either.
I had a system on the Venture Royale, but I wanted to improve it while keeping it simple and affordable.
The easy way is to mount a Coleman Cooler and fit it with a drinking tube and bite valve. So far so good but that doesn't address the need to wet-down the inside of your jacket when the going gets warm. So some kind of pumped system (it just got more complex) was in order.
Requirements are to be able to drink on the move. To have the ability to get water inside my jacket. To be able to remove just the jug for quick refills, and to be able to remove the whole lot from the bike quickly and easily.
Here is what I came up with:
The 90 degree bite valve helps with the need to drink while wearing a helmet ... a modular helmet helps even more
At the other end of that arrangement is a Coleman 1 gallon cooler sitting alongside my auxiliary gas tank
The clear tube is attached to the pump inside the cooler
The water tube has a quick disconnect right on the lid of the cooler, and the wiring goes to two Amps connectors alongside the seat
When I want to re-fill I disconnect the upper wiring connector and the tube at the cooler lid. Pull the cooler, refill then reverse.
If I want to remove everything disconnect the Amps connector by the seat gap and tuck the wiring under the seat .... Sorted!
I may tidy it up a little with some 90 degree pipe connectors and a replacement for that horrible brass piece, but it is all working well.
Hope this helps someone.
ps ... I could have mounted the cooler on the right rear passenger footpeg. I didn't because I had the space above, and I like to use those pegs when I have a lot of "boring stuff" (Kansas) to cross. However, for the lower mounting position, the pump is even more useful ... less sucky!
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