You are probably right about using the panniers for a petrol can or 2.
A few years ago on a French trip one of my mates was on a Ducati 996 and we needed to stop at 80 miles or so to fill up. I was on my VStrom 650 with a 250 mile range and it was a right PITA. He carried this manual fuel siphon thing just in case he got caught short (so to speak). A couple of times we had to leave while we looked for petrol... hey hold on, that sounds like Cam on his Kat Turbo in Germany and Denmark!
