tank interchange

firedome

original French Blue xs650c
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Anyone know what year tanks (650 or others) will be a direct drop-on for a '76 C model?
Also if any that will directly replace it have a larger capacity?
 
I know anything 74 and later will swap . Manual petcocks on 74-77 are a smaller bolt pattern than the later vacuum petcock tanks. Not sure about the 70-73 tanks. Caps on 74-75 are different than later tanks it appears.
 
Some of the earlier years are longer so are not a direct fit on the later bikes. The 74 up standard tanks hold 3.9 gallons, the later special tank holds 2.9 gallons. This will swap out fine.
There are some tanks that are larger that can adapt without much trouble. I don't recall just which 750 tank it is that a lot of people use when building a tracker. It has knee recesses in the sides and with the rubber pads give a bike a racy look. If I recall rightly the front tank mounts are just opposite of the XS650. The Xs650 has cups on the frame with pegs holding rubber bushings on the tank. The 750 tank has the cups on the tank and rubber on the frame It's not hard to fab up a front mount.
Most any other tank will need a bit more work to fit.
I often thought about using Harley fat bob tanks. You can get them in 3.5 or 5 gallon versions. They make a mount bar that you weld to the frame that has all the right mounts for the fart bob tank on it.
There are a lot of options out there. I think the 3.9 gallon stock tank isn't a bad size. With a properly tuned XS650 it should get in excess of 50 MPG. That's 195 till empty, about 150 to reserve. On most long trips I've taken stops about that often work out fine.
I guess if you can ride longer than that per stop is fine but I need to get off and walk around or my old joints get stiff.
I have been out for rides for better than 10 hour days on my 75, the gas stops help my enjoy the rides better.
Leo
 
For direct fit, you have the largest tank. The Special tank is direct fit, but smaller. The XS7502D, XS750E, and XS750F is a popular modification. The stock seat pan will have to be cut back at the front or and aftermarket seat installed. Also, pucks go on the frame rather than the tank.
48408682_1788502541277810_2537785420884738048_o.jpg

This one belongs to Jim (ThatXS650Guy), as seen at the 2018 Vintage Yamaha Rally.
 
Thnx, like the look of that tank but think I'll end up staying with the 3.9 gal. one so I don't have to mess with the seat. Normally I prefer stock seats, and I have the original one, but this custom seat is so comfortable and it also sits a bit lower so I can put feet flat on the ground at a stop, so I'll probably keep it, at my age comfort is priority 1.
 
Even when I was young 3.9, gals was as far as I wanted to go in one sitting away/
 
Even when I was young 3.9, gals was as far as I wanted to go in one sitting away/

Hi Team Junk,
3.9 gallons will take you perhaps 200 highway miles at legal speeds and that's a lot further than I'd want to ride without stopping.
What the 3.9 gallons allow is letting you look for scenic vistas and places of interest rather than fixating on the distance to the next gas pump.
 
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