Custom gas tank brainstorming

[DirtyErnie]

Thinking I want a bigger tank on the XS, but without the mounting hassles of just dropping on an XS1100 tank...

What about cutting out the tunnel of the 1100 tank and putting in the tunnel of an XS650 tank?
What sort of tools is that going to take...
How much gas would that hold...

Tell me about welding up sheet metal and making it not leak.

And... go.

 

[mrtwowheel]

You'd have to be an extra expert welder to weld that without leaks, fitting the metal before welding would be just as much of a challenge. If you got the weld good enough to have pinhole size leaks a sealer like RedKote could be used. Fitting a bigger tank with mounting changes would be much easier.

Scott

 

[Satch39]

+1 with Scott. As someone who is currently fighting this battle, I wouldn't do it again. First there's getting every last trace of gas out, then cutting the tunnel out without losing structure, then the painstaking process of lining everything up and running 100's of tack welds. The metal is so thin if you try to run a bead it'll blow through. Finally, there's all the grinding, sanding, and chasing pinholes. Not fun.

 

[Signal]

Your bio reads that you have a Special, you could fit a standard tank. They are bigger and probably an easy fit.

 

[fredintoon]

Hi Ernie,
no "probably" about it, a Standard tank bolts right onto a Special.
I know because I done it. Gives you an extra 4 liters of gas.
But you hafta use the Standard tank's gas cap and fuel petcocks because these parts DON'T swap.
Although you can swap the locks over between gas caps if you want to use only one key.

 

[grizld1]

Absolutely right, 74-79 Standard tanks bolt right onto a Special. Earlier tanks can be used if the rear mounting hole is modified, but you don't gain much volume. Late Standard tanks (E and F) use the same vacuum petcocks as the Specials, with 46 mm. centers on the petcock mounting holes. Earlier petcocks have closer centers, about 42.5 mm.

 

[fredintoon]

Hi grizld1,
dunno what year my Standard tank is except it has the narrow-centers manual petcocks and it's from a year that don't have badge dents in the sides.
Makes it easier to epoxy the pewter tank badges on.

 

[650Skull]

DirtyErnie, Fred, What is the 1100 Tank capacity.

I have the Large 22 liter XS850 Standard Tank, know a guy who put an XS650 Tunnel on an XS750 Triple 17 1/2 liter tank. increased it to 22 liters. Put a 650 tunnel on an XS850 Standard Tank and you'd be up around 27 Liters

Fred, 76C/77D Tank with Manual Petcocks,

 

[fredintoon]

DirtyErnie, Fred, What is the 1100 Tank capacity.
I have the Large 22 liter XS850 Standard Tank, know a guy who put an XS650 Tunnel on an XS750 Triple 17 1/2 liter tank. increased it to 22 liters. Put a 650 tunnel on an XS850 Standard Tank and you'd be up around 27 Liters
Fred, 76C/77D Tank with Manual Petcocks,

Hi Skull,
Clymer's sez the XS11 Standard's tank capacity is 20 liters and the XS11 Special's tank capacity is tied with the XS650 Standard's at 15 liters.
The XS11's twin top tube frame means the tanks have really wide tunnels.
Betcha an XS11Standard shell/XS650 tunnel hybrid tank would hold so much gas you'd think it was off a BMW.
And my XS650 Standard tank if off a 76C/77D? Thanks for that information.

 

[weaselbeak]

Red Kote is some bada*s stuff. Tough as nails and impossible to destroy, it will easily take care of far more than pinhole stuff. I think if you could peel the metal off a Red Kote tank the remaining bag would hold up! I poured a little puddle out and let it set overnight, you can't dent it and even carb cleaner has no effect on it. Tougher than a basketball. It goes on thick like syrup and will stick to anything, sealing impurities like rust particles in it along the way. I'll never use anything else again.

 

[DirtyErnie]

DirtyErnie, Fred, What is the 1100 Tank capacity.

I have the Large 22 liter XS850 Standard Tank, know a guy who put an XS650 Tunnel on an XS750 Triple 17 1/2 liter tank. increased it to 22 liters. Put a 650 tunnel on an XS850 Standard Tank and you'd be up around 27 Liters

Fred, 76C/77D Tank with Manual Petcocks,

That's somewhere around 7 gallons (US). 350 miles on an xs650? That's a hike...

 

[fredintoon]

That's somewhere around 7 gallons (US). 350 miles on an xs650? That's a hike...

Hi Ernie,
the average car will get that far on a tank of gas so why not a motorcycle?
The advantage of a large gas tank isn't that it lets you ride 350 miles without stopping.
It's that you can choose to plan your ride around the places you want to visit
instead of having to plan your ride around the distances between gas pumps.

 

[DirtyErnie]

It's quite true. Every 120 miles or so on a long trip gets quite annoying. I need to get a real touring seat if I'm going to be riding those distances...

 

[fredintoon]

Hi Ernie,
I'd only be jealous of your wondrous bike seat if I didn't want you to have it. OTOH I might be envious of it, got a photo?
I once bought a Saddlemen's touring seat conversion and built it onto a spare XS650 seat pan.
Yes, it's two dish-shaped buttock buckets held the rider & pillion's rear ends in comfort but one's rear end
was held fixed so one couldn't move around at all. In the long run, it was just a different mode of discomfort.
Sold that seat on after I installed a sidecar to carry passengers in. 3-up on a rig works in an emergency but it ain't usually done.
But back to seat comfort. Gel pads help. And sheepskins. Or perhaps even those wooden bead things although I've never tried one.
But they only extend your comfort distance by a bit. Regular ride breaks are the only sure cure.

 

[DirtyErnie]

https://goo.gl/photos/YyQuw81886Fhv4co7


Keeps the lady from falling off the back. My mother helped me re-cover the seat, so it's the original foam. Was thinking of getting the 'Road Sofa' kit to go on, but she wasn't having it, didn't want to graft the backrest into it.
I put in a 1/2 or 5/8" gel, but all that did was spread the pressure out well enough to cut off circulation to my tingly bits. Properly inflated Airhawk2 helps a bit, but the real problem is I drive a desk so it's all bones and sinew back there...

...time for squats and lunges. ugh.

(bags are not installed yet, this is a mock-up photo. Also have a Vetter fairing to put on it.)

 

[fredintoon]

https://goo.gl/photos/XLDHkjacNjXifKVy9

Hi Ernie,
all that shows on my screen is a little black square with an X in it. And the " https://goo.gl/photos/XLDHkjacNjXifKVy9 " I pulled off it don't work for me neither
EDIT but hey! WTF, eh?
The link works when I click on the little orange-colored version in my "reply" quote.
The ol' high-back double-decker, eh?
Seems your Heritage is missing it's flashers.
You could attach surface mounted rear flashers to those hard bags as the stockers ain't gonna be too visible or even fit with those bags there if they were mounted in their stock locations.

 

[fredintoon]

Hi Ernie,
here's two photos of my own homebuilt luggage rack.
It's made from #8 Ga aluminum sheet, uses the stock cast grabrail & the signal mount holes to hold it on and re-positions the stock flashers rearward for saddlebag clearance.
The chromed tubular steel tie-down rack on top is an aftermarket Harley item.
The view from the bike's right side shows it in better detail

 

[DirtyErnie]

Nuts... I'll try to get that one sorted out while the databases load today. :-D


There, try it now.

 

[fredintoon]

- - - I put in a 1/2 or 5/8" gel, but all that did was spread the pressure out well enough to cut off circulation to my tingly bits. Properly inflated Airhawk2 helps a bit, but the real problem is I drive a desk so it's all bones and sinew back there...
...time for squats and lunges. ugh - - -

Hi Ernie,
yes! The photo is now right there in post #13 for all to see.
My own decades of desk driving have not scrawnified my sitapon at all, they've just added lard to it.
Must be an endomorph/ectomorph thing.

 

[DirtyErnie]

Hi Ernie,
The ol' high-back double-decker, eh?
Seems your Heritage is missing it's flashers.
You could attach surface mounted rear flashers to those hard bags as the stockers ain't gonna be too visible or even fit with those bags there if they were mounted in their stock locations.

Those are just Heritage side covers, originals were missing when I got it, and the flashers were a bit mangled. Just another thing I didn't feel like maintaining. heheh. Definitely thinking about some sort of LED flashers when/if I get the bags mounted. Picked up an '89 Pacific Coast for commuting/highway mile eating. might dump the bags and Vetter and just have me a cruiser.
Suppose I'd better get the right valve springs in that pig if I want to ride it. Damn, i don't want to take it all back apart a THIRD time this re-build... tossing un-fired gaskets gets on my nerves. ;-)