gas tank

[weaselnoze]

so its friday nite, got no girl nemore so i had nothing to do.  dont really know much about my bike so i just started taking it apart and observing.  well when i put the tank back on i noticed there is a 1/4 in gap between the rubber ring and the frame.  is this normal? i messed w/ it for maybe 10 min trying to get it to fit flush.  :dunno:

[Kerry]

when i put the tank back on i noticed there is a 1/4 in gap between the rubber ring and the frame.  is this normal?

No, it should fit pretty flush.  Did you shove the tank as far forward as it could go after you positioned the "C channel" in the front around the forward rubber mount?  (Is it now positioned so you can get the mounting bolts to "take"?)

One thing you might check is the mounting bracket itself, on the rear of the tank.  Sometimes it can rotate a bit and get propped up on the battery box (or something like that).  But if you can replace the mounting bolts, that possibility is eliminated.

[weaselnoze]

i tried and tried to get it to be flush but couldnt get it down.  i made sure it went into the channel and i pushed it forward as hard as i could.   the mounting bracket rotated a lot but once it was bolted in it wouldnt rotate anymore (even if i haddent tightened the bolts all the way)

[Kerry]

"Well, shut my mouth!"  

I just went out to the shed (with a ruler) and took a look at my bike.  Surprise!  I have about a 1/8" gap all the way around.  It's certainly not 1/4" inch, but it does look "funny" if you get your eyes level with the frame.  I guess my eyes are usually way above the frame, and the gap is "invisible" from up there.  :dunno:

[weaselnoze]

ok so maybe its just the design.  i didnt measure a 1/4 in. i was just guessing  thanks for checking tho!

[Johnboy]

ive got a 95 that does the same thing. there is a 1/4" to 1/2" gap under the tank. i havent tried to fix this, but you MIGHT be able to move the hinge in the back that bolts the tank down to the frame.

[treybrad]

...this seems like a good time to slip in my question...

Anybody know the size of the tank bolts? My bike doesn't have any for some reason.. and when the tank is almost dry it will shift around and stuff     I'd hate to see what would happen if I laid it down. I know they're pretty big, but the nut is welded to the frame, so I can't exactly take it into Home Depot and test fit much...

trey

[Kerry]

Anybody know the size of the tank bolts?

They are just like the mounting bolts for the grab bar (12mm head) only longer:

[treybrad]

Good deal, thanks Kerry. I should've known you'd have the info ready to go... should've asked sooner.

trey

[Kerry]

Good deal, thanks Kerry. I should've known you'd have the info ready to go...

For this one I actually DID need to

* Find the original tank bolts (I had used them for mounting a luggage rack a couple years ago - in the grab bar bolt holes, which is how I knew)

* Pull a grab bar mounting bolt and

* Take the picture[/list:u]But that's OK - now I have it documented!

And my original tank bolts are now back on the bike - so thanks for getting me to do that.  

[The Buddha]

If you swap the tank bolts with allen heads.... you can get the body work slipped out a bit and get them loose and tank the tank off easier... upi only need to expose ~3/4 the head to get to it with a wrench... not the whole head and flange.
Cool.
Srinath.

[Kerry]

I didn't take the plastics all the way off - just popped both sides from their grommets and dropped the front ends down a bit.  Not too bad.

But thanks for the tip!