Hey, im pretty sure this is my first post. Ive been lurking around using search for the past year. I am trying to find out in anyone knows any tanks other than gs tanks that will fit with little or no frame modification. I don't care about the seat I can make one later. I was looking at some early 90's katana tanks (don't remember year) and they use the same mounting principles. If anyone can help i would really appreciate it. I just did a complete overhaul on my bike and cannot afford another 150 for an ebay tank other sport bike tanks can be had for 40 to 80 bucks. Thanks
All years of GS will work and it's the only tank that will bolt up.With enough skill in metal work,any thing could be made to work.
I appreciate it. I am not really worried about it bolting up. That would be a plus but i just want something that would follow the lines of the frame and look pretty good. I am just finding it very hard to get a hold of a good gs tank. If only my previous owner wasnt a complete idiot.
I have a spare frame , and a 1990 Katana tank , ill do some mock up and pics if u wish ,
Jay_wolf, dude, if that wouldn't put you out I would definitely appreciate that. Thanks
Do it Jay.That's a tank I had considered modifying to fit,but didn't wanna part with the $$$$ for an experiment.
bump
Ill have your pics tomorrow , ive been Occupied recently , and havent got out of bed for the last 2 days , ill have pics and such 2moz
Quote from: Jay_wolf on June 11, 2008, 12:20:25 PM
Ill have your pics tomorrow , ive been Occupied recently , and havent got out of bed for the last 2 days , ill have pics and such 2moz
Glad to hear you're getting back into life.I know your situation is hard.Hang in.Things will hopefully get better.
I took 2days out , helped alot . Just stayed in bed , i had booked two weeks off work ,so i can can just chill , But , tommorrow morning, i think ill just mount it to my Gs,., save me getting the old frame out , i think i mocked it up before , i think it was close ,
I no the 2001 has a simular mount , to what needs to be , i didnt fit so good on the 1996 when i tryed it
Thanks a lot and tank care of yourself.
Pet chicken gets in the way , if it was modifyed , it could fit , i dont think u would have to modify it alot .. AND . i found out the katana tank cap is a Direct Replacement :thumb:
(http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u148/James_Jay_Wolf/14062008586.jpg)
(http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u148/James_Jay_Wolf/14062008587.jpg)
ya. that would not work at all. perhaps a flatter tank. but the frame is simply not wide enough for that one and the angle at the bottom is in a bad place. well i have been thinking of doing something pretty unorthodox. I got the idea from my buddies ducati monster. they have a faux tank that is on a hinge in the front and lifts up like a car hood to expose the real plastic tank. I was thinking about coming up with a plastic tank that would fit under my stock tank with the bottom cut out. them simply tap the petcock and maybe even put my stock tank on hinges. I originally thought it was pretty crazy but i feel like im running out of options. thanks you so much jay_wolf. you saved me about 80 bucks.
Funny u say that , My Gileria DNA has one of those Flip up tanks , that exposes room for shopping and such, with a dummy tank under it
Looks like the front of the tank may rub the upper triple clamp. :dunno_white:
Well its done. I first tried to find a gstank under 250 dollars and could not so i went over to a buddies and went to work with his angle grinder. I cut the bottom out of my tank then I cut up and modified at plastic blitz gas can to fit the mouth of the gs tank then i created a bracket out of plastic to go inside the plastic tank and taped my petcock into that and the tank with layers of bicycle tubing as gasketing material. I went to lowes and bought some fencing support components to us to secure the plastic tank to the inside of the gs tank. I mounted up the modified tank filled with gas and let sit over night. I woke up and checked for leaks and there were none, not even the smell of gas. I jump started the GS and took it for a 4 mile spin and it works perfectly. total cost was 3 dollars for hardware. it would have been 8 dollars if i didnt have a spare 2 gallon gas can.
pretty sure pics are required at this point. This experiment seems to have a rather limited range though...
what was wrong with your old tank before you hacked it apart?
ya i figured i would need to take some pics. I will try to get some up as soon as i can get a hold of my gfs camera. ya, i don't think the range would bother me but i could see it annoying others. my bike gets 60mpg and this tank holds i litter more than 2 gallons. my tank was completely rotting out in those side corner areas. I personally think that is one of the most un-conscientious tank designs i have ever seen. The tank had already been kreemed and at that piont i had sanded it down and jb welded it 3x in 4 months.
go with a plastic fuel cell and mold a tank "cover" over it to look however you want it to look.
Quote from: makenzie71 on July 06, 2008, 01:01:23 PM
go with a plastic fuel cell and mold a tank "cover" over it to look however you want it to look.
I don't suppose you have an example/pics/supplies for this?
ya I am going to get a hold of my girlfriends camera today hopefully and take some pics. I figured i should have when i put it together but i was just in a hurry to ride it because the weather has been so beautiful here in northwest Arkansas lately. I came up with a new way to do it that will be easier for others to accomplish and i will take pictures of that way.
Quote from: SmithvilleFlats on July 06, 2008, 11:07:59 PM
Quote from: makenzie71 on July 06, 2008, 01:01:23 PM
go with a plastic fuel cell and mold a tank "cover" over it to look however you want it to look.
I don't suppose you have an example/pics/supplies for this?
It would be actually pretty easy to make a mold of the top of the tank in fiberglass
Quote from: arbakken on July 07, 2008, 11:06:21 AM
Quote from: SmithvilleFlats on July 06, 2008, 11:07:59 PM
Quote from: makenzie71 on July 06, 2008, 01:01:23 PM
go with a plastic fuel cell and mold a tank "cover" over it to look however you want it to look.
I don't suppose you have an example/pics/supplies for this?
It would be actually pretty easy to make a mold of the top of the tank in fiberglass
That is very true and is a good option for someone with a good tank that they could later sell. cool thing about the fiber glass idea is that you could make any design you want as long as it matches the widths and angle of the tank. someone could probably make some money by making a fiberglass mold and producing tanks with a integrated plastic fuel cell.
I am not suggesting you do this or saying its the best way. I love it and it has saved me 400 dollars, the downside is it cut my fuel capacity in halved as its slightly over 2 u.s. gal. now. I get 60 mpg on my gs500e so it really doesn't bother me. Some may not like my mod or my bike and if not thats fine this is simply to document what i did.
ok first buy these as lowes.
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x311/Americancoinop/Extra/DSC02250.jpg)
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x311/Americancoinop/Extra/DSC02251.jpg)
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x311/Americancoinop/Extra/DSC02252.jpg)
for this next part get the next size up that fits your fuel tubing i just eyeballed it and it was to thin.
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x311/Americancoinop/Extra/DSC02249.jpg)
I cut my tank and zip tied some bicycle inner tube to the mouth to act as a slash gasket. I really dont think its nessasary because i shook a full tank around and no gas leaked because of the deep mouth but i didn't want to risk it.
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x311/Americancoinop/Extra/DSC02254.jpg)
I drilled these holes for retainer brackets.
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x311/Americancoinop/Extra/DSC02255.jpg)
I placed the gas can against the mouth from the inside with the gas can cap side facing the front of the tank and traced the shape of the mouth onto the gas can. I took a drill and drilled a starter whole so i could fit and exacto knife in there and carefully formed the circle. I always cut away from my other hand and my body.
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x311/Americancoinop/Extra/DSC02256.jpg)
I took a half inch bit and drilled a whole into the tank and made it to were it would be on the opposite side of the bike as the frame petcock. This may require i little more fuel tubing but it allows for more clearance i test fitted the gas can in the tank and the tank on the bike to find the best space. At this point i put a o ring on the nut looking brass fitting. please ignore the o ring on the nipple fitting, i found out if you have a oring on that one you will have a bad seal because as you tighten the oring slides down the nipple. the reason for putting the oring on the nut looking fitting at this point and in this manner is that it is impossible to put it on the nut over the threading when it is in the can so we put it like this now and after its in the tank we take a long flat head screwdriver and slide it onto the threads.
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x311/Americancoinop/Extra/DSC02257.jpg)
This is how it will look except with the can between the oring and the nipple fitting. Like I said before you don't want a oring on the outside of the can as I found out. As you may noticed i drilled some small holes in the nut looking fitting so gas can flow through since it will stick up in the tank and otherwise not let you use those last drops of gas. I first screwed in the nipple fitting from the outside of the tank until i could see it from the inside. I then got some really long needle nose pliers and held the nut fitting in place on the inside of the can and turned the nipple some more until it caught the nut fitting on the inside of the can. After it caught a bit i used a flat head driver and slid the oring on the nut fitting onto the threads which placed it between the nut fitting and the can.
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x311/Americancoinop/Extra/DSC02258.jpg)
Take a small length of fuel tubing and spray a little wd 40 on both ends and attach one end to the nipple fitting and the other to the white nylon Y splitter then run your old tank fuel lines to the two forked ends of the Y splitter. I know you wont have a real reserve anymore but the reason we are attaching both is so you can still Prime you bowls. So ya, im not using the tank petcock and since i have two one will go on ebay.
(no pic, use imagination)
Here is the bottom of the tank when all is in place. I got that piece of metal from lowes and its a piece they use on chain link fencing, cost 1.26
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x311/Americancoinop/Extra/DSC02259.jpg)
Here is a pic of my bike if you interested. Thanks
(http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x311/Americancoinop/Extra/DSC02260.jpg)
Ok dude, you've gotta get me more pictures of that ride. I love rat bikes, and that one is definitely a cool ride in my eyes. I love the style and the cut rear seat like that. I'm trying to figure out what you did with some of the electrical or what happened there. How did you cut the subframe out of that and hopefully you took some pics in the process. Hats off to you for a quickie rat job and thats cooler than any fully faired custom I've seen yet.
Not sure if you covered the plastic tank on the bottom with something but i would be concerned about the heat from the motor rupturing it. Prolly be a good idea to install something under there to keep it cool/er. But other than that, i think that tank belongs on that bike, lol. Nice work!
might i ask why the tank mod ws done, on the rat bike?, was teh original tank rusted through?/ ( am curious)
Love the Flying Tigers tank.
I used a grinder to cut the sub frame. You could use a cutting wheel as well. Unfortunately i didn't document any other work on the bike. i have all electronics except the wires running to the tail lights moved before the battery. the only other thing after the battery is the rear master cylinder with still touches the battery. I just wanted to clean up the rear.I am going to install a exhaust a friend of mine got off of a bike that came into the dealership he works at that will allow me to cut the exhaust support off the back making iit have a clean space between the rear tire and the frame which is what im going for. Unfortunately, there is no room under the gas can the way I have it configured to put any sort of buffer. I guess you could probably put some thermal or heat shielding material around it. Good idea ill have to look into it. Ya it took me 8 straight hours to sketch and paint that tank, was not very fun and paint brushes arent the most efficient painting tools. I used to have a Tuskegee Airmen theme but i have always been into the flying tigers and my girlfriend's dad's involvement in the pacific USAF inspired me to do this after i hacked my tank. the paint still isn't done, i am adding Japanese kill flags and some other details. The tank was originally shot to H E double hockey sticks and there was no saving it. I live in the south and bikes like the gs are not to popular were i live (mostly cruisers) and i couldn't afford eBay or the dealership.
Hi there,
That is creative, but I must say, I think that is incredibly dangerous.
You are riding around with a plastic gas can that has a couple pieces threaded into it. Even if it's not leaking yet, they are barely held in by 1/8 inch of plastic at the most, and when that plastic gas can is squeezed in a crash, it will act as a spray bottle, pouring gas all over you and everything around you.
This is NOT safe by any stretch of the imagination.
I get what you are trying to do, to fix your bad steel fuel tank.
But if you replaced it with a true fiberglas or even plastic inner tank, with true wall thickness and dedicated fitting for a petcock and other fittings, it would be safer. Perhaps you could find a cheap plastic motocross fuel tank that you could fit under your steel top shell and that would safely carry the fuel? If you squeeze that plastic gas can, those fittings are going to be exploded out of it.
I just worry about the potential for major burns, injury and death with this system.
I think you are being very creative and I like your approach, but I think you are literally risking your life with this set up.
I hope you take this into consideration and don't take my comments wrong.
Best wishes,
Todd
Hey Todd I totally appreciate it. I understand exactly what your saying an I would have loved to get a dedicated gas tank but all of the dirt bike tanks i tried would not work and the few street tanks ive had access to do not work either. I agree that this set up is POTENTIALLY dangerous but for me it is safer then having jb weld on the stock tank fail and piss gas all over the heat fins which happened twice before i converted it. But like I said before many wont like this or my bike which is also less safe and less useful because of my mods for instance there is no passenger seat or pegs but i don't ride with passengers and there is no rear fender so you drowned in the rain but it works for me because I don't ride bikes in the rain. The pieces are not threaded into the plastic can but actually one another and they work quite I have not seen or smelled any leaks. I originally used the stock petcock but this actually provides a better seal do to the smaller whole and the structural integrity of a circle rather than a triangle. In the event of a crash and if the tank was squeezed it would not likely spray fuel because it is not air tight, it is splash proof and does not leak because of the long mouth but like the stock configuration it is not air tight. It would probably be more dangerous that the stock tank for many reasons but even the tried steal tank has dangerous characteristics like the fact that steal gets red hot while sliding on the pavement and if it slides on the tank enough to make a whole it will blow up from the sparks. Let me make it official how I take your feedback. I am very glad that you brought all of these points up and clearly illustrated some of the bad and good with my set up. It serves to keep the community better informed and perhaps some will have access to more resources and materials than us and can make a homemade and reproducible set up that we can all benefit from. I also appreciate the compliments as to my creativity. This was just a my problem and how I went about solving it.
Hi again,
Well just be careful out there, man. I don't want to see you get hurt. :)
And I really love the rat bike look.
Very cool, very retro, very fun.
Maybe between all of us out here, we can find you a plastic motocross tank that will fit under your GS500 tank shell. :)
Take it easy,
Todd
P.S. Where are you located man?
I live in fayetteville Arkansas which is in the northwest corner of ar and is the home of the SEC Razorbacks. I seems most of you all are from the north east, I have only seen of few gs500's out locally.
While we're talking creative alternatives, here's something to think about.
(http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/2628/ratchopperkd5.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Yeah, those are fire extinguishers.
If homeless men made choppers :icon_mrgreen:
Dig your bike, man.
Very cool bike Lunch :cheers: Be sure and post more pics as your paint job progresses :icon_mrgreen:
thanks SmithvilleFlats and scottpA_GS. Man if I had a cruiser I would have so many options but in my opinion you cant beat the good acceleration, nice cornering capabilities, and 60mpg from the gs.
hey lunch can u take pictures of where u hid all ur wires?
Tang, I will try to after I put my new battery in.
hey lunchladybk3 just curious but what city do you live in in arkansas
Quote from: natewesselink on July 18, 2008, 01:14:49 AM
hey lunchladybk3 just curious but what city do you live in in arkansas
ohh wow dude. lol, i live in fayetteville. contact me on my facebook. BK Nwachukwu
been there on many occasions , not a bad place imho :thumb:
NICE bike.....Redneck Engineering at it's finest..you musta graduated from Texas A&M??? all jokes aside tho, that is a nice finished product
Nope UofA and it will be a while before I finally get out of school. Ya I love the bike and its got a total of 700.00 into it with clean title.