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Anyone running a non stock tank or know what fits?

Started by Lunchladybk3, June 08, 2008, 03:36:20 PM

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Lunchladybk3

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.

arbakken

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

Lunchladybk3

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.

Lunchladybk3

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.



for this next part get the next size up that fits your fuel tubing i just eyeballed it and it was to thin.

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.

I drilled these holes for retainer brackets.

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.

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.

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.

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

Here is a pic of my bike if you interested. Thanks

bombadillo

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.
GS500E with a bunch of cool stuff!

Big Shot

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!

yamahonkawazuki

might i ask why the tank mod ws done, on the rat bike?, was teh original tank rusted through?/ ( am curious)
Jan 14 2010 0310 I miss you mom
Vielen dank Patrick. Vielen dank
".
A proud Mormon
"if you come in with the bottom of your cast black,
neither one of us will be happy"- Alan Silverman MD

DoD#i

1990 GS500EL - with moderately-ugly paintjob.
1982 XJ650LJ -  off the road for slow repairs
AGATT - All Gear All The Time
"Ride a motorcycle.  Save Gas, Oil, Rubber, Steel, Aluminum, Parking Spaces, The Environment, and Money.  Plus, you get to wear all the leather you want!"
(from DoD#296)

Lunchladybk3

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.

Trwhouse

#29
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
1991 GS500E owner

Lunchladybk3

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.

Trwhouse

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?
1991 GS500E owner

Lunchladybk3

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.

SmithvilleFlats

While we're talking creative alternatives, here's something to think about.


Yeah, those are fire extinguishers.
If homeless men made choppers :icon_mrgreen:

Dig your bike, man.

scottpA_GS


Very cool bike Lunch  :cheers: Be sure and post more pics as your paint job progresses  :icon_mrgreen:


~ 1990 GS500E Project bike ~ Frame up restoration ~ Yosh exhaust, 89 clipons, ...more to come...

~ 98 Shadow ACE 750 ~ Black Straight Pipes ~ UNI Filter ~ Dyno Jet Stage 1 ~ Sissy Bar ~


Lunchladybk3

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. 

Tang

hey lunch can u take pictures of where u hid all ur wires?
1997 GS500E

Lunchladybk3

Tang, I will try to after I put my new battery in.

natewesselink

hey lunchladybk3 just curious but what city do you live in in arkansas
2000 suzuki gs500e
wilyco exaust and k&n lunchbox
p.s. ride naked

Lunchladybk3

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

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