weird gas tank question..

[tribaltalon]

after getting the jockey shifter all measured out and stuff, i looked over at the tank and had a thought, what if i put some kind of spacer in the front of the tank, in order to raise the tank off the back bone and give it some more rake down towards the seat? i cant think of any obvious penalties to doing this, but what do yall think? i actually really like the lines of the tank, looks clean and simple. definitely dont want to go with a peanut tank, its bad enough having to fill up every 100-120 miles with the 3.5? gallon tank.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Tribaltalon,

The only thing is that you'll have less gas available to get to near the end of your tank when you're running low, cause it'll be sloshing around in the tail end near the seat, and may not be able to get to the petcocks, but a few degrees of tilt shouldn't cause that much of an affect, and I never run my tank that dry anyways!?

If you'll take the mounting posts off of the frame, and reweld them higher, should be a relatively easy adjustment to mount it higher....might need to bend the tang where it bolts down under the lip of the seat to maintin proper fitting and securing angle!? Have fun!
T.C.

[tribaltalon]

yeah thats what i figured. just was trying to think of any negative aspects of doing something like that. too bad most people arent even going to be able to tell i did the tank mod, but eh it just makes it more unique to me. also going to keep the front fender, but modifying the bracket to hug the tire better. i thought about going fenderless, but honestly, being pelted by pebbles and enduring 4 foot geysers of water all the time doesnt sound like fun at all.

[mitch]

careful

Dont go too close as your tires expand as you gain speed..............MITCH

[TopCatGr58]

Yes, I've experienced that expanding tire phenomenon! When I put a new tire on my front, the fender seemed to fit much closer in the front than in the rear. It seemed like enough clearance, had about 1/4" of room. I had painted and pinstriped my front fender, had it looking decent. Then I went on a high speed run, and when I finished, I looked at the front fender and noticed a darkening spot. The tire had expanded and rubbed and heated the fender enough to bubble the paint! SO... you should definitely allow room for tire expansion!
T.C.

[xs650mike]

Also don't make the mistake of bobbing the front fender too short, it'll still protect the engine but the fountain that shoots in the air every puddle you hit will have you ducking to one side or the other and in the rain...fugettaboutit! Don't ask me how I know.

[GNEPIG]

.. going fenderless does look pretty cool, in fact i love that look
try a sportster front fender they are real minimalist looking but still work and you can make them look real close to the tire.. if you get a black one at first glance it looks like their isnt a fender at all. did this to my norton

[Street_Rat78]

Fenderless???

Are there any major dangers to going fenderless on the front?

[xs650mike]

Only if you ride in the rain. On dry days you can always duck to one side if you go through a puddle. When I was a kid I always removed my front fender during the SoCal summer dry season.

[desert1]

how about

How about those gas prices! What are they saying $5.00 a gallon US, $7.00 Canadian! Rita, Katrina........
Bruce

[xs650mike]

Well as Jay Leno said last night, "Force 5 means $5 a gallon!"