Different gas tanks?

[Xarik]

Hey everyone,

Brand new to this site (very excited!)

I just purchased a 1980 XS1100 SG and the tank is rusted on the inside. I'm not sure how bad it really is as I took it to a shop as soon as I bought it and it'll be there for a few weeks I guess. I'm wondering if it's worth trying to fix it, or are there other options out there for different tanks?

I'm not a huge fan of the stock tank anyways, so if there is another option available that won't break the bank, that'd be awesome! I want to make it a Cafe Racer

[BowlingSS]

I would try to clean out the rust. Also make sure you have fuel filters installed.

Welcome to the site. This is a great site for all your XS needs.

Bill

[Xarik]

Thanks Bill!

Ok, is there a possibility to get a different tank? The Special looks like a hard tail type tank whereas I've seen other ones that fit the cafe look more.


As for cleaning this one out, I have heard that I could toss some nuts and bolts in there with cider vinegar or BB's with the vinegar and then I've heard you'll need to clean out the vinegar with jugged water afterwards (Shaking the tank with this stuff in it that is). I plan to have the tank painted, so I'm just trying to figure out what my options are in order to make it function...At the moment, if I scrape my finger inside, it comes out brown and crusty so I KNOW that isn't good for the carbs and stuff

[mrhammer2u]

If you're going for a cafe look a tank from a standard looks much better. I'll let others more knowledgeable chime in as to the ease of swapping.

[Xarik]

If you're going for a cafe look a tank from a standard looks much better. I'll let others more knowledgeable chime in as to the ease of swapping.

I agree on the look of the standard...Unfortunately, I just heard from the shop that it's at that I should get the tank cleaned prior to having the carbs synced and jetted since the gunk inside could easily get through a filter even. So I might have to put the replacement tank on a back burner, but I'd be more than interested in hearing what's available for a standard tank. I really like the look of the tank in this image (If the area behind the YAMAHA symbol is indented):

http://s902.photobucket.com/user/jordon211/media/IMG_20130304_161053_zps4b0b3fde.jpg.html

More than likely, I will be posting again to ask about a replacement seat too, since mine is held on by 2 zip ties right now :P

[natemoen]

That is a standard tank in that pic.

[Xarik]

Any ideas on how they fit compared to the Special one? Currently, I purchased it on Friday and it's not even held on by anything. It's sitting on the frame and inside of a threaded shaft by the seat....If it's not a simple swap, then I'm going to paint this tank, have its insides repaired and figure out a way to get the tank attached via leather straps for looks

[jwhughes3]

If you have a Special tank, the seat from a Special overlaps the curved top of the tank - a Standard tank has a taller profile and the seat lips are shorter - the special seat has to be altered a bit to get it to fit correctly, though you can often jam it on depending on the seat.

John

[Xarik]

If you have a Special tank, the seat from a Special overlaps the curved top of the tank - a Standard tank has a taller profile and the seat lips are shorter - the special seat has to be altered a bit to get it to fit correctly, though you can often jam it on depending on the seat.

John

That's excellent to hear John! I think I mentioned above that the seat is held on by zip ties and a strip of wire. There are no brackets for a seat on the bike, so I need to custom make some. That being said, I'll need to figure out how to get a cafe/brat style seat onto the bike without having it look weird.

Can I put any standard tank on there or is it year specific? Unfortunately, the standard tank is selling for top dollar on ebay lol

[mrhammer2u]

Here's a site you can bookmark for seat pans with cushion.

http://www.hotwingglass.com/seats/road-race-1.shtml

[dbeardslee]

As for cleaning this one out, I have heard that I could toss some nuts and bolts in there with cider vinegar or BB's with the vinegar and then I've heard you'll need to clean out the vinegar with jugged water afterwards (Shaking the tank with this stuff in it that is). I plan to have the tank painted, so I'm just trying to figure out what my options are in order to make it function...At the moment, if I scrape my finger inside, it comes out brown and crusty so I KNOW that isn't good for the carbs and stuff

You could always fill it up with Evapo Rust and let it sit for a day or two. Not real cheap though - it runs about $23 a gallon, and you'd need about 3.5 gallons to fill the tank. It's reusable, though. You can also use electrolysis to clean a tank, but it's kind of a mess. Drywall screws with some solvent works to knock the big stuff off, but it won't get it as clean as Evapo Rust or electrolysis. JAT

[Xarik]

You could always fill it up with Evapo Rust and let it sit for a day or two. Not real cheap though - it runs about $23 a gallon, and you'd need about 3.5 gallons to fill the tank. It's reusable, though. You can also use electrolysis to clean a tank, but it's kind of a mess. Drywall screws with some solvent works to knock the big stuff off, but it won't get it as clean as Evapo Rust or electrolysis. JAT

At the shop it's at, they said they would use something special to get it all cleaned up and usable again, but they said it'd be like $100 or so. At this point, I have no choice but to let them do it, otherwise it'll ruin the carbs and a bunch of other issues will ensue haha.

Mrhammer2u: We should talk, you seem to be making a build similar to what I'm looking at doing. It'd be awesome to hear from you on what you did with your handlebars/forks as well as hearing what you did with the tank/seat. That site seems helpful, but not an all in one spot for what I need.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Xarik,

First of all......WHY did you take it to a SHOP?? If you are going to have a 30+ y/o motorcycle, and a custom one(CAFE) at that, then you need to be able work on it yourself. Most regular SHOPS don't know or have anyone with much experience with these old machines....their CARBS, etc!

Many members have come on here, put their bikes in shops only to get them back in WORSE condition than when they went in....and their wallets many hundreds of $$ lighter! They end up spending a few hundred dollars extra into both tools and parts...$ that was spent at the shop that they could have originally applied to their tools/parts instead, along with developing the skills and knowledge to fix their bikes, and be able to keep them running.

There are other differences that you'll have to consider when/if putting a standard tank on a special. The petcocks are different, and are different mounting hole space/sized so you can't just swap the petcocks between tanks. The tanks have a tang with a hole that fits onto a mounting post that is secured with a washer/bolt. The standard petcocks are vacuum controlled, the specials are just gravity..but are then routed thru a vac. controlled valve=Octopus.

The OEM seats have a tongue that hooks up under the lip of the tank, and has 2 locking bolt/nuts that fit into the slots in the frame to secure them in place. The fuel sending units are different, those can be swapped between tanks, but you may have to add some wire extensions to be able to reach the harness plug. The seat issue has already been mentioned.

Derusting the tank is a challenge...searching the site should yield lots of info and techniques that should fit your skill set and your budget.

T.C.

[Xarik]

Hey Xarik,

First of all......WHY did you take it to a SHOP?? If you are going to have a 30+ y/o motorcycle, and a custom one(CAFE) at that, then you need to be able work on it yourself. Most regular SHOPS don't know or have anyone with much experience with these old machines....their CARBS, etc!

Many members have come on here, put their bikes in shops only to get them back in WORSE condition than when they went in....and their wallets many hundreds of $$ lighter! They end up spending a few hundred dollars extra into both tools and parts...$ that was spent at the shop that they could have originally applied to their tools/parts instead, along with developing the skills and knowledge to fix their bikes, and be able to keep them running.

There are other differences that you'll have to consider when/if putting a standard tank on a special. The petcocks are different, and are different mounting hole space/sized so you can't just swap the petcocks between tanks. The tanks have a tang with a hole that fits onto a mounting post that is secured with a washer/bolt. The standard petcocks are vacuum controlled, the specials are just gravity..but are then routed thru a vac. controlled valve=Octopus.

The OEM seats have a tongue that hooks up under the lip of the tank, and has 2 locking bolt/nuts that fit into the slots in the frame to secure them in place. The fuel sending units are different, those can be swapped between tanks, but you may have to add some wire extensions to be able to reach the harness plug. The seat issue has already been mentioned.

Derusting the tank is a challenge...searching the site should yield lots of info and techniques that should fit your skill set and your budget.

T.C.

I know it's a HUGE "no, no" for me to send such an old bike to a shop, but it's a location that DEFINITELY knows what they are doing and have been in business for a LONG time. If it was ANYTHING more simple than the issue at hand, you wouldn't see me putting it in a shop. I do not have the tool nor the know how or time to sync the carbs and rejet them. I do have a bit of know how on these types of things, but syncing them is just a huge undertaking that would leave me with a ginormous headache and lots of wasted time. I can't imagine them screwing it up, it'd be very difficult as it's a simple fix and they know what they are doing. They explained that I might be walking into a wall of issues given the 58,000 miles and the age of the bike. These guys have built MANY race bikes from the 70's 80's and onwards and I've seen one or two first hand, and I'm happy leaving it there.

They quoted me a price that is reasonable given what they will do for the engine. I'm quite certain I'll get it back with an A+ bill of health and I'll be able to work on the cosmetic modifications.

As for the tank swap, it sounds like it wouldn't be as simple as I may hope and it'd be MUCH more expensive with the petcock replacement and the changing of the way the fuel is sent.

As for the way it sits on there, if it really is just that one bolt on the back (under the seat basically), then I will most likely put a bushing in there to raise it up and make it more of a level tank with the seat, get a longer bolt to hold it in place, use leather straps for added holding power and looks and then deal with the seat.

The seat is my #1 biggest concern with this build (besides if it'll function properly of course). This seat will need custom brackets, it'll need to look right and I'll need to weld bits into the frame to get it to sit right and look like it belongs. I just hope I'm not in over my head (please don't go talking down on me as if I'm an idiot, I'm just very excited...I'm more than happy to learn a new thing or two, but multiple carbs are just too much for me, I could easily rebuild my Mustangs in no time at all haha).

I'm assuming that they will hvae a product similar to what was mentioned above. I trust that they would give back my tank in great condtiion and all I will need to do is have it painted and fitted onto the bike again

VERY useful information and I'm super happy with the help I'm receiving !

[Xarik]

Here's the bike now (the windshield is just set on there). So she's a bit ugly, but a good contender for a Cafe