Tiger Tales - Dialling in the 800XC for the dirt

I'm sure there will be several colors including translucent (so you can visually see how much fuel you have left). Keep in mind that these will be molded plastic tanks......and therefore, they will be "molded in color". So it won't be a beautiful metallic paint job, like on the OEM tank......it'll be more like a plastic dirt bike tank.

Well as long as they offer one in black. I would hate to put a clear translucent one on this beast 'o mine.

Well you might "feel" the placebo effect but I'm not feeling any vibration or unbalance in my front wheel since changing the tyre. So, unless it's a fluke that it's balanced without needing weights (unlikely) the Dynabeads must be doing their job.
Don't forget, these beads need some speed to throw them into the right place within the tyre/tube. I wonder if those people testing them "mechanically" get enough speed into the spin. Dynabeads will not balance a wheel by the static balancing method as they're mobile inside the tyre/tube.

The tank has come up great, nice lines. I think this is going to have to go on my bike too. Can't wait to see one on a bike.

Im so excited for this tank I can hardley stand it!

I have a Safari clear translucent tank on my DR and it definitely is a conversation starter. Most people don't really know what to think of it and find it intimidating to actually see all that gas slosh around. Also note that even with a colored Safari, the match isn't going to be anywhere near the factory shade. One will definitely know it's aftermarket.

I believe they will be available in Black, white or translucent as standard colour choices but I think they would probalby make one in any of the colours they have (yellow, red, blue, orange etc) if you were willing to wait a little longer for a one off?

I have never wanted to run a black tank on a dirt bike in the past because you can never see into them to gauge the fuel level. On the Tiger this may be a mute point because of the trip meter but I wonder how well that would work with an aftermarket tank (of greater capacity) fitted

have they talked price at all?

Best bet is to get on the Justgastanks.com website. They are the main distributor for Safari tanks in the U.S. If you look at the Safari tanks for other bikes, it should give you an idea of what the pricing will be for the XC. Since the tanks are manufactured in Australia and shipped to the U.S., they are quite pricey. For example, the 9 gallon tank for my DR was close to $600. Depending on the shape of the tank, they may have to install a secondary fuel pump (i.e., to pump fuel from the wings on the side of the tank, up to the stock fuel pump). This is a proven design and works well....but adds extra dollars. Not sure if this tank will require one, or not....only time will tell.

That tank is almost a solution looking for a problem and a potentially expensive solution compared to strapping a Rotopax on back and calling it good. I'm kind of hot and cold on the looks of it, and I'm keeping an open mind because it's a prototype and a mold. I know some people love Safari tanks, and my buddy is putting an 11-gallon monster on his KTM. I am not convinced the peace of mind of extra fuel is worth the extra weight and bulk and cost. Not saying that's my final answer, but that's where I am leaning.

I just can't bring myself to replace a beautiful painted steel piece with a hunk of butt ugly plastic. It isn't a KLR.

Yes , I think the stock tank is fine and has enough range. But there are some that appreciate that extra mileage for more trips to Starbucks! I prefer Panera.

That's why I have a Rotopax mount on the rear rack...and I prefer Tully's for coffee and Einstein Bros. in general.

The advantage of a custom tank is that you don't have to find a place for the Rotopax. And, of course, you don't have to always fill it right up so the weight is as much as you want it to be when using the bike on a day to day basis.
You are right though, it is an expensive solution to a problem that only occurs when you venture into the Yukon.

That's an argument I have heard very often and to be totally honest: I couldn't live with that. It's a pain in the rear to refuel only a certain amount. You never get it right, you don't have the advantage of bigger range then, mileage tracking is really hard (which might hide issues sneaking in that manifest themselves with suddenly higher mileage - had that twice on cars and once on a bike), the tank is very often not a good fit and will change shape over time (plastic might expand with the stupid ethanol infested gas we have) and so on.

I might think about installing such a tank ONLY for a ride to Alaska, but really - it's easier to find a place for a Rotopax then.

On my WR250X I had a Safari tank, but that bike had a range of 110 to 130 miles with the original. With the Safari it was 190 to 240, but any bike with a range of roughly around 200 miles has been okay for me. Sometimes I carry an extra gallon but that's about it. Have needed it once and knew it beforehand.

But okay - if people are happy with it ... may it sell.

I was thinking along the lines that our "range to empty" display would still work with these tanks.

Would it? Possibly. Maybe not. It's just overall super inconvenient if you don't fill up all the way all the time. You never know your real range (because it doesn't go down linearly), this plain wouldn't work for me in day to day riding.

Pretty much +1

I have Clarke tanks on my XR and Husky but both are needed on those bikes due to the tiny range with stock tanks and no space really to carry extra gas.

The 'don't fill it up' argument always gets trotted out....it's not just the weight but the bulk of both the tank and the gas in the tank (however much that is) sloshing around. I'd sooner just carry Rotopax's so I can decide how much and where to carry them as well as, more importantly, WHEN to carry them.

I see this argument ALL the time about a bike (whatever manu). Very very few people NEED the extra range a huge tank will provide so I really don't know why so many claim it's an issue. Where gas is plentiful, I look forward to a quick gas break - I don't WANT to ride 500 miles in one go. Some do, I don't (I don't think it's particularly safe either).

+1. While I love the fact that Safari is making a large tank for those who need it, I rarely find myself in a situation in which I don't have access to gas. I'm tempted by the large tank out of sheer laziness -- one of the things I liked about my Wee-Strom was that when I was out on rides with friends on sportbikes, I could spend every other gas stop just hanging out, or going inside to pee, or getting a cup of coffee, or whatever, because between that bike's tank size and fuel efficiency, I only needed to fill up half as often. I miss that a bit with the Tiger.

But the only place I've ever ridden that I needed to go beyond the Tiger's range between gas stops was the Trans-Labrador Highway (specifically, the new section between Goose Bay and Port Hope Simpson, 260 miles). That was on the Wee-Strom, which managed it on one tank, though I carried a spare gallon with me just in case. If I do that trip again, I'll just carry a couple of Rotopax containers on the Tiger.

Like Merc, I have an XR650L with a Clarke tank (that bike really needs it -- range on the stock tank was like 90 miles). I wouldn't even consider not filling it up all the way because estimating range would become impossible. If I put a Safari tank on my Tiger, I'd feel the same way.

But if I regularly rode long distances in places with few gas options, then yeah, I would definitely want the Safari tank.

--mark

It wasn't terribly difficult. Wolfman provided an easy solution. I've considered getting a second Rotopax plate from him and doubling up on the left side and running a single on the right. Still ends up balanced and gives me an extra 3gal. And I can still mount the soft bags over the top of them or just run a big dry bag on the tray or pillion.