Sweet! Good choice, I couldn't be happier with mine. Its nice being able to ride twice as long without filling up. Plus it gives the bike a nice wide mean look.
Just fitted mine on yesterday. I used some high temp foil tape from Home Depot on the underside of the tank to reflect some heat away from the engine ...Just finished fabricating some aluminum braces to secure the front of the tank rather than use the piece of wire that came with the tank. Took it for my first ride today, one thing I noticed was that the engine is running about 10 F hotter than the stock tank with the air deflectors on......wish I could fit the deflectors onto the Clarke tank. My engine is stock with no mods and I am getting arond 50mpg ,so this tank should be good for 200 miles before I need to hit reserve.
Mine is coming in on the 16th. Thanks for the heads up on the mounting bracket and heat tape. I own a sheet metal fabrication business. I'll see what I can come up with to help direct cool air to the motor. If I come up with something worth while I'll offer it here.
It does look quite a bit meaner than the stocker, sort of like a pair of bull testicles without being on the bike! I got the white one, there's a little too much mismatched red on the bike already, with the Maier MX rear fender I put on and the stock tank didn't even match the seat or original plastic, so I'm throwing in some contrast. On the heat issue, have you guys taken the smog stuff off? That might help a bit. So might re-jetting as I'm told. I really couldn't tell you what changes I have or am yet to experience as I don't have the temperature dipstick yet, hopefully a stocking stuffer...
You can cut that wire that came with the tank and fabricate it to secure the tank up front on both sides. Also, curious, how do you know your engine is running 10' hotter ? You mean your oil temp ? Mine varies so much it is hard to duplicate 2 runnings to compare temps. Mine never goes over 250' and rarely gets that hot.
Just put it on last night! Someone mentioned heat tape, is that really necessary? The manufacturer said nothing about it...
I didn't use any tape. One thing to bear in mind is make sure the tank is level and not hanging down on one side. Mine was not level and it was rubbing on the top of the engine and had actually melted the tank - I caught it in time though.
Thanks for the tip! I did take a pretty good look at everything and it looked level. I wiped my finger around everywhere I could too and didn't find any leaks. One thing I'm concerned about is the usable fuel in the tank. The petcock seems higher than the front bulbs, and then it has about a 2 inch tube sticking up for the fuel draw. I'm guessing it's to avoid sediment, but it seems a little excessive...
It certainly is a tight fit on top of the engine but as long as it's secured correctly it'll be fine. Talking of usable fuel in the tank...for the first time EVER I ran out of gas yesterday on the way to work I guess the reserve is not as big as I had thought.... When it happened there was fuel in the tank on the other side of the petcock but I could not get it over into the petcock side. A really nice guy helped me out and I was back on the road shortly after. That got me thinking about some sort of siphon to get the fuel from one side to the other...I wonder if anyone has any ideas
Just wanted to add another thumbs up for the Rox risers! I got my 2 inchers today and install was a breeze. Cables can't go much higher but seem good. I love the fact I can rotate the bars farther forward. Infinitely adjustable.
Actually, I do, I've been thinking of ordering this one from the sporty's catalogue, mainly for bike to bike or car to bike transfer, but it should work, link: http://sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&did=10&product_id=325
Did you get the pivoting one, or the anti-vibe one? It's going to be a good idea. I haven't gotten to ride my bike offroad much yet, but the few times I have stood up, I've noticed the uncomfortability of the bars.
Hey guys something that me and two other buddies did was to cut the rod in half that came with the tank and loop the end that you cut around the inner wing bolt where the bracket is welded to the frame and the tank wont rock from side to side makes it real sturdy.
Wonder if this one would work too? Less bulk. http://doitbest.com/main.aspx?pageid=64&sku=580791&memberid=0129&associate=true
Mine didn't even come with the rod? I don't care though, I was thinking I'd try something else anyway, but haven't really looked at it yet. It seems fine until Thanksgiving when I really get to take it off the beaten path.
I cut the rod in half and made two supports. I broke one side and ended up making these out of steel.
Exactly what I did. The problem is the first time I did it, it wasn't quite level hence the left hand side was able to touch the top of the engine. Found it in time and made a new bracket that evened it out.