Gas Tank Mods

[bdspler]

Gas tank Mod

When you drill holes in the fill tube !

How high is OK..... I'm looking for 40 or so miles per tank more.

I would be only Maxing out the fuel tank on cross counrty trips!

I dont want leaks to be a problem. But I Sure want longer tank intervials. thanks

bd

[Linz]

On my R1100RT, I drilled two down about an inch from the very top of the fill tube.

 

It sure filled faster and I could get about another 1/2 gallon in. My R1150RT doesn't seem to need the holes.

 

Linz

[ShovelStrokeEd]

You won't gain 40 miles from this mod. Maybe 20 and that just doesn't make sense in terms of long distance rides until you are doing 2000 mile days. Think about it.

 

Leaving ample reserve for scarce gas stations, you should probably gas up, with the stock tank, at 220 miles or so. If you manage to get 240 you will still have to gas up 4 times to get 1000 miles. You'll just have a little more gas in the tank at the end of the day.

[T__]

Gas tank Mod

When you drill holes in the fill tube !

How high is OK..... I'm looking for 40 or so miles per tank more.

I would be only Maxing out the fuel tank on cross counrty trips!

I dont want leaks to be a problem. But I Sure want longer tank intervials. thanks

bd

 

BD, you might not have to do anything to the tank itself..

 

On my last R1150RT I removed the evap canister & did a direct tank vent to atmosphere.. That had the added effect of allowing a very un-restricted tank vent system.. That then allowed me to fill the tank as normal if I did it quickly as the fuel would fill the tank to the bottom of the filler tube then shut the pump nozzle off..

Seeing as the tank vent was open,, non restricted & very high in the tank it would also allow me to tweak the tank to be very full if I just kept squeezing fuel in after the first pump nozzle shut off & if I worked at it a little.. With a little work I could fill to almost the top of the filler tube (way above the bottom of the tank filler tube)..

 

I would only fill this high if I was riding off on a trip as it would spit fuel & vapor out the vent line if I filled to the top of the filler tube then parked it in a hot place or my garage..

 

In any case,, if you are going to modify your tank to take extra fuel you will most likely have to either remove your evap can,, or add a two position valve in the tank vent line to allow evap can by-pass when the tank is overfilled or it won’t take long to plug your evap canister & cause catastrophic tank venting issues.. The carbon in the evap canister can only take so much liquid fuel before it becomes a murky mess & plugs off the tank vent..

 

Twisty

 

[AndyS]

Gas tank Mod

When you drill holes in the fill tube !

How high is OK..... I'm looking for 40 or so miles per tank more.

I would be only Maxing out the fuel tank on cross counrty trips!

I dont want leaks to be a problem. But I Sure want longer tank intervials. thanks

bd

 

Despite what the other posters are saying, I have done this mod and think it is well worth doing. I drilled my holes as high up the neck as I could before it interferes with the filler cap. (Just about at the top).

 

I ONLY fill this high when doing a long haul with unknown gaps between filling stations. I REALLY think if you are doing long hauls it can make the differece between getting to the next fuel stop or getting stranded.

 

I have had to call on this twice. Once in northern Spain and the other time travelling along the north west coast of Scotland - on a Sunday not many fuel stations anyway, often closed on the Lords' day.

 

I ended up doing 315miles to the tank (brimmed from the beginning). Riding VERY sensitively for the last 100 miles, realising I could be stuck in the middle of a foreign land (sorry to any of our Scots readers).

 

Another plus is that the tank fills quicker with less stopping of the fuel hose due to back pressures.

 

I say go for it.

 

BUT....make sure you are VERY careful about any swarf dropping into the tank. Be careful when you unship the filler that you dont damage any of the filler internals.

ENSURE before you unship the filler that you have a replacement O ring, as once the filler is removed, you WILL find the old O ring has swollen. The job of trying to get the swollen O ring back into place is NOT worth the effort.

 

Andy

[elkroeger]

Gas tank Mod

When you drill holes in the fill tube !

How high is OK..... I'm looking for 40 or so miles per tank more.

I would be only Maxing out the fuel tank on cross counrty trips!

I dont want leaks to be a problem. But I Sure want longer tank intervials. thanks

bd

 

Isn't that a Haiku?

[SageRider]

You won't gain 40 miles from this mod. Maybe 20 and that just doesn't make sense in terms of long distance rides until you are doing 2000 mile days. Think about it.

This may be true in areas where gas stations are plentiful, however, in the wide open West, an additional 20 miles on a tank can make the difference between stopping for gas at 240 mile or stopping for gas at 120 miles because of insufficient range to make it to the next gas station.

Between Minden and Torry, I always had to make 3 stops for fuel enroute on my 1100. Due to better mileage (tank capacity is the same) on my 1200, I can make it on 2 stops riding in the same manner.

[Fugu]

Despite what the other posters are saying, I have done this mod and think it is well worth doing.

 

Yes.

 

Ed chimes in every time about how worthless this is, and the only explanation I have is that maybe it varies widely bike to bike, but I've done three now and it's been worth it every time.

 

 

[Jerry Duke]

I agree with Ed. I get less than an additional 1/4 gallon of gas. If I had it to do over again I don't know if I would mess with it.

[Sam Taylor]

I have done both parts of this mod, the easy (removing the canister and venting to the world) and the harder (drilling holes).

 

I also drilled out the "unleaded restrictor" on the bottom of the filler neck.

 

Net result was about 0.8...40 miles when I'm desperate. I can get just slightly over 7 gallons total in the tank.

 

Personal best was 315 miles on a full tank from Tonopah, NV, to Placerville, CA. I was at altitude, which helps, and was very sparing on the throttle coming down the Sierras.

 

Be warned that you cannot leave the RT topped off like this in the sun for any length of time or you will vent gas. But if you top off and ride, as I do, it works fine.

[T__]

I have done both parts of this mod, the easy (removing the canister and venting to the world) and the harder (drilling holes).

 

I also drilled out the "unleaded restrictor" on the bottom of the filler neck.

 

Net result was about 0.8...40 miles when I'm desperate. I can get just slightly over 7 gallons total in the tank.

 

Personal best was 315 miles on a full tank from Tonopah, NV, to Placerville, CA. I was at altitude, which helps, and was very sparing on the throttle coming down the Sierras.

 

Be warned that you cannot leave the RT topped off like this in the sun for any length of time or you will vent gas. But if you top off and ride, as I do, it works fine.

 

 

 

Sam, I never tried to fill from an empty tank to find max capacity or try to figure how much extra I could get in with the vent modification but I must have been close to your numbers as I could get 300 GPS (well over 300 odometer) miles on a tank if I didn’t try to cruise in the upper 80mph’s.. I always figured 280 miles easy with 300 if I watched my right hand..

 

Twisty

 

[bdspler]

Thanks Guys! ........when it was 4am......and out in the Desert.

I was like....I'm doing that mod .......ASAP!

bd

[AndyS]

I agree with Ed. I get less than an additional 1/4 gallon of gas. If I had it to do over again I don't know if I would mess with it.

 

I'll see if you change your mind if you have to push your bike to the next fuel station....or have to get roadside recovery to get you there.

 

Andy

[ShovelStrokeEd]

AndyS, so this modification guarantees you won't run out of gas?

 

Give me a break. Now, if somebody could come up with a way to make the reserve bigger, I'd tend to like that. Other than that, an odometer and some time riding the bike should give you a reasonable idea of fuel range. Gas up before you need it.

[AndyS]

Other than that, an odometer and some time riding the bike should give you a reasonable idea of fuel range. Gas up before you need it.

Ed, you are totally missing the point.

For a 1 hour job you have reduced the chances of being stuck in the middle of nowhere.

I agree that you could keep stopping for fuel every 120 miles like the sports bikes, but that's not why we get these tools.

So, once you are in the region of 200miles it is not that unusual to find no service stations for quite some distance.

So it doesn't excuse the 'Prior Planninning Prevents P*** Poor Performance' element, but the simple mod does give the rider more scope to enjoy the long legged nature of the RT.

 

Andy

[Fugu]

Give me a break.

 

Give US a break. Why do you even care?

 

If it's not worth it to you, then don't do it, but I can't fathom why you give a rip if somebody else does.

 

I understand why some rail against the removal of the evap canister and why. I don't see how this modification alters any emissions provided it's used properly and the bike is not left in the sun with a tank filled to the very brim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[knight88]

Give me a break.

 

Give US a break. Why do you even care?

 

If it's not worth it to you, then don't do it, but I can't fathom why you give a rip if somebody else does.

 

I understand why some rail against the removal of the evap canister and why. I don't see how this modification alters any emissions provided it's used properly and the bike is not left in the sun with a tank filled to the very brim.

 

IMO unless there is a gross safety issue, whatever you do that you think improves your ride go for it. We all ride differently maybe the OP needs that extra fuel, where I don't need it because I'm a type "A" person and plan all my fuel stops on long range rides, but I'm not going to tell him not to do it.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

I really don't give a rip, or a red rat's a$$ for that matter. Increasing tank capacity by 1/2 gallon (optimistic at best) is not going to get you 1 inch further once you are on reserve and by then it is too late to take fuel saving measures with the throttle. OK, maybe you can coax 5 more miles out of that last gallon by slowing to 50. I've done it. I'll also wager I have done more 600 mile+ days in the last 10 years than most here since I averaged, before my crash, about 40K/year on my motorcycle(s). My 1100S had the lowest fuel range at about 170 miles and my 1150 Adventure the highest at about 320 miles, both bikes ridden in my normal 80-85 mph cruise. Plan your fuel stops and such ranges are never a problem. BTW, I did drill the fuel filler on my 1100RT back in 2000.

[Unhofliche_Gesundheit]

re: "BUT....make sure you are VERY careful about any swarf dropping into the tank. Be careful when you unship the filler that you dont damage any of the filler internals.

ENSURE before you unship the filler that you have a replacement O ring, ....

 

 

QUESTION PLEASE (to andy & twisty i guess) do you recommend a) that the hole be drilled 'in-situ' ( perhaps rag in filler hole - and the swarf somehow grabbed/vacuumed before falls into tank) or b) that the filler restricter be removed from the gas tank and put on the bench and then drilled?

 

as an aside - i did some math and i think we are looking at maybe 15 miles (nothing like 40 requested by OP) improvement per tank up - if you tell me i have to pull this thing apart and change an o-ring then for me it wont be worth it)

[Fugu]

I really don't give a rip

Yes, I can tell by all your posts on the topic.

 

 

[Dave in Doodah]

I am relatively new here, but isn't this a forum for sharing ideas and opinions, and not a place where we try to change people's minds? Maybe it's both. I am appreciating and learning from both arguments here, and tending to side with the moderator (no arse-kissing intended); but would not miss the pettiness.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Cameron,

I would, and did, remove the filler neck to do this job. There are lines wrapped around it for the vent system and you don't want to drill into those lest you create a direct spill path. Do buy a new O-ring for the neck before hand. I didn't and spent a couple of hours cussing till it dawned on me that the O-ring had absorbed some gas fumes and gotten bigger. An overnight bake in a warm oven shrunk it back to size but a new O-ring is cheap and keeps the job in the 1 hour range.

 

[SKYGZR]

Cameron,

I would, and did, remove the filler neck to do this job. There are lines wrapped around it for the vent system and you don't want to drill into those lest you create a direct spill path. Do buy a new O-ring for the neck before hand. I didn't and spent a couple of hours cussing till it dawned on me that the O-ring had absorbed some gas fumes and gotten bigger. An overnight bake in a warm oven shrunk it back to size but a new O-ring is cheap and keeps the job in the 1 hour range.

 

No need to buy a new one, just cut the old one, remove about what ever amount is needed to make it fit. (mine took about a 1/4" worth to be removed), used some gasoline proof permatex on the tank side, and replaced the O ring. (Do this little trick to the one on the tank behind the filter/pump assembly also.) This keeps the O ring stuck to the plastic tank upon disassembly/reassembly.

[Green RT]

Gas tank Mod

When you drill holes in the fill tube !

How high is OK..... I'm looking for 40 or so miles per tank more.

I would be only Maxing out the fuel tank on cross counrty trips!

I dont want leaks to be a problem. But I Sure want longer tank intervials. thanks

bd

 

Isn't that a Haiku?

By my count it is one syllable short, 16 instead of 17.

[Paul Mihalka]

I did the mod on my R1200GS. The original size is 5.3 gallons, not a lot. To drill the hole I went quick and ugly. I opened a hole with a chisel, without removing the filler cap/neck. No metal falling in the tank and no sparks from a electric drill. Yes, it's ugly, but I don't see it with the cap closed. I did get a half gallon. I did fill 5.7 gal with 5 miles showing to empty tank. On my commute I have a favorite gas station. The .5 gal meant to have a 3 day range instead a 2 day range. It helps when traveling too.

[AndyS]

....

No need to buy a new one, just cut the old one, remove about what ever amount is needed to make it fit.

 

Sorry Sky, I would agree with you if I hadn't been pre warned about the swollen O ring and if I needed to get the bike back on the road pronto (DAMHIK0).

 

But it is sooooo much easier with a new O ring (and not expensive either.

Get a new O ring.

 

Andy

[AndyS]

QUESTION PLEASE (to andy & twisty i guess) do you recommend a) that the hole be drilled 'in-situ' ( perhaps rag in filler hole - and the swarf somehow grabbed/vacuumed before falls into tank) or b) that the filler restricter be removed from the gas tank and put on the bench and then drilled?

For me, it has to be unship (but don't remove) the unit.

 

I just unbolted it and carefully eased it clear of the tan.

 

Put some rags in a platic bag, pushed the bag into the tank entrance sufficient to stop any crud dropping in and sparks with fumes etc.

 

Drilled the holes, de burred.

 

Removed old O-ring, fitted new O-ring, removed rag bag, fefitted filler assy.

 

Andy

[bdspler]

Thanks Andy !

 

[Unhofliche_Gesundheit]

thanks for the advise & o-ring tips.....

putting this job on my 'to do' list.

actually in the to-do list sublist entitled: 'make work projects - small improvement at small cost - make me feel like I did something productive because i dont get this feeling from my day-job' sublist.

it sits beside the sub-list - 'maintenance jobs to do not listed in maintenance schedule' and next to the 'things to do when the Tupperwear is off' list that waylap started.