hola viajeros,

has anybody done an extention to his tank, I need some advise.

I left my bike (1VJ with original steel tank) in Brazil for about six months.

After I returned I found that the epoxid (which was put in two years ago in Oz to seal some leaks) and the petrol (in Brazil it contains 20 % alcohol) had mixed.

I cleaned the carbs, but I could not get all the epoxid out of the tank. There are big pieces inside now, and sometimes the filters block and the bike stops.

OK. As Africa will be the next continent on my RTW, I want a bigger tank - min. 35 Liters.

A friend here in Brazil builds trikes, he is very good in metal works.

I will have to open the tank anyway to get all the epoxid out and to get some of the cracks fixed. So I think of extending the tank.

Has anybody done this ? is there something I should know ?

Thanks

Mika

from Sao Lourenco do Oeste / South Brazil

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If increasing the size of the tank by about 15ltrs, then the tank will weigh at least 15kg more when full, so make sure that it is well supported top avoid fractures etc. You may also need to fit a fuel tap on each side to access al of the available fuel. A fuel pump may be a good idea if the taps end up below float bowl height?

Steve

Hi,

Interesting idea, and I do not know the answer, but can think of a couple of things to consider.

The original Tenere had a 28l tank, which was reduced to your 23l mainly through moving the air filter under the tank. The tank sides were also increased to get it up to 23l and I believe your bike already has a fuel pump to get at the last few litres.

The 1VJ tank did lead to problems, one of which appears to have been overheating, so making the tank larger through extending the sides could increase this overheating risk.

My gut feel is that unless your metalwork friend can work wonders, is that it may be best to carry top-up cans as luggage.

I am sorry that I cannot offer a solution, but perhaps my reply will help give you a couple ideas to check out any potential solutions?

Best regards
Geoff