40L Tank. Too big ??

***Touring Ted*** · #1 4th August 2006

Iv been offered a 40L tank for the XT600E ( i didnt even know anyone made one)

You think its too big ?? Anyone tried one ??

Im going Alaska-Argentina.

**endurotour** · #2 4th August 2006

One thought is you dont have to fill it.. once its on and all sorted you have the option to use it or not.. Would you have to up-rate the forks? I have a little 24lt on the 250 and only run it 2/3 full unless going well into the scrub..
have fun with the set up

**Smellybiker** · #3 4th August 2006

I've got the Touratech tanks on my F650, fill'em up & thats 39 litres of fuel onboard.

Yes, its nice having that sort of range but there are downsides. Fully loaded its heavy & the standard fork springs were not up to the task, I suspect you'll have the same problem.

I havent really needed that sort of range in S.America, Ruta 40 & other out-of-the way places could've been done just as easily with a jerrycan...which would've been a lot cheaper.

***Touring Ted*** · #4 4th August 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy Hacker

I've got the Touratech tanks on my F650, fill'em up & thats 39 litres of fuel onboard.

Yes, its nice having that sort of range but there are downsides. Fully loaded its heavy & the standard fork springs were not up to the task, I suspect you'll have the same problem.

I havent really needed that sort of range in S.America, Ruta 40 & other out-of-the way places could've been done just as easily with a jerrycan...which would've been a lot cheaper.

Yer, just what I was thinking... think ill let it go !

**fatboyfraser** · #5 5th August 2006

I put a 26 litre Acerbis on my XR650R and it limited the bar movement (indicators had to be moved) and added a lot of weight when full. I dread to think what a 40 litre would do.

**thomasyong** · #6 8th August 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedmagnum

Yer, just what I was thinking... think ill let it go !

Hi Ted,

If you have decided to let it go, please let me know who to contact for the tank. I have a 1993 XT600E and may be interested and consider if the tank can fit. Thanks and have a nice day.

Cheers,
thomas

***Touring Ted*** · #7 8th August 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomasyong

Hi Ted,

If you have decided to let it go, please let me know who to contact for the tank. I have a 1993 XT600E and may be interested and consider if the tank can fit. Thanks and have a nice day.

Cheers,
thomas

You want to talk to a guy called Stuart: stuartbeeley(at)yahoo.co.uk

This is what he told me:

If you wish to see the petrol tank - it comes with the side panels (ali) and a comfy seat! The tank is made of steel and is 40 litres - you can see it on the MetalMule website. www.metalmule.com as our bikes feature in many of the photos. Our luggage is for sale as we now use MetalMule boxes and our old ones are surplus.

Let me know before I advertise them properly.

Stuart

**thomasyong** · #8 9th August 2006

Hi Ted,

Thanks for the info. The tank looks huge on the bike. May not be a good idea afterall considering I use my XT for daily commuting mainly, with occassional trails. It will be a beast to maneuver around in traffic. I will contact Stuart anyway to get a better idea of the tank before considering. Thanks and have a nice day.

Cheers,
thomas

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedmagnum

You want to talk to a guy called Stuart: stuartbeeley(at)yahoo.co.uk

This is what he told me:

If you wish to see the petrol tank - it comes with the side panels (ali) and a comfy seat! The tank is made of steel and is 40 litres - you can see it on the MetalMule website. www.metalmule.com as our bikes feature in many of the photos. Our luggage is for sale as we now use MetalMule boxes and our old ones are surplus.

Let me know before I advertise them properly.

Stuart

**IanW** · #9 10th August 2006

I bought a tank from Stuart, you only need to fill it up on parts of the trip where extra fuel is needed to be carried. Run with 20 litres as per normal.

I have replaced the standard fork springs with progressive springs, much stiffer to cope with the extra weight.

The reason i went for this set up is on the West African trip i did, mounting 2 x 10 litre jerricans on the bike was troublesome and expensive. This option means no messing around with jerricans and extra mountings and the extra capacity is always there if required.

My 2 pence worth

Cheers

Ian

**Fish** · #10 10th August 2006

Hi, in addition to the above comments I think in the more remote parts of the world a big tank has the advantage of being able to bypass known or suspected bad fuel and generally the tank will carry 10-20 litres lower down making the centre of gravity lower for bad roads.

Cheers Fish.

**allen starkey** · #11 20th August 2006

i rode to mongolia on my tenere with a standard 22 l tank and had no probs, doing 70/80 mph she would go 320km till dry incl reserve and cross contry 385 km so at the worst you may need to carry a 5 litre fuel can with you. 40l is a lot of weight and will effect you fuel consumption, it's a fancy gangit you probably wont need. if you ride at around 100kph youll need to fill up every 3 hours riding with a 22 litre tank which is probably a long enough ride before ass starts hurting anyway. so you might as well fill up then. plus all that weight up top makes the steering a bit light. if your riding an xt660 then you might need it cause the fuel consumtion is totaly crap at about 180km at 70 mph.
hope this helps

www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/patrick