Tank on all xt 600 models

**BCK_973** · #1 18th September 2006

I have a simple question:can i put an 87-88 tenere tank on a 2002 xt 600 bike?Even with little adaptions.Or is it so diferent?
I found this on E-bay and a friend asked me.

http://cgi.ebay.de/Tenere-Tank-XT-60...QQcmdZViewItem

Expert opinions?
Thanks
KH

**Sly-Fox** · #2 21st September 2006

Not an expert opinion but I did hear from a friend of mine that adding certain larger tanks to some XT600's can cause cooling problems. I'd like to know the answer though as I'm looking to add a larger tank to my XT too, but I don't want it overheating in the 40+deg heat of northern Australia.

Anyone have any advice / experience with that?

**Mark** · #3 21st September 2006

Hi,

A few years ago I asked a motorcycle engineer if he could adapt an early Tenere petrol tank to fit on a 1991 XT600E
I took both the bike and the tank to him and his verdict was that anything is possible with enough time / money but it would require quite a lot of work including cutting and welding the tank, and then sealing it in case there were any tiny holes through the weld. Also the huge looking tank has a large hollow for the air box, but the 600E has the air box elsewhere.

It worked out cheaper and easier for me to buy a new Archebis plastic petrol tank, and this had the advantage that it funnels cool air to the top of the engine (more than the 600E tank) and made reaching the oil filler cap / dip stick easier than with the original tank - no need to remove a screw to take off a panel. A tank from a Tenere, which does not use the frame as the oil tank, might block access to the dip stick completly!

We had no issues with the bikes overheating when fully loaded on the dirt in the Australian outback, and it was over 40 degrees for a good part of the day. Don't know if it helped or was needed, but the 600E han an oil cooler added to it. It also had a compressor for air horns mounted on the head steady bracket which couldn't have helped engine cooling, but the onl thing to overheat was us!

Hope this helps

Mark

**Sly-Fox** · #4 21st September 2006

That answers my question, cheers for that. I've got my eye on an Acerbis tank to replace the stock one funnily enough.

**WINGNUT XT** · #5 22nd September 2006

Proceed with some caution!! When comparing various xt's in terms of coolinf in relation to tank shape , size and position a few things need to be kept in mind, being.

The earlier xt tenere tank sat high up aiding in the cooling as a grater surface area of he fins were openly exposed. This is great bud addad to the bike having allot of weight high up, which is no great for the center of gravity.

This was addressed in the 1VJ series where the tank almost forms 2 cheeks around the cylinder head. this reduced the air flow and therefor negativly effected cooling, furthermorethe position of the front mud guard didnt add do it any favours. The cooling fins on these xt's were also still the original size,(i speak under correction)

So all those small things all added to somewhat reduced cooling.
Yamaha engineers addressed all these issues in the 3AJ model, firstly the cooling fins were increased by a good couple of percent and the mud guard was lowered right down to the the front wheel, thereby leaving very little in the way of the air being channelled over the head and the larger fins.

So the morel of the story is be carefull and do you homework before you undertake such a project. It will also most definatly be in your best interest if the bike has an oil cooler, specially in warmer climates. Trust me in africa inefficiently coole bike sieze very quickly and the climate in OZ is not that dissimilar.

Well good luck and keep us posted

Chris

**Sly-Fox** · #6 23rd September 2006

Cheers for the heads up, I'll certainly make sure I check it all out fully before I jump in with both feet. Might consider an oil cooler as you suggest, if I do end up upping the tank size.

Thanks!