Well, I did it. I got the Touratech 39 liter tank. It came by UPS today. The tank is indeed very high quality and very professionally made. Outstanding workmanship. Straight out of the box, unpainted, it does not look too glamorous, but once it gets some paint I think it should look really nice. It is heavy though (40lb shipping weight incl. the new seat), although when you remove the parts you currently have on the bike (seat, side covers, etc.) I think the additional weight will come down to only 20-25 pounds or so, maybe even less. There are quite a few hoses, nuts and bolts and miscellaneous pieces, so I am counting on a full day for installation. Looks a little bit complicated but not too bad. If you go places were you need the big tank you should probably be a decent amateur mechanic anyway…

The bad news: I am heading for the post office tomorrow to ship the tank to Australia were I will start my trip (May/June). By surface mail it should get there in about 2 months (I hope!), just as I arrive in Sydney myself. So for those who want feedback on the installation and general handling, be patient! I'll post updates when I'm down there.

Cheers!

I´ve just done the first stretch from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and up to Punto Arenas around 5,000k´s on My 2000 F650 GS Dakar.

The Touratech tank is giving me approx 700 k´s and I figure it could do 800 with conservative riding.

The only thing that worried me is if I drop the bike, there are no crash bars to protect the tank. Touratech informed that they can´t be repaired, but also, that they are as strong as a tank. On the bike they used in the last Paris Dakar, they busted everything else on thier bikes, but never the tank. Here´s hoping.

The bike has performed exceptionally well considering how overloaded I´ve got it, and the only problem I had was trying to fit a new TKC 80 using the short touratech levers - what a joke. I´ve ditched them for two heavy duty mothers...

Also , I replaced the water pump when I arrived in Buenos Aires, as there were drops of coolant coming from the housing, and investigations at f650.com brought to light that water pump probs are all to common on the F650´s. I´ll keep an eye on that one.

Otherwise - after I´ve been hammering away on gravel roads - I´m wearing a great big smile.

Jeremy

[This message has been edited by Jeremy Andrews (edited 25 February 2002).]

Hi Chris,

I am interested in your report. Please let us know when it's online.

You also wrote that you paid $7000 at Bracken. Is it for a F650 GS/Dakar mounted with the Touratech 39 liters tank? It seems cheap. Was it a used bike? Or do they equip new bikes and keep the parts they remove (original tank and seat)?

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Pierre

[This message has been edited by pierresas (edited 08 June 2005).]

I went and saw the 39TT at Bracken last week. Didn't have a test ride.

The tanks looked a little different to what was on the touratech site or David Park's website (www.dhpmoto.com), in that they seemed a bit rounder. I probably need to go and have another look at them.

Given the expense of increasing the fuel range, I am wondering whether it is neccessary for the trip I am planning - London to Singapore.

From what I have read above, I should be able to get close to 200 miles per tank with my Dakar.If i extend to the 39L tanks, this could go as high as 400 miles per tank. Do I really need this type of range? Would a KTM Adventurer give you a range something in the middle, I understand that it has a greater fuel capacity than the Dakar, and would that be a better choice of bike for this type of trip?

Thanks for any comments.

Richard (Kiwi)

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