updated 3.30.2006
How to adapt a spun aluminum tank.

Note - the adding of a fuel tank like this could be dangerous.
Do so at your own risk!

Another rally season is upon us and Team Strange has decided to hold another
Butt Lite 7000. For those who don't know, the BL is a 7-day, 7000 mile bonus points rally.
The only longer rally is the Iron Butt Rally, at 11 days, 11,000 miles.

I figured my bike was pretty much done being farkled at this point, having done a lot of work over the years
to add gizmos, including a 4-gallon fuel cell. Think again.

(click on the photos to enlarge in a new window)

My old 4-gallon RCI cell.
For the story of the long process of making this work, as well as how the mount
was developed, click here. If you're not running rallies with a defined fuel limit, it's still a good system.

My Concours has a listed stock capacity of 7.5 gallons. The limit for nearly all rallies is 11.5 gallons, so
7.5 + 4 = 11.5, right? Wrong. You have to count the fuel in your lines, filters, carbs etc., so technically, my
setup was against rally rules. I had to find a smaller cell. D'oh!

Well, RCI, Jaz and FuelSafe don't make 3.5 gallon cells, and the shape of the aluminum 3 gallon
cells they do make are vertical so they're about 15 inches tall. Not a good option to have something
like that towering on the back of your bike.

I'd planned on having one custom built, and proceeded to draw up plans for a 3.5 gallon cell, when I stumbled
across a couple sites that were selling spun aluminum fuel tanks, one specifically talking about using
them for auxiliary motorcycle tanks. I'd never seen one, but it looked like it might be the solution to the
problem, as they had a 3.5 gallon version.

I went to MAS Performance in St. Paul, where I'd purchased some fittings for the old cell, to see
if they sold the tanks too. They did, so I got to see one. It felt stronger than the Jaz cells they had on the
shelf. I did have to special order one however, because I needed to have a separate vent
outlet put on the top, as they only came with a bottom outlet. The additional vent outlet brought
the cost to $112 or so.

The rest was easy. I used most of my old mount, with only a minor modification, and the lines all
connect the same way. I've been told it looks like a beer keg, but I don't think it's so bad, and
because it's narrower than the old one, it should be more stable. Here's some pics of it mounted.
Once again, if you want the history of the project and how the mount was built, click here.

(click on the photos to enlarge in a new window)

Side view of the mounted tank

Shut-off valve

Bottom outlet

Disconnect under the seat so the tank can be removed

Man, is the garage cramped now or what?

The whole bike with tank attached

Rear of bike showing vent line