big tank

[paulC]

I'm soon going to be looking for a long range tank for my 91 R100GS. Seems like the options are the HPN/ Acerbis tank or the Touratec. Both look pretty much the same as far as I can see and are pretty close in price.

has anyone had experience of either of these tanks (or better still both) and point out the pros and cons of each. i.e, can they be painted, I've heard that the Acerbis comes in red, which will sort of match my bike without paint but I've never seen one in anything other than white, The touratec only seems to come in a vomit inducing green. However praticality is more inportant to me than looks. Any advice appreciated.

 

[simon thomas]

about larger tanks

Paul,

I dont know specifically about the model of tank for your bike but Bracken import the Touratech one's. I'm guessing the HPN and the Touratech one, are the same, as thier made by Elkamet, but the tank design and original mold belongs to Touratech, Elkamet just produce them.

Both Tanks can be painted as when they arrive they are unfinnished so you can paint them whatever colour you like.

hope this helps
Cheers
Simon Thomas

 

[Coops]

Paul,

I have recently fitted one of these tanks to my GS.

The HPN tank comes in two types made from a different material but as you say both look the same. Both types are made by Acerbis, I believe the design is owned by HPN

Nylon..... This tank is the one that HPN and Touratech sell and is paintable. I've recently got one of these and had it painted. It is supplied unpainted but the finish is relatively smooth so is fairly straightforward to get primed and painted.

Polyethylene...... These tanks are self coloured and are in HPNs catalogue (www.hpn.de) in either white, black, red or blue. This tank is referred to as the Acerbis tank as it also appears in the Acerbis catalogue (although I not sure what colours). These are supposed to be unpaintable as they have a waxy finish and the paint doesn't stick. The problem also with these tanks is that the surface is not very smooth and they start to look grubby and are difficult to clean. After a while the white one starts to go yellowish. The other colours may fade.

To fit the tank you have to move one of the relays under the tank into a spare slot and saw some of the bracket off!

If you're fitting it to a '91 GS then the seat needs modifying at the front slightly. If your GS has the frame mounted fairing then the "bull bars" holding the fairing on will also need modifying.

Then of course when you've fitted it you may choose to uprate the suspension to cope with the extra weight of fuel!

The filler cap is different on the two tanks. if you want a lockable one then I think a standard Acerbis lockable cap fits the Polythelene tank. But I had to order a lockable filler cap for the Nylon tank directly from HPN.


Hope this helps, I am very pleased with tank and recommend it.
Neil

 

[Coops]

Hi Paul,

Me again.

I forgot to mention that on the 100GS you'll have to relocate the oil cooler as it's in the way on the crash bar. It gets relocated to underneath the headstock. It's worth it though!


Cheers,
Neil

 

[John Hill]

The Touratech tank is made in the Acerbis factory on behalf of HPN. It is paintable, and Touratech chose to paint the bike in the catalogue in Kalahari Yellow, which does look a bit greeny in the picture.

Acerbis make a copy of the HPN design, but it has a different filler cap and is not paintable. It comes in a whitish colour.

A top tip is to leave a thin strip bare when the tank is painted, to give a fuel gauge.

The painting needs to be done by someone who knows what they're doing to get a good finish which will last.

 

[Goosey Gander]

If you're considering a Touratech tank investigate just how much extra mileage you can expect before you part with your cash. I bought a Touratech 41 litre tank (700 quid) for my 1100GS only to find that the useable capacity is in fact only 34 litres. This is for two reasons.

Firstly, the tanks design leaves the fuel pump so positioned that it does not reach the last 5 litres.

Secondly, the filler neck has an overflow which prevents you filling the tank to the brim (another 2 litres).

As far as I know there is nothing that can be done to extend the fuel pump to the bottom of the tank (I've spent days trying). The overflow is easy to bypass and I've got a section about it on my website.

Good luck,

Goose.
www.gooseontheloose.com

 

[slowkitty]

Hiya,

Digging up this thread to ask this ....

How does one know whether the tank is paintable or not? Any model number? This thread here shed some light but creates confusion too

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=517679&page=2

Cheers

 

[King Rat]

Resurrecting an old thread, rather than starting a new one. I don't know if this information is any use to anyone, seeing the debate about usable capacity.

I have the 41 litre Touratec tank on the old 1150 and have never really measured the capacity, just chucke it in and kept going! The fuel pump went the other day, so I had the opportunity to drain it and upon refilling was pleasantly surprised to find it carries 40.5litres, that is how much I poured in from the pump. I also took it steady at the start and she fired up with only 3 litres in there, so quite a bit of usable fuel capacity. The fuel light comes on at just over 6 litres. I have always worked on a maximum range of 450 miles, and that seems to be about right with the permanent panniers given this capacity check.

Happy days.