Big tanks?

mikyh

Registered user
Joined
Jun 29, 2002
Messages
150
Reaction score
0
Location
Israel
Hello all,

I plan to put a big tank on my GS. I have an oppurtunity to buy an almost new PD plastic tank in excelent condition, but more expensive than an Acerbis 43 L one.
I will be happy to hear from the great collective mind what you have to say about each, pro & con, as soon as possible as the oppurtunity might disapear.
Thanks,
Miky Heimann,
1990 80GS, about to become a 100GS
 
Checking the oil level with the Acerbis seems to be a bit of a bugger as the tank gets in the way...
 
If I was planning an Overlander I'd opt for the 43 litre jobbie. Though bear in mind the usable fuel load in these is nothing like 43 litre (there's a thread somewhere about this?). Personally having a PD I think the tank is great and the usable fuel load isn't far off its 35 litres. Having said all that the handling is notivcably different when its full.

If look is important then the PD tank colour matched to your bike will look great, I think the Acerbis' look dreadful unless they are painted too.

One other thing to watch out for if you have a faired standard GS the PD tank will not fit. The PD fairing is shorter to accomodate the wider tank.
 
Having read a few negative reports on the 43ltr 'Acerbis' (HPN) , tank here's what I've found.

I fitted the tank to my R100GS (95) a few weeks ago and have run 2 tanks to empty.

From completely empty I managed to get just over 44ltrs into the tank. Having run it dry, I managed to fill it with 40.2 ltrs. This is the usable limit of the tank.

I wanted to get the best and worst figures with regard to tank range/MPG. The first tank full I used on a mixture of slow lanes, B-Roads, A-Roads and M-way's. The range was 435 miles. At this point I marked the tank with the fuel level (mine is not painted)
Fuel consumption on mixed driving is therfore 48MPG

I then used the bike for work, a journey of 21 miles each way and all on M-way's. Keeping the speed to between 55 and 60 MPH (VERY VERY BORING) (I do shift work, I wouldn't have been able to maintain this constant speed during rush hour) I allowing the fuel level to go down, almost, to the mark on the tank and refueled at 465 miles. Fuel consumption was, therefore 52 MPG.

Obviously, this was not a very scientific way of performing the test, but gives a good idea of tank range and MPG.

I have read reports about considerably less usable fuel load. I wonder if they,ve mounted the tank too low at the front creating two small pockets of un-useable fuel.

As regards to checking the oil level this is a bit of a pain, but it only takes a couple of minuites to take the tank off and as I intend to use the bike for a RTW next year the tank range is critical.

..Bob
 
oil level check

I have heard this before,so to take the hassle out of removing the tank why not get down to your local breaker and get a bendy dip stick from a car engine then cut your dip stick down so you only have lets say an inch or two on the screw then measure what you have cut off then cut that same size from the car dipstick measuring from the bottom so you have the max-min marks then take it to your local engineer who can now weld it together for you and you can even have some extra pieces welded either side of the join for piece of mind and now you have a dipstick that can be removed as soon as the threads clear the filler hole rather than one that has to be pulled straight up 8-10 inches before you can get it out it's just an idea that I think will work.Andy
 
Re: oil level check

andy malton said:
I have heard this before,so to take the hassle out of removing the tank why not get down to your local breaker and get a bendy dip stick from a car engine then cut your dip stick down so you only have lets say an inch or two on the screw then measure what you have cut off then cut that same size from the car dipstick measuring from the bottom so you have the max-min marks then take it to your local engineer who can now weld it together for you and you can even have some extra pieces welded either side of the join for piece of mind and now you have a dipstick that can be removed as soon as the threads clear the filler hole rather than one that has to be pulled straight up 8-10 inches before you can get it out it's just an idea that I think will work.Andy
Click to expand...

pheww! Have you got something against full stops Andy?

MikeO:D
 
full.......

Sorry Mike I was ill on the day they done punctuation at school but what about the dipstick idea Andy
 
big fuel tank

Thanks for all the replies,
I decided to get a PD tank, and there's one waiting for me in Germany, which I will collect next week. it will be the same price as an Acerbis nylon one.

ATB Miky.
 
where in Germany did you get the tank from? any cheaper than the UK?
 
Hi

The 43L tank for the R80/R100 GS bikes works really well - most of the fuel can be used. The problem with unused fuel relates to the tank for the 1100/1150GS. So, no worries with that one.

With practice it is easy to check the oil level with the tank fitted. You just gently bend the dipstick as you guide it in and out. We have two R80GSs and neither of us has felt the need to remove the tank to do this. If you have an oil temp dipstick, this would be a problem though.

These tanks transform the touring experience for me. Fill up once a day and stop where you want, when you want and no disadvantages apart from the high cost.
 
PD tank and more

Hi all,

As I wrote before, I bought a used PD tank. it is like new, white and red, with the stickers not yet glued on (I have them). it had cost like a new Acerbis one, and apparently it's extremely rare. I bought it at Siebenrock (Germany), with a lot of other stuff, and they told me that a tank like this gets to the used stuff market maybe once a year.
I bought also the 800 to 1000 cc kit, I found out that they are its manufactureres. I found almost all I wanted, used and new, for the work I intend to do this winter.
The only things I did not take with me was suspension and brake componenets, these will wait for next year.

I found the people at siebenrock very nice and the place is huge, a real BMW paradise. They say that they have quite a lot of business with foreigners, sending parts around the globe.

They have a very nice custom GS on the floor with all the goodies on it but apparently not for sale (belongs to Herr Siebenrock himself). All the used GS's that they have for sale get the
800-->1000 treatment, so they are very good deals FMO.

I also bought a Shubert System helmet and I must say I'm very happy with it. As I wear glasses it is very convenient, and the inside shade is briliant. it had cost me 330 Euro's - a fare deal (but not in Germany - in Milano, Italy).

All the best, Miky, resting after the spending spree.

:p
 
The biggest tank I can find...

Do I win £5?...
chal16.jpg
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

AnotherGSGSGS
88' 100,000km 80 para GS
2
Replies
20
Views
2,380
AnotherGSGSGS
AnotherGSGSGS
Kenny
New E10 fuel + plastic tanks !!
2 3
Replies
44
Views
8,247
sj_4x4
sj_4x4
What's a 1978 R45 worth these days ?
2
Replies
20
Views
2,571
PitaNaanRoti
Hartley
Little ride on the competition
Replies
14
Views
2,578
kennyc
steele01
1927 Norton 16H Flat tanker dream come true
Replies
19
Views
1,808
wrinkleyowlie


Back
Top Bottom