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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Harley tank on the 650
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Message started by Jack_650 on 03/14/08 at 21:07:06

Title: Harley tank on the 650
Post by Jack_650 on 03/14/08 at 21:07:06

I've been getting asked a lot again about my tank mods, the Softtail in particular. I guess I'm not the only one who wants to decide when it's time to re-fuel. I did a mostly precise write-up on here back when I first did the job. Here's a re-cap of the high points:

Yup, you get to buy a new petc0ck for the Harley tank. The good news is is that it's the cheapest part anybody will ever buy from those folks. And yes, the vacuum hose hooks up just like our stock petc0ck does. Just make sure you tell them that you want one that's vacuum. Harleys over the years do both with and without. Don't for get to get a filter too as the stock Suzi is oval shaped and the Hawg valve is round. And it's just down right sensible how they do things in there, easy to change or clean.

You have to cut off the two pegs that the front of the tank slide onto to hold it in place.

You need to drill a hole through the triangle shaped brace in the frame up front to put the bolt for the front Harley tank mount. I used washers wrapped in electrical tape (choose your color to taste) as spacers to fill in the gaps on each side.

You need to re-route some of the wiring under the tank because the channel down the middle is narrower AND the back of the tank sits higher even though in my case it sits right on the frame. Don't be afraid to splice wires. I soldered them to avoid having the the connections get dirty.

You need to move the module the spark plug wire is attached to, the horn and the decompression solenoid that opens when you turn the key on to aid in starting. I used the horn mount, but with one bolt at a different angle and bolted the spark plug thingie to the horn mount with the same bolt that holds the horn in place. I moved the compression solenoid to the frame under the right front side of the tank and had to make a longer cable for it. I went to a lawnmower repair shop and they had the wire and sheathing of the correct size and even soldered the end pieces in place for me once I had gotten the correct length figured out. The other option is to just make the solenoid work with a hand operated do-dad that you mount on the handle bars somewhere.

Since the tank sits higher at it's back end you'll either be raising the front of your seat quite a bit or you'll do some modification to fit the front of the seat under the rear of the tank. Raising the front is a great riding comfort thing, but make sure you add in some support under the seat pan to hold your weight as it's made out of plastic and can sag over time. Also, raising the seat that much higher makes your stance feel quite a bit different when you're at a stop light.

You'll be doing a lot of experimenting as you go along. I had never had a bike before and I figured it out with advice from this site, a neighbor who's a shop teacher and a "what do I got to lose" attitude. Good luck.

http://bikepics.com/members/jazzcarter/00savage/

Jack

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by thumperclone on 03/15/08 at 09:12:01

what kind of trailer do you tow?

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by YonuhAdisi on 03/15/08 at 10:18:56

Darn, I came within a dollar to winning a softail tank on ebay. That really sucks. But I am still gonna try and get one so I can do that mod.

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by Jack_650 on 03/15/08 at 11:32:08

As to getting a tank, check every Harley dealer and shop you can find. They universally seem to be nice guys there in the "back rooms". I got my tank for $50 'cause it was an insurance replacement, the guy had been hit by something the size of a softball that left a dent in it about an inch deep. Or he let his bike lean over onto a concrete pole somewhere. Either way, I drilled a few holes, pulled the dent mostly out and filled it in with a gasoline proof filler.

As to the trailer I pull, it's one of those 4'X4' little red kit things from a major home/hardware outlet. I got it at an early winter clear the shelves closeout a couple years ago for $99. I think now they're listing a little under $200. They also make a bike rail kit to go with it, but the back tire on the Suzi is too wide for it. So I took the channel-locks to it and bent the sides down enough for the bike to roll onto it. Ugly, but since I had already spent the money . . . . With a 1/2" plywood floor on it it weighs just under a hundred pounds. Empty you don't even feel it behind the bike.

Jack

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by YonuhAdisi on 03/15/08 at 21:02:54

13383A32066F6C69590 wrote:

I have already asked our local Harley dealer about take off items, and they will not sell them because of safety. At least that is what a salesman said, I think I will talk to the actual parts guy, he seems to know what he is talking about.

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by Jack_650 on 03/15/08 at 21:16:38

I live in a medium sized town in MN so our Harley shop isn't one of the biggies by far. The sales guys just keep sending me to the back to ask about what I need. It depends on what's available, but I got a pair of new (take-offs) Sportster mufflers for $20 and the tank for $50. The guys in the back are always interested in what I've done to that "interesting" bike out there. You've just got to be patient and flexible. And by all means hit every shop that's do-able. If nothing else you might see why you wanted a 650 in the first place.

Jack

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by joebothehobo on 03/16/08 at 11:56:28

If you had a step by step, picture-guided version of this, it would go great in the tech references section.

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by YonuhAdisi on 03/17/08 at 11:48:49

I wonder if a Road King tank would work better than the Softail. It appears to have the wide part toward the tail that would fit over "Y" split towards the seat.

http://i18.ebayimg.com/08/i/000/e1/5f/b75c_1.JPG

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by verslagen1 on 03/17/08 at 14:15:30

Know anybody with a road king we could roll? [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif]

Ah, I need a drooling smiley.

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by YonuhAdisi on 03/17/08 at 16:52:46

I wish.

There are several Road King tanks on ebay at th moment but they are fuel injected tanks. The one carburated tank I had seen had only a few hours left on the auction.

Now I'm sure a person could probably modify a an fuel injected tank to with with a carburater but I don't have the money to bid on one of them.

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by verslagen1 on 03/17/08 at 17:18:18

Now that I got a look at the top side, this is the one featured on the spainish site. He showed how made the speedo work.

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by Rockin_John on 03/17/08 at 23:04:31

405344455A5751535807360 wrote:

Now that I got a look at the top side, this is the one featured on the spainish site. He showed how made the speedo work.

Got the URL for that? :)

I've still got that 3.8 gallon GZ-250 tank to play with, and I've been looking at H-D tanks on eBay too... 8-)

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by Jack_650 on 03/18/08 at 07:31:57

I went with the SoftTail tank 'cause that was what was available cheap. The Road King tank looks great, like it would make the seat placement have a lot more flexibility. If the channel down the middle is the same width you've still got to move the modules and such that are in the hole in the middle of the front triangle shaped frame brace because they're too wide the way they're in there to go between the tank sides.

As it is I gave up the chrome on the top 'cause it sits down closer to the motor than the stock tank. I guess the extra three gallons had to go somewhere.

I forgot to mention that that pesky crossover tube you need to put on up front creates a bit of a logistic problem as it needs to go around the front of the frame to stay level. I wanted to be able to get the tank on and off quickly. So what I did was to put two plastic lawn mower fuel cut-off valves inline in the hose. That way when the tank has to come off I turn them both off, then remove one of the connections BETWEEN the two valves. You only dribble a few drops of gas that way.

I had thought about how the Harley two piece tanks might work but:

1. - None were available cheap
B. - What would I do with the slot down the middle on top.

Jack

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by mpescatori on 03/19/08 at 06:36:16

0630312A371E3B362C365F0 wrote:

I'm sorry, I don't understand the difference between a fuel injected tank and a carburetted tank.

A tank is a tank, it's just a container. The petc0ck dribbles fuel in the fuel line, amen and thank you very much...

Doesn't it ???

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by YonuhAdisi on 03/19/08 at 10:22:06

That's what I always thought as well. I think it has something to do with a Fuel injected tank as an electric fuel pump inside it or something like that to keep the fuel line pressurized for the fuel injection system. I am probably wrong, but that is my guess.

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by rigidchop on 03/22/08 at 16:55:19

they actually make a cover for the slot between the tanks. chrome ones, alum ones, etc. fuel injected tanks should have placement for the pump, which would be submersible. if i personally were changing tank, i would cut the section from around the petcock of both tanks and reuse the section from the savage tank on the hd tank.

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by demin on 03/22/08 at 17:16:33

You are right,the injected tank has a pump inside it.I think the threads for the fitting might be different than the petc0ck threads.

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by Jack_650 on 03/22/08 at 21:34:53

Don't know why you would want to go to the trouble of cutting and welding just to keep the Suzi petc0ck. The Harley one works just like ours, is cheaper to replace if needed and the filter is easy to clean/cheap to replace. No muss, no fuss. If either part should go bad on the road there's a whole lot more Harley stores with parts in stock than there are Suzuki shops with 650 parts in stock. That last little issue is why I have an extra head gasket, brake pads and a used belt on hand. If I were to have to rely on a dealer within any range of my house for parts to keep me rolling I think I would be riding a Honda by now. If anything I drive or ride goes down I want it running again, preferably the same day. Suzuki can't even come close on that point with the Savage. And don't even get me started again on the jerkin' a$$ dealer in my town.

By the way, I'm still sittin' on my stock tank that I'll never use again. It's got the cap and a key but no pet-thang. No dents and a couple of minor scrswtches in the yellow that's not the 2000 color. It's from the '96 I think the year was. Cheap plus shipping so it doesn't sit and rust to death.

Jack

Title: Re: Harley tank on the 650
Post by demin on 03/23/08 at 08:47:58

It's not just your dealer there are 3 or 4 around me.You tell them Savage/S40.They look at you like what the he11 is that. :-?You'd be lucky to be back up,and running in a week with them.But the same is true for my Harley,you tell them '79 Lowrider/Shovelhead they're like..A what?They must have all been fired from Autozone for being dumb@sses.(not that Autozone employees are very bright either)