Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Yanking my tank...

Hey Everyone...

Yep, it's another question from the aspiring mech. I'm trying to move beyond my "I can bolt ****** on", level of expertise.

I need to rewire my horn due to a new placement. I also am going to have to have my tank off to refit my throttle and choke cables when I get them back...But...

How do I remove my tank? I've got the "be sure the petcock is in the <off> position" part. And I know there's a big bolt under my seat. But what else? What order do I do things?

You can stop laughing now...I'm brave but uninformed. You should see my house. Thanks for the help...

BB

And yes...this is a test to see how fast Phil gets here.

BB

To remove your tank, first turn your gas off, and remove the gas hose to the petcock. There is a small clip by the petcock that holds the hose on. You will need to remove the chrome panel on the tank. It’s held on by 3 allen bolts. Once you have removed the bolts, you can lift the panel off the tank and unsnap the wiring harness. Remove your seat. That will expose the rather large bolt at the base of your tank, which holds the tank on. After you remove that bolt, slowly pull the tank towards the rear of the bike then lift upwards. After you have the tank lifted up a couple of inches, you will see the vent hose on the underside. Slip the vent hose off the tank and the tank should be free to set on the ground.

like fred said only adding gas will drip from the hose once removed so plan for that. and it's easier to do this with an empty tank. a full tank isn't gonna break yer back, its just easier empty. also make sure you reattach the vent and don't pinch the thing when reinstalling the tank.

Hey Blues,
Every piece of advice good so far. What I want to add is that before I remove my tank, I start my bike, then I close my petcock (fuel valve) and drive to the end of the block and back (fast), That little bit of a fun ride will greatly reduce the amount of fuel spilled. Sometimes, I start running out of gas when I pull in the drive and don't have to drain any fuel at all.
Oh yes, don,t forget that vent hose.
Dennis Call

Hi Tad,

Pics of Manifold O-Ring Replacements & Jim's Spacers install

Some pics might interest you.

Tad,
When you remove the tank, you will see a guide post with a rubber bushing on each side of the frame. On the under side of the tank you will see metal flanges that engage these posts when you install the tank. It is possible to install the tank without these things lining up, then the first time you turn the bars (or they flop over) they hit the tank and dent it. I know no one else but me ever did this , but I thought I'd let you know about it....

Oh, and when you remove the hose from the petcock, stick a golf tee in it to plug it.....

Sorry BB, I was working on a paper for school all day so I can get out of here in the morning for Daytona.

I'll try to be better...

Yanking my... Oh... Yanking my TANK! Now I get it! I was wondering why everyone was talking about bolts and gas and... never mind...

BB, as was mentioned keep a super sharp eye on that vent hose when you put things back together, remember from the old board, those are notoriously easy to pinch/fold over and just generally are a PITA.
And where is the horn now?

JJ,

I am mounting the new horn I got from JC Whitney under the triple tree, between the fork shrouds. I made a bracket that will mount on the same bolts as the light bar, between the light bar bracket and the tree. I have to splice wire and reroute it to reach the new horn position. I will post pics when I get to the process and link them here.

BB

That sounds interesting. I added a HD chrome, horn cover to mine, but with your method an additional horn (different tone) could be added, right?

To remove the chrome tank panel, you also have to unscrew your fuel cap.

Don,

Looks like I'm going to be waiting until Gary shows up again and we reinstall all my lines and cables. The tank is full and I've not got enough strength back in my left arm to try this on my own. The advantage then will of course be, that he knows what he's doing. Thanks for the advice, unquestionably I will be doing this again some day ON my own.

And ....ooooh...big man with his Holy Grail quotes.

Speaking of nostalgia...

I saw a kid in the halls yesterday wearing a band t-shirt with a picture of the original "gloved one". Name that heavy metal band. Famous quote from the live album. "Anyone out there got any Irish in 'em? Any of the gals want a little MORE Irish in 'em?"

Thanks for the help...

BB

Al,

Just reread the post that you likely replied to. I'm still getting used to the differences in how this board handles the alerts to our posts. I apologize for the redundancies in my email to you. Hope the pics are useful.

BB

I got it thanks! Nice work on the bracket.

Al,

The cool part about the bracket is it was free. I did some extensive rewiring in my kitchen last summer and had a bunch of stuff left over. The bracket is made out of a 5x5 wiring box cover plate. Cuts easy, bends easy, sands up easy, takes primer and paint well. Thin enough to be unobtrusive and strong enough to not bounce around like cheap tin. 'Course, with my luck, every circuit within 10 feet will be arcing to it.

BB

Al,

One thing that I will probably be doing next off season...

When I held the horn between the fork shrouds, it looked pretty tuff. But...

Next to the brushed shrouds...just too off. So, pretty sure the shrouds are coming off and getting buffed out to a chrome shine next year. It just doesn't look right. Sometimes the chrome/polished looks good next to the brushed, sometimes it doesn't. In this case, I don't think it does.

BB

Tad,
I may be wrong here, as I cannot picture exactly what piece of electrical box you are referring to, but a lot of that stuff is made of galvanized steel. Some paints, over time, may begin to flake off as they don't adhere as well as you think when you first apply them. This is just a foggy memory thing, don't ask me what paints, etc..
In other words, go ahead and paint the thing... just don't be surprised after a few months of sunshine if the paint starts flaking.
I'm sure this will bring a host of replies from those in the know.....

And, as for the shroud covers, just get 'em chromed instead of polishing them.....

Don,

Just the square 5x5 cover plate that you'd cover the electrical connections with. It is galvanized and I hadn't thought of that initially. The guy who cut and ground it for me builds bikes for a living and he didn't mention it, not that that is any indication, but I didn't get a "whoa, dude, you can't use this", from him. You're right...guess we wait and see. I used Rustoleum's Professional sandable primer and will be finishing it with their satin black. That stuff is supposed stick to anything. Most of it won't even be exposed, so...maybe I'll be in luck.

Tad

Tad

Quote:

---

I saw a kid in the halls yesterday wearing a band t-shirt with a picture of the original "gloved one". Name that heavy metal band. Famous quote from the live album. "Anyone out there got any Irish in 'em? Any of the gals want a little MORE Irish in 'em?"

---

That'll be the late, great Phil Lynott & Thin Lizzy from "Live & Dangerous"

Shaun

Boy, had me on that one. Good catch Nobby.

Phil,
You know I was just yanking your chain. Your advice is always welcome and useful.

BB

Al,

Update on the bracket. I find myself in continual debt to those more knowledgable than me. Grump pointed out that paint don't stick to galvanized. I scraped the primer off with my finger nail.

So, design-wise, I'll still take the compliment, but I'm heading down the street to my buddy's shop to have him work one up in metal that WILL take paint.

BB

Shaun,

You the man...good deal.

BB