Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Fuel tank upgrade, putting the "G" in my "L"

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 2
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous 1 2 template Next
    #1

    Fuel tank upgrade, putting the "G" in my "L"

    This project is being done with the aid of the donor "G" that probably can't be titled that I bought last month. In order to put the larger tank on the "L" frame, the triple tree from the "G" needs to replace the "L" tree.
    New "ears" for mounting the tank will be welded to the frame, the original ears removed so the tank is a far forward on the frame as possible. I'm upgrading from the 3.2 gal stock tank to later model 4.5 gal "mystery" tank that I bought from JWhelan. The worst part of the project so far has been obtaining the lower steering stem bearing, required a 120 mile round trip yesterday in my diesel guzzliing pickup since I had the bike in pieces. I'll have the project done today, with more pictures.
    Anyway, here are the pictures, starting with the donor bike prior to dissection.


    In process:



    One of my supervisors....



    Both bikes in a state of disassembly..



    More to come in the next post....
    Last edited by Guest; 06-03-2010, 09:29 AM. Reason: clarification on tank origins, added "mystery", deleted L
    Tags: None
    #2
    As promised, more pictures, oh depending on how I like or dislike the handling with the "L" forks kicked out an extra 1-2" with the "G" triple, I'll probably rebuild the "G" forks to see which handling characteristics I like best. I don't have the time to do that right now (gotta be done by tonight), so I'm going with my newly rebuilt "L" forks.









    Here's the new tank mocked up on the frame, last picture until I get the mounting done.



    More later today.

    Comment

      #3
      Which G model only had a 4.3 gallon tank?

      My wife's '82 850L has a 4.5 gallon tank, the two 850Gs ('80 and '81) both have 5.8 gallon tanks.

      .
      sigpic
      mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
      hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
      #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
      #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
      Family Portrait
      Siblings and Spouses
      Mom's first ride
      Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
      (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

      Comment

        #4
        Originally posted by Steve View Post
        Which G model only had a 4.3 gallon tank?

        My wife's '82 850L has a 4.5 gallon tank, the two 850Gs ('80 and '81) both have 5.8 gallon tanks.

        .
        The tank I'm installing appears to be a later model "?" 4.5 gal (yep that's what I wrote) I THINK. I bought it from JWhelan. The tank off of the "G" is way too big at 5.8 gallons. In order to fit the tank I'm installing on my 1980 850 L I had to change a few things (hence parts from the "G") or else the triple tree upper would hit the tank (unless of course I moved it further back on the frame which I didn't really want to do).
        Maybe this clears up some confusion, I didn't mean to say I was installing a "G" tank, my bad.
        Last edited by Guest; 06-03-2010, 09:30 AM. Reason: added ? for tank style, it's a mystery to me.

        Comment

          #5
          Have you looked into titling the far superior G bike?
          You could ride it with the L's plate until the title is straightened out.
          International Title Service, or going through someone on this forum in a non title state are options.
          There are others.


          Life is too short to ride an L.

          Comment

            #6
            Originally posted by tkent02 View Post
            Have you looked into titling the far superior G bike?
            You could ride it with the L's plate until the title is straightened out.
            International Title Service, or going through someone on this forum in a non title state are options.
            There are others.
            I might do that later. At the moment, I'm not even it sure it runs. The starter is toasted (the engine isn't seized, turns by hand easily), several other problems, had new plugs, some old gas in the tank, someone tried to make it work and couldn't at some point in time. It has 67k original miles, but sorely neglected. The steering stem bearings were pure rust. Right now, the L runs good, I've rebuilt the carbs on it and done the valve shims, and it's been my daily driver since '05. The G will probably turn into a winter project. Oh, the tires on the "G" are old Dunlop Elite II's from sometime in the '80s or '90s.
            I wouldn't dare ride it with the L plates, especially since I'm planning a cross country trip in the near future. All I'd need to do is get pulled over in CO (where my license was suspended in '76, never redeemed), have them check VIN against plates, and off to the slammer I'd go. Nope, it'll be legal 100% before I'll ride it.

            Comment

              #7
              Here's the completed project picture. I worked on it until the wee hours of the morning on Friday, then went to bed, took a short test ride, loaded it on the trailer, and headed for Jay Cooke State Park for Memorial Day weekend, since I was teaching the BRC in Duluth Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.
              Problems encountered: Gas gauge sending unit is on the opposite side, I have to pull the sending unit and flip it over for the gauge to read right, or buy the one made for the tank. A small piece of something got into my float valve on #2 carb, stuck it open until I rapped on it with a screwdriver. I like the new tank much better, after I paint the badges where they look good, I'll put them on. My son said it looks better without them, I'm not sure yet.
              Here's the picture, the bike really needs a bath....


              Comment

                #8
                OK, the tank is not an "L" tank of any year. I still haven't identified what it's from, I was looking on PartsShark for a fiche with this tank and I haven't found one yet. I thought I would be able to source the tank float/sending unit mounted on the right side. I'm in the process of flipping the coil over to get the gauge to read right, but I'd like to source a new gauge float and sending unit. If anybody else has a gauge sending unit mounted in the right side of their tank, let me know what it is.
                Thanks!

                Comment

                  #9
                  Your pics are a bit small but it looks like an 80 550 tank to me....
                  1980 GS1000G - Sold
                  1978 GS1000E - Finished!
                  1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
                  1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
                  2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
                  1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
                  2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar.....

                  www.parasiticsanalytics.com

                  TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Thanks Dan. I'll have to check that out. I've got a working gas gauge now. It's also nice to have that extra 1.3 gallons to ride on, it is a 4.5 gal tank. Reserve happens at 2 gallons because I'm using the petcock off of the 5.8 gal tank that came on the G.

                    Comment

                      #11
                      Z1 do a low reserve petcock that might suit... Did you get a petcock with the tank? 80 550 had the one with the prime that needed a screwdriver to open.
                      1980 GS1000G - Sold
                      1978 GS1000E - Finished!
                      1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
                      1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
                      2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
                      1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
                      2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar.....

                      www.parasiticsanalytics.com

                      TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

                      Comment

                        #12
                        If anybody else has a gauge sending unit mounted in the right side of their tank, let me know what it is.
                        Thanks!
                        My L's sending unit is mounted on the right of the tank

                        Comment

                          #13
                          Originally posted by salty_monk View Post
                          Z1 do a low reserve petcock that might suit... Did you get a petcock with the tank? 80 550 had the one with the prime that needed a screwdriver to open.
                          No, when I got it, I got a bare tank, no cap, sending unit or petcock. The G one will work for me for now. The screwdriver operated one off of my L tank had the wrong bolt spacing to use on this tank.

                          Comment

                            #14
                            Originally posted by drtybykr View Post
                            My L's sending unit is mounted on the right of the tank
                            What year is your L? I was looking at newer models and they all had the sending unit on the left side like mine.

                            Comment

                              #15
                              Originally posted by DanTheMan View Post
                              What year is your L? I was looking at newer models and they all had the sending unit on the left side like mine.
                              Mine is an '82

                              Comment

                              Previous 1 2 template Next
                              Working...
                              X