What's with small tanks?

[Bliksem]

Its not fun getting lost, behind the dunes and having to switch over to reserve

First thing I did was rip out the stock tank and fit the biggest Acerbus tank I could find. Was for the xr600 but a bit of fiddling made it fit on the 250

Never ran out fuel! If I remember correctly is held around 26liters.

[Oscar]

On my old LC4 with the 18l tank I found it may the front end push off road, when it was full. Most bikes with big tanks test the riders arse tolerance a long time before reserve...

[dino3310]

no what ya mean, i definately notice the diference between the tanks, the standard is way better handling wise, i think the smaller 18ltr would be a better allrounder (north Is) rather than the 22ltr i got

[BMWST?]

On my old LC4 with the 18l tank I found it may the front end push off road, when it was full. Most bikes with big tanks test the riders arse tolerance a long time before reserve...

you can always stop for a rest,you dont have to stop at a gas station!

[Oscar]

you can always stop for a rest,you dont have to stop at a gas station!

It's kind of a catch 22 - there is nowhere in this country where an off road bike needs a 300km range, and the even if there was, the off road handling is so compromised by that much gas, you wouldn't fill it.

[Taz]

Whether I need it or not I love having 28 litres. But then the 640A is not an off road bike. Even beaches and 4x4 tracks are still roads.

[ADVGD]

It's kind of a catch 22 - there is nowhere in this country where an off road bike needs a 300km range, and the even if there was, the off road handling is so compromised by that much gas, you wouldn't fill it.

There are a couple of situations where a large tank is essential in certain situations, one is riding very early or late hours when small town petrol stations (in the South Island at least) are all closed. One recent hunting trip (Chch to the Coast) was a classic case, rode in for a two day trip and bagged a chamois on the first day, but it was too late to head off that evening as Arthurs Pass petrol station would be closed with no other options either meaning I'd run out if I tried to make it home. I decided to stay the night and head out in the morning... was then bombarded by a nasty unpredicted southerly storm and had a pretty gnarly night of gale winds and heavy West Coast rain fly camping on a ridge line, heavy rain walking out and all the way home. A long range tank would have been mint that day!

West Coast chamois hunt

The other situation is long trips if you don't want to stop all the time. We have a holiday home in Karamea, about 430 odd km from Chch, with my standard tank I had to fill up THREE times to get there with the long range tank, one fill, ahhhhh that's better

[JATZ]

The other situation is long trips if you don't want to stop all the time. We have a holiday home in Karamea, about 430 odd km from Chch, with my standard tank I had to fill up THREE times to get there with the long range tank, one fill, ahhhhh that's better

Quick question ..... how big is the standard tank on a 250 ?
I've been looking online for a manual but havn't found one specificly for the boys bike, aparently they never made em
I have a standard 350 tank here but wonder if it's worth all the muckin about if it's only going to gain another 1 litre

[ADVGD]

Quick question ..... how big is the standard tank on a 250 ?

Most around a measly 10 litres

I've been looking online for a manual but havn't found one specificly for the boys bike, aparently they never made em

What's the flavour of your boys bike?

I have a standard 350 tank here but wonder if it's worth all the muckin about if it's only going to gain another 1 litre

When researching options for my long range tank I read some good reviews of the old hot water in the plastic tank and the tyre pump trick to get an extra 2 to 3 litres capacity, a no cost option that apparently works well on some tanks. I haven't done it myself, only read about it, but no doubt someone on here has done it and offer more detail

[BMWST?]

It's kind of a catch 22 - there is nowhere in this country where an off road bike needs a 300km range, and the even if there was, the off road handling is so compromised by that much gas, you wouldn't fill it.

you are right,you dont NEED it but the extra gives you OPTIONS

[JATZ]

Most around a measly 10 litres

Sounds about right


What's the flavour of your boys bike?

95 250 se, electric and kick start , pumper carb, twin cam head and some pretty good suspension


When researching options for my long range tank I read some good reviews of the old hot water in the plastic tank and the tyre pump trick to get an extra 2 to 3 litres capacity, a no cost option that apparently works well on some tanks. I haven't done it myself, only read about it, but no doubt someone on here has done it and offer more detail

The standard 350 tank is only 9.5l acording to the manual, I stuck it on the 250 and it looked thinner and a bit higher, about a 3rd of the tank was below the level of the carb too, so I guess we'd need a pump to use it

ftcr

[warewolf]

Quick question ..... how big is the standard tank on a 250 ?

My DR-Z250 had a 10.5L tank, good for 200-280km to dry, road use solo depending on how hard it was being flogged. Maybe 150km in the forest.

[warewolf]

It's kind of a catch 22 - there is nowhere in this country where an off road bike needs a 300km range, and the even if there was, the off road handling is so compromised by that much gas, you wouldn't fill it.

Yep. My 640A holds 19kg of fuel for 400-580km range. I always try to do the gnarliest stuff with less than half a tank full. Just unnecessary weight which even if the bike seems to cope reasonably well, is simply tiring to manhandle and makes the bike much less nimble.

[ADVGD]

Article on expanding plastic gas tanks from dirtbikeworld

Paraphrased:

"It works, I have done it in the past.

First up rig up a way to put air pressure in your tank, I put a tyre valve in the breather tube, make sure it is secure, you want to keep the pressure in overnight.

Boil up lots and lots of water and get it into the tank as fast as possible.

Screw the cap on tight and use a hand pump and an accurate low pressure gauge, you only want about 5 psi in there.

You can help the tank to expand in the places you want it to with gentle application from a heat gun. When you think it has expanded enough, cover the tank with heavy towels or blankets to keep the heat in and leave it overnight to cool slowly.

It will shrink a little as it cools but if needed you can repeat the process. Check very carefully that as the tank expands it is not fouling or rubbing anything it shouldn't be, as this can create problems over time."

[warewolf]

And remember to block the tank underneath the frame rail.

A common trick is expanding that area so she won't ever come off again.