DR650 32L Safari tank alert!

[NordieBoy]

It was offered to watchers and bidders

[far queue]

So have you bid on it or something... i c reserve of $350 was not met. It would still be a good price at that. I like the idea of the knee recesses to get the wind chill off ya nuts but it's too much tank for me, i want my.... i want my.... i want my IMS 18.5 or 20litre.

It was offered to watchers and bidders

What he said.

I just spoke to the guy that's selling it, he said paid around $500aud for it plus another $130 to customs when it got here, plus postage too I guess, so I figure I got it for around 1/2 price. I've been wanting an IMS tank like Nordie has for some time, but didn't want to spend that much, so I'm pleased this came along ... and thanks Nordie for posting this on here or I would've missed it. I guess I'll have it next week some time.

[Transalper]

Congrats then FQ, we'll see you out soon with it i hope...

Hey everyone, you won't have to carry spare fuel anymore, just put it in FQ's tank and collect it later

[NordieBoy]

There's enough room on the side of it to write up names and amounts


PS. Anyone want a big Acerbis tank for an XR600?

[far queue]

... we'll see you out soon with it i hope...

Yep. It's been a while since I've been out with you guys. I've been out to the Waimak a couple of times in the last week or so and had a ball. I'm looking forward to getting out on some of these longer rides you've all been doing too. I didn't do the ANZAC thing 'cos I couldn't be arsed pissing around with fuel and it's caused problems when planning other rides I've done too, but that wont be an issue anymore.

Hey everyone, you won't have to carry spare fuel anymore, just put it in FQ's tank and collect it later

There's enough room on the side of it to write up names and amounts

You do realise that the amount can be quite expen$ive in the middle of nowhere, what with supply and demand and all that kind of thing, or did TA have some other payment method in mind

[NordieBoy]

I didn't do the ANZAC thing 'cos I couldn't be arsed pissing around with fuel and it's caused problems when planning other rides I've done too, but that wont be an issue anymore.

Just fill up in January and ride...

[cooneyr]

You bugger. I asked the guy to offer for a fixed this morning thinking I'd get back to a computer latter on this morning but it wasnt till 8pm. Oh well was meant to be I guess. Would prob rather have an IMS 18l but would have "made do". Will have to have a look at it some time FQ.

Cheers R

[far queue]

You bugger. I asked the guy to offer for a fixed this morning thinking I'd get back to a computer latter on this morning but it wasnt till 8pm. Oh well was meant to be I guess. Would prob rather have an IMS 18l but would have "made do". Will have to have a look at it some time FQ.

Cheers R

Stop it, you're making me feel guilty. I happened to be sitting at the PC when the offer came through, and then I dithered for an hour and a half ... should I? shouldn't I? ... I did. I didn't bid on it because you'd said you were interested, but then when you didn't bid either I figured maybe you want it after all. I'll buy you a beer, will that make you feel better

I tracked down a mate who happened to be in Dunedin (where the tank is) for the weekend, so it's being delivered to him this morning and I should have it this evening

[Transalper]

Just a little heads up on possible fitting issues...
Quote from post#10 ont the following Adv forum thread...
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140524
I found when I first slid the Aqualine Tank into place, the rubber pucs on the frame that the tank sits on did not allow the tank to slide foreword enough to easily get the two rear mounting screws easily into the threaded holes. I had read that someone else had this problem & they trimmed a little off the back of the rubber pucs. I took off about 1/8" or so off the back part of the pucs where they seat into the slot in the tank. You still had to push the tank forward quite hard to get the two bolts into place. It wasn't that bad though. The seat slid into place with a nice tight fit against the tank. What I found next was that the seat brackets didn't slide quite far enough foreword to align with the thread holes in the frame for the mounting bolts. They were pretty close though & all I needed to do was elongate the holes foreword with a rat-tail file about 1/8" to get it to line up, not a big problem. Probable not the tank manufacturers fault, with plastic tanks there is probable a bigger variance than with steel tanks. Suzuki doesn't always put every bracket in exactly the same place either. I found that the grab handle mounting holes did not measure the same distance front to back on each side. There are three other small issues I have with tank. 1. The front brace they supplied is pretty poor & a pain in the ass to install. The rubber frame protectors they supplied were just stick on window type insulation that immediately fell off. I replaced it with a piece of cut to fit auto heater hose that I wired on. The piece was 1/8" aluminum flat stock that I had to re-bend to get it to fit properly & was a pain in the ass to get it in place. I'm not the only person that has had trouble with it; one guy from OZ had it break. It is not a total critical part; it's there as a brace against the frame down tube to support the lower front of the tank in case of a fall. I will keep an eye on it & may replace it with one of my own design. 2. They could have done a cleaner job making the openings for the petcocks, but there are no leaks so I guess it is all right. 3. This is the thing that pisses me off a little. The petcocks supplied with the tank are for 6mm ID hose, which is the fuel line size that was supplied. The thing is the carb fuel line connection is for 8mm fuel line as is the stock DR650 petcock. They should have supplied petcocks that use the same fuel line as is used on the carb. I imagine you could force the 6mm hose onto the carb connection that is designed for 8 mm hose, but it wouldn't be good as it would over stretch the hose & could be a point of failure in the future. The tank uses separate petcocks for the right & left side. I used the stock DR650 vacuum operated petcock on the left side & used the non-vacuum petcock they supplied on the right. I replaced the nylon T connector they supplied with a better brass one from an auto parts store (5/16" which = 8mm). I used only the 6mm hose from the right petcock to the T connector, but may change the right petcock to a Pingel with an 8mm connection in the future. All said I really like the Aqualine tank. It is a big SOB. When I first saw it I said, "what the hell kind of a monster did I buy". Once I got it on the bike it didn't look bad at all. I thought it would cause a lot of air resistance, but maybe it actually acts like a fairing cleaning up the airflow

[far queue]

Thanks for that TA. I thought I'd found everything about his tank, but never came across this one. Cheers

[cooneyr]

Stop it, you're making me feel guilty. I happened to be sitting at the PC when the offer came through, and then I dithered for an hour and a half ... should I? shouldn't I? ... I did. I didn't bid on it because you'd said you were interested, but then when you didn't bid either I figured maybe you want it after all. I'll buy you a beer, will that make you feel better ....

Dont feel guilty! I was too slow of the mark. Dont worry about the beer just bring the extra fuel LOL.

Good luck fitting it. Just make sure you start using it though on some of the longer trips. Couldnt leave it to waste away in the gge now aye

Cheers R

[far queue]

Dont feel guilty! I was too slow of the mark. Dont worry about the beer just bring the extra fuel LOL.

OK, I'm over it then

Just make sure you start using it though on some of the longer trips. Couldnt leave it to waste away in the gge now aye

To be sure. I'm starting to think about the Brass Monkey now, so if the weathers looking OK that weekend I'll probably go. I think I'll start sussing out an interesting route.

I just heard from my mate who's about to head home with it - his assessment - "it's fucking big"

[cooneyr]

OK, I'm over it then
To be sure. I'm starting to think about the Brass Monkey now, so if the weathers looking OK that weekend I'll probably go. I think I'll start sussing out an interesting route.

Was really looking forward to the Brass but don't know if it is going to happen this year. I only get the first brace off on the 18th of May i.e 2 weeks before. I'm suppose to wear a different brace for another two weeks after the first so ???????. Will have to talk nicely to the Doc and see what he says.

Gona be interesting to see how big a safari tank really is.

Cheers R

[Motu]

I saw the auction and gave it a brief thought, but it's a huge amount of fuel! I have to tippy toe the bike as it is, I'm not sure I want more weight sloshing around up high.

Now, if it was 21 litres I'd be in.

They actually lower the CG,you get more fuel down low.

[far queue]

Was really looking forward to the Brass but don't know if it is going to happen this year. I only get the first brace off on the 18th of May i.e 2 weeks before. I'm suppose to wear a different brace for another two weeks after the first so ???????. Will have to talk nicely to the Doc and see what he says.

I'm no doc, but I wouldn't recommend it for you this year. You're going to need to build strength up again after all this time in the brace. So with the distance involved, and the camping conditions, let alone if you have a minor off, you stand a good chance of setting your recovery back somewhat. It'll still be on next year and you'll be fully fit. Just call me mum

They actually lower the CG,you get more fuel down low.

Yep, from what I've read, with the tank 1/2 full the bike handles better than with the stock tank as the fuel is carried lower and further forward ... and a 1/2 full tank is still 3L more than a full stock tank