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Equipping the Bike - what's the best gear? Anything to do with the bikes equipment, saddlebags, etc. Questions on repairs and maintenance of the bike itself belong in the Brand Specific Tech Forums.
Photo by Alessio Corradini, on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, of two locals

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Alessio Corradini,
on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia,
of two locals



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  #1  
Old 27 Jan 2008
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XT600 long range tank
Hi there

I'm new to this site, so please bear with me!

I have been investigating getting a 30L fuel tank fabricted for my 2002 XT600. I've found a bloke who can do it, but he'd be making it from alloy (aluminium?) which i have heard has a tendency to crack along the weld seams due to vibrations etc, even if rubber pads are used when its mounted on the bike.

Has anyone had any experience of this, either to confirm or refute the rumour, or can anyone advise a better solution? I live in Wellington NZ, so getting an acerbis 23L tank is not as easy as it might seem! I'm off to S America at the end of july so I'm keen to get teh tank sorted asap.

Any help much appreciated
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  #2  
Old 28 Jan 2008
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Not sure about the alloy tank but do you will really need 30 litre tank alot of people travel S America with much smaller tanks.
If you do get an alloy tank and it breaks you may have a job getting it repaired
I would try and get the Acerbis tank I think its about 20 litres sure you could get one sorted before your trip.
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  #3  
Old 28 Jan 2008
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Thanks for advice. Not having done this type of trip before, was working on the "better safe than sorry" line, although other folks had suggested that 20-odd litres should be enough. If i did get a tank made, obvioulsy i'd be keen for it to last as long as the bike, and not have to replace it or fix it periodically! the search continues...
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  #4  
Old 29 Jan 2008
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The 22L tank of my 1150GS was fine for South America. There are obviously stretches without much fuel but you can just carry the extra you need if you plan ahead. The only times I ran out of fuel were in Canada and that was my own stupid fault!
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  #5  
Old 29 Jan 2008
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Hi steve as you are new to the site you may not be aware of tedmagnum he post on here alot and is in south america at the moment on an XT
Touring Ted
Also if you have not seen it Lois on the loose is a good read. There was a web site about her book and bike prep before her trip
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  #6  
Old 30 Jan 2008
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All advice much appreciated thanks, Bolla and Mikes
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  #7  
Old 6 Feb 2008
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bigger tank
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevenaive View Post

I have been investigating getting a 30L fuel tank fabricted for my 2002 XT600.

or can anyone advise a better solution?
Any help much appreciated
My solution may not be "Better" but it is certainly Cheaper......

Standard Tank plus Two 5 litre plastic jerrycans.
Its cheap, lighter, you can spread the load more effectively.....no Top Heavy
and what is more, saves you a BUNDLE of cash

Martyn
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Old 9 Feb 2008
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Produtos Gilimoto Design's

They use these in Brazil for the xt600 all the time. Of course the shipping would be expensive, I am sure.
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Old 10 Feb 2008
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I'm sure Racespec in the UK would send you out an Acerbis tank. They were very helpful when I bought mine (which is excellent by the way, tough as old boots). Although I don't know how much your ally tank's going to cost to be custom fabricated I imagine it wouldn't be cheap! My Acerbis 23litre tank was circa £200. I'm no expert but have heard unfavourable things about using ally tanks in adv touring.

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Old 12 Feb 2008
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Acerbis tank 23 L for XT 600, for sale.
Hi Steve

I might have a solution for you. After finishing my S America trip on my XT, I am selling my Acerbis 23 L tank. It's black, and it's already in South America. If you are interested I can ship it to NZ, or else you could pick it up in Colombia, or I can also ship it to Buenos Aires or Santiago, which I assume will be your entry ports.
23 litres was always enough for me, and I did get off the beaten path, big time. I was getting 400-450K on a full tank, on a year 2000. Only certain parts of the bolivian altiplano would require an extra jerry can, but only there.
Let me know if you are interested.

Cheers,
Juan
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  #11  
Old 12 Feb 2008
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By the way, the longest distance I got out of that 23 L Acerbis fuel tank was 500 km, on the dot. As a test, I ran the bike until the tank was dry.
Cheers,
Juan
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  #12  
Old 13 Feb 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pajaro View Post
Hi Steve

I was getting 400-450K on a full tank, on a year 2000. Cheers,
Juan
Can confirm, this is what I get out of my 23 litre on a 2003 XT. Not many placesin the world where petrol stations are more than 400km apart!

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Old 13 Feb 2008
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By the way, what average mileage did you use to get with your stock fuel tanks before changing to those Acerbis?
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  #14  
Old 13 Feb 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bacardi23 View Post
By the way, what average mileage did you use to get with your stock fuel tanks before changing to those Acerbis?
Can't remember sorry! I swapped my tank almost immedietly after buying the bike. However, I believe the original spec tank on a 2003 XT is 14.5 litres so that would mean...er...(scratches head and finally resorts to a calculator!)...based on 425 km for a 23 litre tank that would mean 14.5 litres would give you circa 268 km.

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*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!
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