Brian, definitely send that link if you can dig it up.

Also (threadjack alert), speaking of your tank, how big of a deal was it to fit? I read the stuff back on Advrider when you and Todd were doing yours. At the time of that reading, I was overwhelmed with all of the info that I was absorbing. In that light, I shelved the tank mod as way more difficult than the cheap/free mods and exhaust work that many of us have done. Now that all of the dust has settled, though, I am thinking I might be up for the challenge of the larger tank. In retrospect, how would you rate the difficulty of the mod?

Thanks,
Chris

 

Well, Todd (bmwhd) did the first one, to the best of my knowledge so he had the hard job of figuring out just what needed to be done. And then he documented it with lots of great pictures so I had the benefit of that before I started on mine.

So with that in mind, it was not hard or difficult, but it did take a while. The bulk of the job was rerouting the wiring harness which goes underneath the stock tank. The IMS tank sits just a hair above the engine so there is no room for the wiring under there, so you need to route the wiring on either side of the tank. That is not hard, but it does require disconnecting all the connectors to the tail section, pulling the harness through to the front, then re-route back to the rear and reconnect everything. Everything has a connector so you do not need to cut any wires, so that is not an issue. It's really just the time it takes to redo the wiring.

The other think is that the stock fan needs to be removed since the tank fills up most of that area. This is easily solved though by a pair of small weatherproof fans attached directly to the radiator. Just cut the pigtail off the stock fan and wire the fans directly to that. I put a pair of fans on each of the radiators and that seems to flow about the same amount of air as the stock radiator as near as I can tell. So I now have four smaller fans, two on each side.

The ignition coil also needs to be raised a speck - not bad, just a few aluminum tabs to offset it upwards and back just a bit.

That and a few other little odds and ends such as cutting of a few frame hooks - no big deal. I did touch those up with some primer to reseal.

Over time I have removed the tank on several occasions and inspected it. Based on where I noticed a little rubbing, i.e., from the ignition coil, I tweaked its position a little. You certainly wouldn't want a rub spot to wear through a spring a leak.

I think Todd was going to do another IMS tank install for his buddy, but I don't remember if he posted on how well things went the 2nd time around. If I had to do it again, I would have no reservations on it. I love the IMS tank and like its looks as it retains much of the stock look, but I actually like the white better than the black and it looks more like a dirt bike tank which I also prefer.

Note that the Acerbis tank is a direct fit with none of the mods required for the IMS tank. It also has a 1/2 gallon higher capacity, I think. It is really what you prefer though, I didn't mind doing the work to install the IMS tank, but that's just me. Probably took me 6 hours total. I like the looks of it and I reeeaaaly like have the extra capacity. Actually, the IMS tank was the first mod I did to my bike - even before the carb / airbox / pipe. I was filling up like every couple of days and that was a real PITA, IMO.

 

I just thought since everyone else was showing theirs that I would show mine too....

 

Here's the link to the NC motorcycle inspection procedure - see page 63 (numbered) or page 69 (actual). Also, if you search in there in earlier sections, it appears that there is no emissions test for motorcycles in NC, however, I'm not sure it's OK to replace the OEM exhaust from my reading of it. Let me know your interpretation. I figure worst case, I just put the stock exhaust back on for the inspection. But I'll try it with the Muzzy and see what they say - I think this applies only because of the stock exhaust's catalytic converter. I don't think it has to do anything with sound levels as I've seen from another source that there is not sound limit for motorcycle exhaust pipes in NC and I didn't see anything in the NC DMV document below mentioning sound levels.

NC DMV Inspection procedures: http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/vehicle_ser...lationsmanual/

Other useful tidbits: http://home.ama-cycle.org/amaccess/l...t.asp?state=nc

 

Gravy Train, Could you please tell me where you purchased the aftermarket tail light with the license plate light combined. Thanks