Well I have the clark tank ordered, but I'll admit the viseable fit is'nt nearly as good as I'd hoped. On the 2006 model where the decals are quite a bit different then 2007, that gap will show up pretty noticeably and won't look any better or worse then the IMS tank.

The IMS tank takes alot more mods to get in there, but for an extra half gallon on top of it, if looks and the initial mods are'nt an issue then the IMS tank may be a better choice at this point. Theres just simply not alot of room down there to work with things and asking for a bolt on part without moving or moding anything is stretching it to much I think, but I /really/ don't like the fact it messes with the seat like that.

 

I currently have the IMS tank ala Nobrakes (ie, his old bike) and there are definitely some gaps and pushing up of seat and and and... There are MANY mods to get this thing in...new fans, electrical splicing, moving the wiring harness, remounting the seat anchors and of course, cutting up the shrouds.... Even done well, it has a heavily modded look....

I also orderedthe new Clarktank for my son's bike (my old one) because he now needs more range to keep up with me...

Here's my point... IMHO... once your out riding, all you will notice is the INCREASED range... Its GREAT!!!I wouldn'tsweat the other stuff....

Thats my two cents....

 

The half gallon difference between the two tanks equates to 27.5 miles for me, I'll take the less modded route for that slight a difference. To each their own though, I personally think the natural sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the black stock tank............that being said the only tank I would get would be natural, I love the idea of being able to see how much fuel I have. Instead of nit picking I say lets applaud CLARKE for stepping up and making a bolt on part.

 

Oh, one more point to consider... I have the IMS tank in natural color... Once the gas level goes down lower then the shrouds (first 15 or so miles), you pretty much have to open the gas cap to see what the level is......sooooooooooooo I went with the black on my son's bike so that it would match better....

Besides, I track the gas by the mileage on the trip meter, once you know what you burn,using the tripmeteris a quick way to know how far you have to go before you have to gas up again....

 

Full credit to Clarke I just wish it was a little bigger, the capacity of the IMS is more what I was looking for without the hassles of fitting and without the uglies of the off colour Acerbris. For around $300 Aus to get it here I don't think an extra 2 litres is enough. Still I'd like to see them fitted when you guys get them. Please post pix.
Cheers

 

Dirtsurfer,

You can still see the feul level when you're off the bike, right? I figure cut that lip off the top of the shroud that says "seat used to sit here" and you'll have a nice gap to see the feul on or off the bike that will look to the casual observer like it was designed that way......

 

I've heard that somewhere before

 

Here's a shot of the IMS tank and the shroud mods required to make it fit. Looks like IMS gained a little more volume up top, notice how the tank fills up more volume around the top of the frame. That, and filling the area where the fan is probably made the difference in volume between the two.

But as DirtSurfer said, once you are on it and riding, the only thing you notice is that you don't have to stop after 70 - 90 miles to refill. Instead, keep on going to 150 or more. I also used the trip meter to gage fuel remaining. Even so, once the fuel is down a bit, just shake the bike side to side and you can get a good bead on where the approximate level is.

If I was doing it again, I guess I'd have to think pretty hard about whether I'd go no-mod for the 2.7 gallon tank or moderate-mod for the IMS 3.2 gallon. They both essentially have very similar looks, IMO. They are so close in looks that that aspect would not be a factor for me. I'd probably be leaning toward no-mod.

Note that the IMS tank does not fit perfect either. After fitting the tank, the seat is no longer a perfect fit and the tank itself is a very tight squeeze into the frame as well as you need to relocate the ignition coil so it doesn't rub the tank as well as the fan relay. Stock fan, of course, has to go as well. Yeah, in hindsight, I think I'm liking the no-mod Clarke more and more.

Here's the IMS tank for reference:

 

Man, I never saw a shot of the IMS from that side ! The Clarke tank def looks better from that side than the IMS. What fan did you end up using ?

 

My first iteration just used standard 60mm PC CPU fans. But Bmwhd later found some weather resistant conair-rotron fans that work nice that I replaced them with. I don't remember the part number, but I'm sure a search will turn them up. I ended up putting on 4 fans, two on each radiator.