Acerbis 5.8 installation completed

Here's my write-up of my installation for anyone who is interested.

After removing the stock tank and shrouds, seat and side covers, I took the rubber grommet thing from the stock tank and put it on the frame. You’ll need this for later.

Then, the first thing I did was to move the turn signals up to the top hole so as to avoid hitting the tank with them. They are still very secure with just the one bolt. Removing the headlight cover by unscrewing the two side bolts made working with the turn signals much easier.

While I was moving the turn signals, I also added a couple of washers to each of the bottom bolts on both sides of the upper triple clamp. The slightest protrusion of the bottom bolt through the hole will gouge the front of the Acerbis tank, especially the left side when you want to lock the handlebars. With the turn signals moved to the top hole of the bracket and the lower bolts slightly recessed, I now have full handlebar lock.

Next, I measured 7cm or 2 and ¾ inches down from the oil dip stick and made a mark with a Sharpie. The top of the supplied rubber bracket should match up with the mark. Next, secure the rubber bracket with the supplied zip tie.

Next, I took out the one bolt on the triangular looking bracket so I could install the supplied cylindrical support bracket. As my luck had it, either Acerbis or Just Gas Tanks forgot to include the new bolt, which is necessary because it’s about ¼ inch longer than the stock one to compensate for the thickness of the bracket. I ended up going to Lowe’s and picked up a 5/16 inch hex bolt for $.30 and a split washer and a nut and it worked perfect.

Now, for the infamous rubber inserts on the bracket. I recently read that the inserts come from the stock shrouds. The lower bolt/screw on my stock shrouds had some rubber grommet/washer looking thingy with a hole in it. I put them in the holes of the new bracket and they weren’t exactly a tight fit so I put some silicone paste on them and then clamped them and let them dry over night. My assessment of these is that they are not really necessary. If anything, they provide the slightest cushioning against the insides of the tank, which is fine, but where the tank sits over this bracket is not a very tight fit anyway. The whole purpose of this bracket simply seems to provide support for the tank’s weight. If you have the rubber inserts from your tank shrouds, use them. If not, either don’t worry about it or try to pick up something that will work at the local hardware store.

Next, I let my tank bake out in the sun for a few hours. Today was an unseasonably hot 90 degrees, which is not normal for April in my neck of the woods, but it worked out perfectly. The hot sun really helps out for this installation. I was able to mock up my tank without any help from another person. Just set it down and gently spread the bottom apart and it will slip right on.

After I got it on, there were some black marks on the inside of the tank from where the stock pins/rubber bumpers rubbed against the tank. These marks would come in handy later. I then attached the two front brackets to the tank (with some blue Loctite) and then put it back out in the sun for another 30 minutes.

While the tank was softening in the hot sun, I took the Dremel and trimmed off the lower left fin of the rectifier thingy. Some people have relocated theirs but it was very simple to just remove a very small portion of the one fin to make clearance for the bolt on the front right tank support.

Next, grab the tank and this time where those black marks were made as I mentioned above, I lightly sprayed some silicone on the area and when I put the tank on it went on like butter. It just took the slightest bit of downward pressure and spreading of the tank to get it on.

Next, I started bolting on the two front brackets to the frame where the stock shrouds bolted on. I also started guiding the back of the tank to make sure everything was lined up. I did need a little help from another person to put some downward pressure on the tank so as to line up the holes on the front brackets, but that was it.

Then I tightened up the rear bracket and everything was good. It was on there solid.

Then I put the two petcocks on. Don’t forget the little green washer for each petcock. Installing the petcocks was a bit of a pain in the ass for me as I did not have a 7mm wrench so I had to use an adjustable crescent wrench with very small turns, but it went on fine. I used blue Loctite on the petcock screws. You need a wrench for one of the screws because there isn't enough room to fit a ratchet where the petcock gas stem comes out.

Next, I attached some quality ¼ inch fuel line I bought at Pep Boys and cut as needed. I also bought a brass T instead of using the plastic Y that Acerbis supplied. I’m sure it works fine but I wanted something more durable. The plastic Y will go in my tool bag if I ever need it.

That’s it. All in all, this was a very satisfying mod to do and not difficult at all. I honestly have to say the hot sun on the tank probably made the biggest difference as I did not have to wrestle with it at all. If I had to do anything over, maybe I would have installed the petcocks first before putting the tank on. I also did not use every part that came with the Acerbis kit, particularly the spacers and some of the washers with teeth. I wasn't sure exactly what they were for. I hope you enjoyed this.

Looks great, nice job. I sure have been enjoying mine. Here is a ride report that I did a couple of weeks ago with my tank. Man it was nice.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=452742

Jman, great ride report. I'm over on ADV as well. Great site.

By the way, thank you because I studied your Acerbis 5.8 write-up many times prior to doing mine.

Looks good OCMC. It doesn't look like the temp gods are going to be with me this week and I was really hoping to have it before my ride on Saturday. I may be able to leave it in my truck on the days it hits in the mid 60's and that just might loosen it up a bit.

The rectifier is an issue that I've seen done two different ways. Some trim it, like you did and some just move it to the lower mounting and keep it attached with only ththe lower bolt through the top hole. I'm going to look into that route before cutting the cooling fins.

I'll post up a pic once I get it installed.

Well done, Sir:thumbsup:

Hey, am I supposed to run it with both petcocks on or just one at a time and if so, which one first???

Hey, am I supposed to run it with both petcocks on or just one at a time and if so, which one first???

I don't think it's an issue running both in the "on" position. The carb will just draw fuel via the fuel lines. Just make sure that both of the petcocks aren't set to "res" with a full tank:smirk:

Think of it like you had two straws in a soda that were connected via a "Y" connector and you were sucking the soda out via the "Y" connector, all it's going to do is draw from both sides. If you would feel better by giving yourself a kind of extra reserve, you could do one side, then the other. It wouldn't matter which side you set to "on" first.

Hey, am I supposed to run it with both petcocks on or just one at a time and if so, which one first???

The way I do mine is that I draw out of the left side of the tank until it runs out then go to reserve when that is out I start on the Right side and start looking for a gas station.

Hey Captain O, I dug into my bag of parts tonight and found everything I needed as well as three, what appear to be spacers. Are those for the mount at the base of the tank near the front of the seat if needed?

I got my petcocks installed tonight, but didn't get lucky with the interior temps of my truck while at work to get the tank on. I really want to get this thing installed before Saturday for a no fuel stop ride.

Hey Captain O, I dug into my bag of parts tonight and found everything I needed as well as three, what appear to be spacers. Are those for the mount at the base of the tank near the front of the seat if needed?

XRLDTG - I just edited my post above the picture of my bike to say that I didn't use those spacers. Honestly, I was trying to figure out what they were for and I'm not sure why they were included. The shitty instructions I have say to use the spacers to connect the two front tank supports to where the old shrouds use to connect on the bike frame but I didn't see it as being necessary so instead I just ended up using one of the washers from the bag of parts and it worked fine. Also, I might have been missing more bolts from this crappy hardware kit, so I ended up using the stock allen head bolts to attach the front tank supports to the frame tabs. So, what you see below is the stock bolt through an Acerbis-supplied washer through the Acerbis tank support through the frame tab. It's on there as solid as can be. For good measure, I might put a nylon locking nut on the other side. If anyone else knows why the spacers are necessary, please speak up.

XRLDTG - I just edited my post above the picture of my bike to say that I didn't use those spacers. Honestly, I was trying to figure out what they were for and I'm not sure why they were included. The shitty instructions I have say to use the spacers to connect the two front tank supports to where the old shrouds use to connect on the bike frame but I didn't see it as being necessary so instead I just ended up using one of the washers from the bag of parts and it worked fine. Also, I might have been missing more bolts from this crappy hardware kit, so I ended up using the stock allen head bolts to attach the front tank supports to the frame tabs. So, what you see below is the stock bolt through an Acerbis-supplied washer through the Acerbis tank support through the frame tab. It's on there as solid as can be. For good measure, I might put a nylon locking nut on the other side. If anyone else knows why the spacers are necessary, please speak up.

DAMN and I thought the spark plug was already hard to get to WITHOUT the stock tank on:lol: I am shocked at how such a nice tank could come with the most horrible directions ever and missing parts and that Acerbis is to blame, not Justgastanks.com, they did their best to rectify the situations in a timely manor

After reviewing weatherchannel.com for the temps this week, I'm about to stick my tank in the freakin oven to get it warm.

I just remembered that there is a tiny locked room across from my office that gets EXTREMELY warm,(whatever is housed in there gets hellishly hot) maybe I'll put the tank in there for the day and trailer my bike to the office and get it installed right there in the parking lot. I bet I'll got lots of crazy looks. I think I'm onto something here. Michigan fickle weather be damned full steam ahead, I love it when a plan comes together.

DAMN and I thought the spark plug was already hard to get to WITHOUT the stock tank on:lol: I am shocked at how such a nice tank could come with the most horrible directions ever and missing parts and that Acerbis is to blame, not Justgastanks.com, they did their best to rectify the situations in a timely manor

After reviewing weatherchannel.com for the temps this week, I'm about to stick my tank in the freakin oven to get it warm.

Yes, take the opportunity to change your spark plug while you have the tank off. I did. During the warm months, taking the Acerbis tank off and putting it back on really won't be an issue, but as you already know, the cold weather is not your friend when working with this tank. Admittedly, I thought of putting mine in the oven also if the weather didn't cooperate but that was not an issue for me.

Agreed about the quality of instructions and it definitely seems to be on the part of Acerbis and not JGT as all the parts are wrapped up in Acerbis packaging. With all the 5.8 installation write-ups done on this forum and also on ADV, you will only need to occasionally glance at the Acerbis instructions. They are truly crap and of little use. Thankfully, the quality of the tank itself is top notch.

Well, I got her on tonight, without heat. It was a bit of a struggle solo with the front left strap, but everything else went good. Silicone spray works wonders.

I opted not to deal with the rectifier right now and just used the left strap. I'll deal with the rectifier when I have a second pair of hands on a warmer day. I am going to have to deal with it eventually due to the lower part of my handlebar hitting the tank. Apparently I need one more washer on the right side as well to back to bolt out a tad more. My Tusk universal risers should come in tomorrow, so I may be able to get away with it for now, that will raise the bars about 1.4"

The "Y" for the fuel lines is indeed extremely flimsy. I discovered this when I went to separate the fuel line from the petcock and when it let lose, I ended up snapping one arm of the "Y", WOW. I guess it gives me a reason to go get some decent fuel line along with a better connector.

Overall, aside from the horrid instructions, the service from Justgastanks was awsome and the fit and finish of the tank is pretty nice.

If anyone has any ideas as to what to do with the rectifier, I'd be all ears. I really don't want to cut into it, but after lookign at it, it can't be moved down to the lower mounting hole.

Sorry no pics, it got dark by the time I got it all done.

Well, I got her on tonight, without heat. It was a bit of a struggle solo with the front left strap, but everything else went good. Silicone spray works wonders.

I opted not to deal with the rectifier right now and just used the left strap. I'll deal with the rectifier when I have a second pair of hands on a warmer day. I am going to have to deal with it eventually due to the lower part of my handlebar hitting the tank. Apparently I need one more washer on the right side as well to back to bolt out a tad more. My Tusk universal risers should come in tomorrow, so I may be able to get away with it for now, that will raise the bars about 1.4"

The "Y" for the fuel lines is indeed extremely flimsy. I discovered this when I went to separate the fuel line from the petcock and when it let lose, I ended up snapping one arm of the "Y", WOW. I guess it gives me a reason to go get some decent fuel line along with a better connector.

Overall, aside from the horrid instructions, the service from Justgastanks was awsome and the fit and finish of the tank is pretty nice.

If anyone has any ideas as to what to do with the rectifier, I'd be all ears. I really don't want to cut into it, but after lookign at it, it can't be moved down to the lower mounting hole.

Sorry no pics, it got dark by the time I got it all done.

I relocated mine under the seat I will see if I can post some pics of it.

If anyone has any ideas as to what to do with the rectifier, I'd be all ears. I really don't want to cut into it, but after lookign at it, it can't be moved down to the lower mounting hole.

First off, congrats on getting 'er done. I could sense your restlessness over the last couple of days in wanting to do it and you weren't getting any help from the weather.

I'm telling you, just get out the Dremel, take all of 5 minutes and trim the rectifier fin and be done with it. You'll never know a tiny piece of it is missing. Trust me, I looked at it too and started thinking about how I could relocate it and how I would attach it and maybe drill another hole here, etc. After about 30 seconds of contemplating I just said screw it and cut it. I trimmed all of 1/2 x 1/2 inch off. No biggie. After that, the right tank bracket slipped right into place and I was able to move the tank further towards the ground and line everything up so I could start tightening the bolts. Do it!

You can see how I routed the wires in this post

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=744910

But I had some alum, laying around and cut it to fit the rectifier and bent it around another pipe to get it to form around the frame. Then I had to grind a bracket that I think held the canister for the smog crap off the frame. Once that was done I took the dremel out and cut a couple of slots for the hose clamps to slide through and the just tighten it up. The heads of the bolts were sticking out, So I took some 1/4 inch fuel line that I had and slipped over the heads of the bolts so that it wouldn't catch on my pants or boots.

But I would agree with O cap in that the Dremel was the fastest way. But When I did my conversion on the forks, It comes very close to the rect and I have already broke a couple of fins off, so I felt like it would be better down there.

I relocated mine under the seat I will see if I can post some pics of it.

Where the heck did you find room under the seat and will it get enough air flow there? How hot does this thing get? It wouldn't be funny to start your arse on fire while riding on a hot day:lol: Since it's got some fairly big cooling fins, I imagine it must get fairly hot.

As for the right side strap, I'm just going to keep in mind that it is loose when I hit the trail this weekend. It's not like I'm a balls to wall type rider anyway.

Dang Jman, I'm not fabricator, I'm surprised at how much I've been able to do on the pig already, but bending Aluminum, is beyond my capabilities. I may end up grinding the fin over the weekend.....after I get my ride in.

Where the heck did you find room under the seat and will it get enough air flow there? How hot does this thing get? It wouldn't be funny to start your arse on fire while riding on a hot day:lol: Since it's got some fairly big cooling fins, I imagine it must get fairly hot.

As for the right side strap, I'm just going to keep in mind that it is loose when I hit the trail this weekend. It's not like I'm a balls to wall type rider anyway.

Dang Jman, I'm not fabricator, I'm surprised at how much I've been able to do on the pig already, but bending Aluminum, is beyond my capabilities. I may end up grinding the fin over the weekend.....after I get my ride in.

A fire under my ass is last thing I worry about:lol: I try to keep this big ass dinosaur on its wheels.

It is cooler there than it is at the neck of the bike with all that hot oil sitting right behind it.

Bending aluminum anit nothing. I had a pipe and all I did was put it in a vise and take the piece of aluminum and a 2x4 and just beat it over the pipe until I had the contour of the frame, pretty simple really. You can do it , I got faith in you.

A fire under my ass is last thing I worry about:lol: I try to keep this big ass dinosaur on its wheels.

It is cooler there than it is at the neck of the bike with all that hot oil sitting right behind it.

Bending aluminum anit nothing. I had a pipe and all I did was put it in a vise and take the piece of aluminum and a 2x4 and just beat it over the pipe until I had the contour of the frame, pretty simple really. You can do it , I got faith in you.

I was posting the fire under the ass comment while you were posting your pics. Where you put it makes sense, I was thinking that you literally put it under the seat, as in on top of the air box.

I was posting the fire under the ass comment while you were posting your pics. Where you put it makes sense, I was thinking that you literally put it under the seat, as in on top of the air box.

You need to ride that bike down here and lets go for a ride, Sounds like it is still winter up there.