IMS Tank Blues

[wr450fyamaha]

That tank would never have made it to my bike...

it would never had made it outta the dealership if it was my purchase.

The reason for the IMS tanks discoloring is that they have large pores due to shitty quality during manufacturing. The pores absorb dirt eventually therefore turning the tank tan/brown.

[Docmarkw]

Do yourself a favor and call IMS. They have excellant customer service and I would bet they will make it right with you. I have a IMS 4.6 red tank along with many friends and not one of us have had any problems with it. Good luck.

[JohnnyAirtime]

But did any of them look as bad as mine?? I guess that is the question.

or am I just being too anal ??

hehehe... no, you just bought an IMS. ?

I've owned them and either had them crack... or just swapped them out for Clarke (on my 2 Hondas, and my quad...) being finish is crap compared to the Clarke's.

Good luck!!!

?

[kirk garber]

The solution is very simple... take the gas cap off your IMS tank and put a new Clark tank under it! Seriously I've struggled with IMS tanks in the past until I discovered Clark, the fit and finish of the Clark is equal to the O.E.M. tank and there are no modifications necessary.

[don87xr600]

it would never had made it outta the dealership if it was my purchase.

The reason for the IMS tanks discoloring is that they have large pores due to shitty quality during manufacturing. The pores absorb dirt eventually therefore turning the tank tan/brown.

So only the white and natural tanks have large pores? Another idiotic post.

[SlimJim 4fiddy]

So only the white and natural tanks have large pores? Another idiotic post.

I don't know either of you... But your post is the one that annoyed me...

[rkuckkahn]

Send it back, they'll replace it. You got a reject.

[Mudshark]

okay... I called IMS and spoke to a very nice guy at their Customer service

department. He told me that all the 4.6gal tanks looked pretty much like

that and it would be a while before they got new ones in.

He said that it was less noticeable on the white or Natural tanks.... but I want a red one

Anyhow he offered me a refund. After this I called the dealer that I got

the tank through, they have already taken the IMS back and have ordered

me a new Clarke Tank... 4.3 gal Red.

So I've just got to wait till the new Clarke gets here, they said in under a

week, so hopefully it'll be before next weekend ?

BTW Cycle Center of Denton is a very cool dealer, they have gone to

great lengths to make sure that I am 100% happy with this bike.

Cool crowd. ?

[JohnnyAirtime]

Glad to hear you were taken care of... ?

The Clarke being a 4.3 is actually a good thing. The 4.6 IMS is so far down on the left, it almost prohibits you from removing a spark plug (I know I know... who has to change a plug on a 4stroke? Well... it's not about changing it, but if you hydro lock your bike or need to check for spark!) when the bike is a tad warm... or at all without pulling the tank. The Clarke has great access to the plug and is such a nicer built tank for less money.

?

[Mudshark]

Well while waiting for the new tank to arrive, I kept myself busy

this weekend making a bracket to mount the speedo and the ignition

switch to the bike. Here's the finished product.... not as pretty as

I would have liked but to too ugly. I'll round off the corners later

when I feel the need to "play" with it again. I'll also paint it sliver.

it might help it not look so big.

[spell]

I have an XL650 I did the same thing to minus the radiator of coarse send it back it will continue to cause problems. leaks cracks just down right dangerous

[Mudshark]

Okay the new Clarke tank arrived and boy it's way better finished.

I'll fit it tomorrow and report back on the fit etc with some pics.

but right out of the box, it's a whole different level of quality.

All edges are polished and seams are very neat, also the tanks surface

is very smooth and shines like a bottle. I'm sure this will not last, but t least

it's starting out looking right ? It's the same quality as the OEM

tank.

Tomorrow we'll see how well it fits....

Another Plus 1 for Cycle Center of Denton (shameless plug) for getting the

new tank to me in under a week... and for taking care of this whole project

for me :clap: :clap:

[joker650]

I say that tank is used buddy.

Looks like they tried to clean it up with scotch brite pads.An how wlse does that dent get in there?

Return It ?

OOps.......just read the whole thread

Congrats on the Clarke, I have one too ?

[Mudshark]

Heres the new Clarke:

It was a tight fit. The rear of the tank, where it goes over the U shaped

rubber mounting spacer that sits over the frame is very tight. In front, It also

pushes against the radiator pipes, the little ones that balance the two halves.

This is not serious, but I will keep an eye on it to make sure that it doesn’t chafe.

Other than that, all the mountings lined up nicely and it was easy to get the

bolts into all the mountings.... once the tank was wiggled into place.

Like I said the rear rubber spacer is tight. The upside is that the tank feels

very solid.

The colour match of the Clarke is also much better than the IMS tank.

The IMS was narrower that the Clarke where the tank meets the seat and

therefore I think it “felt” better. It’s a pity it looked so bad. I think that if

the IMS looked better I would have overlooked the bad fit.

Having said that, the Clarke is streets ahead in the quality department.

There is no comparison.

Well all that’s left to do to the bike now is to get a 45 rear sprocket and

The HiFlo header.

[SlimJim 4fiddy]

Congrats... !

Be careful about header... sometimes they kill low end...

[FOUR STOKED]

That is one clean DP conversion with some well engineered mods. If Honda built your bike I would probably heading to the dealer immediately. ? If it weren't for the DMV here in GA, I might try that anyway. ?

P.S.- Do not attempt to peg out your speedo(160mph)

[Mudshark]

That is one clean DP conversion with some well engineered mods. If Honda built your bike I would probably heading to the dealer immediately. ? If it weren't for the DMV here in GA, I might try that anyway.

P.S.- Do not attempt to peg out your speedo(160mph)

Thanks... the cool thing is that Honda included all the mods in the purchase

price for me..... so you could say it comes directly from them like that. ?

All you need is a good shopping list and let the dealer add the DOT stuff

to get it past DMV for you, then you add the rest. This saves a couple of

hundred in install charges and pays for the beer

The high MPH on the speedo kinda sucks, youre right, but it's a "one size

fits all" speedo from Baja Designs. I don't think it'll ever get over half way

[Mudshark]

Congrats... !

Be careful about header... sometimes they kill low end...

Yes, it's the main reason it's not on the bike yet. I'll investigate some more

before shelling out the $200 for it.

All I've seen so far it that it moves the power curve more towards the higher RPM

range, so it will more than likely effect the low end power in a negative way.

I want grunt, not a screamer.... else I would have got a YZ or some other

smoker ?

[SlimJim 4fiddy]

I did the exhaust wrap on my stocker to get that cool custom look and improve heat control...

[Mike Worshum]

After reading this post I was a little apprehensive about an IMS tank for my 06L model. Thinking that this was an isolated event and the consensus was that most folks where pleased with Clarke and IMS. A few riding buddies have both and like them. I rolled the dice and bought the IMS and I must say I'm not impressed at all. At least it does fit well, but the finish is horrible. It looks like a third grade art project gone bad. Sure, I could spend hours disk sanding the mold joints but why should I have to. On the smooth? sides, there are bubbles...they sand out but again why would one go through the trouble. I tell myself, "well hell it's a dirt bike" which is all fine and good. But as of this post, I would not recommend an IMS tank. ?

I plan to call them (as suggested) and e-mail them pictures before I start my messaging process.

I just installed it last night and have not taken photos yet. I will post pics when I return from our mountain home on Tuesday.