tank questions: dual petcocks?

[jscompto]

I have a 1996 xr 650l and i have an IMS tank on it, but it is old and doesnt look as good as it once did. Also, i have issues trying to get all of the gas to drain out from the right side of the tank. I know i have heard about people putting two petcocks on the tank to be able to drain both sides equally. how is that done? does someone sell a tank that is oversized that already has dual petcocks or that completely drains?

I am contemplating wether to add a petcock to this tank or to sell it and the stock tank and buy a new one. Any suggestions from the audience? Thanks for your help, and here is a link to my tank:

http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii63/jscompto/1996%20XR650L/?action=view&current=imstank.jpg

[xr650l bum]

I would say your tank has seen better days. The only large aftermarket tank that has two petcocks is the acerbis 6 gal. I think justgastanks.com has them for $190. I would go that route than try to jimmy rig something on your tank.

[Purcell69]

The issue with adding a second petcock is the mounting. The mount for the petcock incorporates brass nuts molded into the plastic tank for the petcock screws. It would presumably be possibly to use self-tapping srcews to mount the second petcock, but in an area that was not reinforced to have one mounted, I think you would end up with leaks and possibly a ruined fule tank.

Just my .02

-Joe

[Cocky Rooster]

Excellent question. I just returned from baja and found that the last gallon stuck on the right side of my IMS 4g tank would have made an incredible difference in route options. I would flop the bike on its side to get maybe a half gallon over, but as any one who has run Baja understands-that is not enough. And the pig is friggin heavy. At one point I almost had to dismount the tank to get the dregs of gas left at the bottom of the right side.

I was asking myself the same question of how can I out another petcock on the right side. As mentioned, the mounting points are factory installed, and to have the seal fail with 3 gallons of gas dumping on a hot engine and exhaust is a major consequence.

But if anyone has done this successfully I would love to hear about it!

Otherwise I am going to keep a few feet of clear hose with me to siphon the gas from the right to left side when needed. When I return to Baja I am going to find the Acerbis 6 gallon for my trip, and maybe keep the small tank for around town if the big tank affects the bike much.

[Denn10]

instead of 2 petcocks id like to see someone fab a petcock that has another inlet so you can just put an elbow on the other side and it would go into the PC and the valve would still close the flow but it would drain from both sides. I know its not really needed but i know i have been suspect to laying a bike on its left side to get some fuel to get home over from the right side of a tank LOL

[paul246]

instead of 2 petcocks id like to see someone fab a petcock that has another inlet so you can just put an elbow on the other side and it would go into the PC and the valve would still close the flow but it would drain from both sides. I know its not really needed but i know i have been suspect to laying a bike on its left side to get some fuel to get home over from the right side of a tank LOL

That is what my old CL350 had, a clear piece of fuel tubing connected the two sides of the tank by running from one side outlet, under the frame's backbone and up to the other side so that the fuel supply self equalized.

[paul246]

Another way to do it would be to drop a submersible electric fuel pump (auto scrap yard) into the tank, hook it up and transfer fuel from one side to the other "on the fly" at the push of a button.

[ant_mb]

Another way to do it would be to drop a submersible electric fuel pump (auto scrap yard) into the tank, hook it up and transfer fuel from one side to the other "on the fly" at the push of a button.

Good idea, but where would the wires exit the tank? Through the fill hole?

[paul246]

With a plastic tank I would imagine anywhere above the full mark would do, say near the top front? A small hole and a bit of sealer should do the trick.

[jscompto]

sounds to me like the acerbis 6 gal tank is the way to go then. I just cant stand seeing that wasted gas (not to mention extra couple of pounds) that i am lugging around. Is there a place that i can for sure buy the acerbis 6 gal tank? i am not sure if justgastanks.com has it or not.

[martinfan30]

That is what my old CL350 had, a clear piece of fuel tubing connected the two sides of the tank by running from one side outlet, under the frame's backbone and up to the other side so that the fuel supply self equalized.

This would be the way to go if you could fashion a solid, leak free connection to that side of the tank.

[Purcell69]

I would think a brass fitting threaded into the plastic and secured with JB Weld would most likely work. The JB Weld is not attacked by the fuel and would complete the seal, but I'm not too sure about using my new tank to experiment.

The other option is to plastic-weld the new fitting in place, though it would either have to be done with a new tank or a very clean one. I have seen some palstic welding set-ups in the Eastwood catalogs.

-Joe

[martinfan30]

I would think a brass fitting threaded into the plastic and secured with JB Weld would most likely work. The JB Weld is not attacked by the fuel and would complete the seal, but I'm not too sure about using my new tank to experiment.

The other option is to plastic-weld the new fitting in place, though it would either have to be done with a new tank or a very clean one. I have seen some palstic welding set-ups in the Eastwood catalogs.

-Joe

Sounds good.

Any volunteers??

[spotsboss]

Mine is a XRR - - same problem, but I need gas to go from the left to the right side. I called IMS about this, and they said basically you can't add a petcock. Even Ty Davis has tried and can't get one to work without an eventual leak. I am not interested in the fuel draining part - - I just want the gas to get to the other side without having to lean the bike over.

I was thinking of getting one of those large syringes from WalMart pharmacy and putting a tube on the end, then drawing gas from one side and squirting it into the other. Would fit in fanny pack or fender bag. Would take a while to do it, but not too long. The big ones are 1 inch diameter and 6 inches long. And "no battery needed!"

[xr650l bum]

They have those syphons for emergency with the squeeze ball. I have the IMS 4.0 gal. First I added a second piece of rubber on the frame to elevate the front of the tank a little more. This allows more fuel to actually get to the petcock draining the tank more.

[Purcell69]

It looks like we missed the obvious answer to the problem...More time with the front wheel off the ground.

-Joe

[asf]

Physics says beause the carb is lower than the gas tank, running a tube from the internal portion of the petcock to the right side would allow it to drain gas from that side as well even if the tube's path first goes up. In my mind the simplest solution is if at the internal portion of the petcock if a T fitting could be spliced in before the filter to allow both sides to be drained.

[Purcell69]

Physics says beause the carb is lower than the gas tank, running a tube from the internal portion of the petcock to the right side would allow it to drain gas from that side as well even if the tube's path first goes up. In my mind the simplest solution is if at the internal portion of the petcock if a T fitting could be spliced in before the filter to allow both sides to be drained.

That sounds like a workable solution. The biggest trick would be making the connections inside the tank. It would probably work better with a dry-break style tank that has a larger opening to stick your hand through.

-Joe

[Sixotoo]

Great idea ASF. Just put a plastic tube on the stand tube and run it internally to the left side. That way the left side is emptied till you go on reserve then draw from the right side till empty.

Would probably have to attach some sort of weight to the end of the tube to make sure it stayed at the bottom.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixotoo/2351408831/

[knuklehead]

Ive seen some Clarke tanks with the brass inserts and the flat spot for the petcock on both sides (only one side drilled from Clarke). You mite want to call them and see if they do this on xr tanks or could.