3 Top Tubes Suck!!!!! Need Tank Ideas!!!!

waycoolsportster

waycoolsportster

XS400 Enthusiast
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Started throwin around ideas for my Ol Lady's 400...since I mainly play around with Harleys I have a few Sportster tanks in the garage. NOTHING seems to sit well with these damn 3 top tubes!! Honestly, I don't want to do a lot of cutting on the frame and re-fabricating. I am more or less going bobber-ish on it. Have a spring seat and a flat fender for the rear...already cutting off all the crap back there!! If anyone has some cool aftermarket tanks where you have kept the configuration of the front frame basically stock...Please post some pics and tell me where to get them!!!!:wtf::wtf:
 
I feel your pain. Mine still has the stock tank and has been hard tailed keeping the 3 tubes in the back bone. I would love to get rid of them, but don't really want the work! haha I would measure the tunnel width of your stock tank and then call around to a few vendors to see what would be available in that width. The current backbone set-up is really going to limit your choices, unless you are willing to do some extensive work to a new tank.
 
Here is a CB175 tank I thought about sticking on mine...Maybe a bit more tracker looking than what you were after but it would have fitted with minimal fab work.

2010%20TCU%20BBO%20060.JPG


Caddy
 
Really, that doesn't fit badly at all Caddy. Yeah it's not what I am going for at this point like you said but glad you posted the pic. Sure others might really have gotten a great idea from you!
 
No problem mate, I went through a few tanks before deciding on....yes the one that came with it in the first place :doh:

2010%20TCU%20BBO%20003.jpg
 
LOL....this bike just frustrates me!!! I am used to Sportsters, so I am waaaaaaaaaay out of my element here! It's my girls first bike so I want it cool, then throw in the fact that I am a perfectionist, it's making me pull my hair out so far!
 
i understand you pain waycoolsportster! I'm exactly in the same situation about my tracker project!
The 3 tube are very annoying! And when you find a good tank another problem appears: the 2 big coils!!

i 'll follow your thread and I hope you 'll find a solution.

So tks CadXs your tank CB175 it's a good idea for me! I thought of a DTMX125 tank but i haven't and I could not try. has anyone tried?

I hope it's not too hard to understand me and you are not bored by my bad English :(
 
Relocating the coils isn't that big of a deal...I took mine totally off for now while I am trying to figure out a tank, but I have already scoped out several options for relocating them
 
I used an Honda XL tank, but modified it a fair amount at the front and the filler neck.
 

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ok i have stupid question. what all would i have to do if i do decide to cut out the 2 extra backbones. Would it be just welding in some well placed gussets?
 
Firsttimer said:
ok i have stupid question. what all would i have to do if i do decide to cut out the 2 extra backbones. Would it be just welding in some well placed gussets?
Click to expand...
You would have to make an entire one-piece backbone from the neck. It would have to go under the tank and then down behind the engine where it would split into two smaller tubes that would each meet one side of the rear frame tubes that mount the rear of the engine. Or at least that's the only way I would see it being done.
 

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