[Coreytrevor]

I decided to try to get more gas in my tank, I've run pretty low on longer rides, down to about 1/3 gallon left, not good.
I have done several of my bikes in the past with good results.

I took off the tank, drained it, took off the cap and fuel pump and let it sit out in the breeze a few hours until the fumes were gone. Then I took my Dremel with a fresh cutoff wheel and cut a slot on the RH side of the neck, just below the top flange that the cap seals to. I cut probably 1/3 of the way around the right side as high as possible since the bike leans left when filling. I blew out the tank with air for about 10 minutes until everything was out.

I then wanted to see how much fuel the tank actually holds. I poured gas in a little at a time until the fuel pump started to draw fuel, by sound. This is effectively completely empty, where you run out of gas. There is only about 5 to 7 ounces of fuel the pump can't get to, not bad. Then I added a half gallon and rode to the gas station. The amount of fuel the bike took, minus the half gallon minus the 2 miles of fuel to get to the gas station, am I still making sense? The tank was almost exactly 3.7 gallons to the bottom of the neck originally, really close to Yamaha's spec, now I can get in 4.13 gallons to the bottom of the top flange, but the last .413 gallon goes in pretty quickly.

For me that means an extra 20+ miles before pushing, I'm getting well over 50 mpg now. It means about 11% more range. A lot of you probably don't need more range but I'm used to 6.8 gallons at 50 mpg on my 1150GS so it equals a little more peace of mind for me. I have also removed my evap canister so any fuel that goes out the tank vent just goes on the ground. It looks like maybe only the CA bikes have the evap system. Just don't top off the tank like this and park the bike. The expanding fuel will come out the tank vent system, potential garage explosion hazard.

 

[DNFDOUG]

Wow that is a pretty aggressive solution for not wanting to pull over and fuel up. I have been up the Pacific coast and never found myself more than a hundred miles between gas stops.

 

[Old Man]

Wow indeed, seems a bit extreme for a little benefit.

 

[inroads]

Dremel in steel tank makem sparks.me blow up!

 

[Coreytrevor]

It's not really a matter of not wanting to stop at a gas station I'm riding past. It's more like being on a ride in really remote areas where it can easily be 150 to 170 miles or more between stations or not being able to ride where I like to ride. There are some pretty remote areas in the mountains and deserts of CA.

 

[Alley Oop]

Could you post pictures to the part that you modified?

 

[Coreytrevor]

Could you post pictures to the part that you modified?

I'll try to get a photo. It might not be easy to see it.

 

[RichBinAZ]

Having just taken the tank off my AZ -09, I did not find an evap canister - where did they put the CA one? Is it in the area in front of the battery?

 

[Coreytrevor]

It's directly under the back of the tank, right above where it says UP. You probably have some unused threaded holes in that cross piece.

 

[Coreytrevor]

Could you post pictures to the part that you modified?

I can't get a photo, it's not visible where it is. The idea is to vent the filler neck as high as possible on the RH side, you can also drill holes with a really long drill bit. Just below the top kind of funnel shaped flange the cap gasket seals to.

 

[RichBinAZ]

The word UP appears twice.
I suspect you mean the big crossmember under the tank where the shock is bolted - for the evap canister.
I was thinking that spare area just behind the tank and in front of the battery - but if it isn't there, that I bet that space is being reserved for an ABS unit

 

[GreenMonster]

I decided to try to get more gas in my tank, I've run pretty low on longer rides, down to about 1/3 gallon left, not good.
I have done several of my bikes in the past with good results.

I took off the tank, drained it, took off the cap and fuel pump and let it sit out in the breeze a few hours until the fumes were gone. Then I took my Dremel with a fresh cutoff wheel and cut a slot on the RH side of the neck, just below the top flange that the cap seals to. I cut probably 1/3 of the way around the right side as high as possible since the bike leans left when filling. I blew out the tank with air for about 10 minutes until everything was out.

I then wanted to see how much fuel the tank actually holds. I poured gas in a little at a time until the fuel pump started to draw fuel, by sound. This is effectively completely empty, where you run out of gas. There is only about 5 to 7 ounces of fuel the pump can't get to, not bad. Then I added a half gallon and rode to the gas station. The amount of fuel the bike took, minus the half gallon minus the 2 miles of fuel to get to the gas station, am I still making sense? The tank was almost exactly 3.7 gallons to the bottom of the neck originally, really close to Yamaha's spec, now I can get in 4.13 gallons to the bottom of the top flange, but the last .413 gallon goes in pretty quickly.

For me that means an extra 20+ miles before pushing, I'm getting well over 50 mpg now. It means about 11% more range. A lot of you probably don't need more range but I'm used to 6.8 gallons at 50 mpg on my 1150GS so it equals a little more peace of mind for me. I have also removed my evap canister so any fuel that goes out the tank vent just goes on the ground. It looks like maybe only the CA bikes have the evap system. Just don't top off the tank like this and park the bike. The expanding fuel will come out the tank vent system, potential garage explosion hazard.

Now that the factory racks are available, why not grab a gallon Rotax and bolt it on for those questionable areas?

 

[slypiranna]

FWIW, As a fabricator that has worked on many fuel tanks/cells...I would bring great caution to this thread. Ya might end up dead. Where is the moderation in subjects like these? mm

 

[knobbyaddiction]

And shavings in your Tank/Fuel. I ignore alot of internet bike mod suggestions.

 

[marthy]

Not worth the trouble for an extra 10 miles a tank to me. 120-150 miles a tank is plenty enough. If I decide to do a IBA machine with the 09... I will mod the tank up to 6 gals or so.

 

[markstertt]

Uhmm, ever push your bike 10 miles Marthy? Been there and also ridden for more than a few miles at 35 mph hoping to stretch that last little bit of gas to the next open gas station. Northern Nevada comes to mind when the next gas station was unexpectedly closed, best plans and all that. I wouldn't personally do the die grinder bit but in another post it was mentioned that the metal of the filler stand pipe was soft enough to knock a punch through with little effort so why not?

Not worth the trouble for an extra 10 miles a tank to me. 120-150 miles a tank is plenty enough. If I decide to do a IBA machine with the 09... I will mod the tank up to 6 gals or so.

 

[s fortuna]

Uhmm, ever push your bike 10 miles Marthy? Been there and also ridden for more than a few miles at 35 mph hoping to stretch that last little bit of gas to the next open gas station. Northern Nevada comes to mind when the next gas station was unexpectedly closed, best plans and all that. I wouldn't personally do the die grinder bit but in another post it was mentioned that the metal of the filler stand pipe was soft enough to knock a punch through with little effort so why not?

i punched a hole in mine . but i got the bike empty , opened the cap for a few days first . i did not get it fired up for a month after i got it . some times i like to do 200 before needing fuel. glad to here it gets over 50 . is that with a w/s or bare ? i would thing a decent w/s would help the air flow out

 

[Ohnineophile]

I decided to try to get more gas in my tank, I've run pretty low on longer rides, down to about 1/3 gallon left, not good.
I have done several of my bikes in the past with good results.

I took off the tank, drained it, took off the cap and fuel pump and let it sit out in the breeze a few hours until the fumes were gone. Then I took my Dremel with a fresh cutoff wheel and cut a slot on the RH side of the neck, just below the top flange that the cap seals to. I cut probably 1/3 of the way around the right side as high as possible since the bike leans left when filling. I blew out the tank with air for about 10 minutes until everything was out.

I then wanted to see how much fuel the tank actually holds. I poured gas in a little at a time until the fuel pump started to draw fuel, by sound. This is effectively completely empty, where you run out of gas. There is only about 5 to 7 ounces of fuel the pump can't get to, not bad. Then I added a half gallon and rode to the gas station. The amount of fuel the bike took, minus the half gallon minus the 2 miles of fuel to get to the gas station, am I still making sense? The tank was almost exactly 3.7 gallons to the bottom of the neck originally, really close to Yamaha's spec, now I can get in 4.13 gallons to the bottom of the top flange, but the last .413 gallon goes in pretty quickly.

For me that means an extra 20+ miles before pushing, I'm getting well over 50 mpg now. It means about 11% more range. A lot of you probably don't need more range but I'm used to 6.8 gallons at 50 mpg on my 1150GS so it equals a little more peace of mind for me. I have also removed my evap canister so any fuel that goes out the tank vent just goes on the ground. It looks like maybe only the CA bikes have the evap system. Just don't top off the tank like this and park the bike. The expanding fuel will come out the tank vent system, potential garage explosion hazard.

I made holes in the filler next as per other discussions on the board. My tank capacity was increased 0.3 gallons, which is more than some others experience, but less that your .4. I get a similar 50 mpg average on long rides, which equates to about 15 extra miles of range. My '02 FZ1 had a 5.5 gallon tank which would give me a range of almost 250 miles. I certainly miss that range since I'm not a huge fan of pumping gas!

 

[ozmoto]

I've been tracking my fuelling since getting the bike via Fuelly as with all my vehicles, mainly to/from work.

XSR (Yamaha XSR900) | Fuelly

I'm averaging 45-46MPG around town so highway I should hit 50MPG easily.