Fuel tank raising question

Duporth · Jan 15, 2018

I need to raise my ST1300 fuel tank for servicing. The tank is currently very close to full of fuel.

Apart from weight, is there any reason I can't/should not raise the near full tank? Is leakage from the filling lid likely.

Thank you,

D

klaproth · Jan 15, 2018

I'd definitely siphon a few gallons out. It is not only heavy, but is unwieldy when full. Be careful while siphoning not to hit the fuel level sensor.

dduelin · Jan 15, 2018

The inherent risk to raising the tank is damaging the joint hose to the lower tank. Make certain the seat adjuster is set in the maintenance position before raising the tank and the lanyard is in place that keeps the tank from being lifted too far. If not the hose can be cut on the sharp edge of the tank pipe. All the gas in the upper will run out onto the ground in short order. The owners manual will show you the 'down and back' location of the tank hinge bolt when it is in the maintenance position.

MaxPete · Jan 15, 2018

I think I have read that it is a good idea to replace that inter-tank hose at the 10 year point anyway - any comments on that?

Pete

SupraSabre · Jan 15, 2018

Yes, DON'T DO IT! DAMHIK! The gas will come running out of the gas cap!

Drain it down to about half (or just ride it for 150 miles..

Besides the gas coming out, that tank is going to be heavy.

If you have a 7 gallon gas can, a real easy way to drain the whole tank (both tanks) is to remove/replace (very fast) the hose indicated in this diagram, with a hose going into your gas can.

jfheath · Jan 15, 2018

I don't think that leakage is an issue (but between starting my replay and hitting 'send', I note that SupraSabre has evidence that disagrees with me, so safer to go with that) - but the tank will be heavy and the method of supporting it with the strut from under the pillion seat allows it to flop from side to side. I'm not happy with a full tank raised because of that - and because of the strain that a heavy, floppy tank can put onto the joining hose.

Having fully removed the tank once, I watched carefully how the curved shape of the slot in the bracket seems designed to allow movement without putting any sideways strain on the hose joints. The joint is critical, and the new hose comes with white dots to indicate which way is up.

I know that some bar risers may present problems with lifting the tank, and a suggestion that I have seen has been to undo the bracket that dictates the correct path for the rear of the tank. In my opinion, that would be quite a risky thing to do

The hose clamps are incredibly strong, and come with a clip which holds them wide when new. Remove the clip and the clamp snaps shut with a vengeance. I mean it is seriously fast and decisive. Think mousetrap on steroids.

I am pretty certain that lifting the tank by either removing the long rear bolt or by uncoupling the restraining cable will cause the hose to try to become elliptical - as it will no longer be in line with the metal tube onto which it is clamped. You really don't want this seal to be compromised in any way. The manual says to replace the hose and the two clamps with new if they are ever removed.

I decided to replace mine when I wanted to replace the fuel filter - which means opening up the bottom tank. I ran it almost dry before tackling it. Having no tank on the bike made it so much easier to get to the airbox and stuff underneath - but I made a mental note never to take the tank off without having those replacement clamps and joining hose.

SupraSabre · Jan 15, 2018

jfheath said:
I don't think that leakage is an issue (but between starting my replay and hitting 'send', I note that SupraSabre has evidence that disagrees with me, so safer to go with that) - but the tank will be heavy and the method of supporting it with the strut from under the pillion seat allows it to flop from side to side. I'm not happy with a full tank raised because of that - and because of the strain that a heavy, floppy tank can put onto the joining hose.

Having fully removed the tank once, I watched carefully how the curved shape of the slot in the bracket seems designed to allow movement without putting any sideways strain on the hose joints. The joint is critical, and the new hose comes with white dots to indicate which way is up.

I know that some bar risers may present problems with lifting the tank, and a suggestion that I have seen has been to undo the bracket that dictates the correct path for the rear of the tank. In my opinion, that would be quite a risky thing to do

The hose clamps are incredibly strong, and come with a clip which holds them wide when new. Remove the clip and the clamp snaps shut with a vengeance. I mean it is seriously fast and decisive. Think mousetrap on steroids.

I am pretty certain that lifting the tank by either removing the long rear bolt or by uncoupling the restraining cable will cause the hose to try to become elliptical - as it will no longer be in line with the metal tube onto which it is clamped. You really don't want this seal to be compromised in any way. The manual says to replace the hose and the two clamps with new if they are ever removed.

I decided to replace mine when I wanted to replace the fuel filter - which means opening up the bottom tank. I ran it almost dry before tackling it. Having no tank on the bike made it so much easier to get to the airbox and stuff underneath - but I made a mental note never to take the tank off without having those replacement clamps and joining hose.

Having removed multiple tanks on multiple ST1300s; as long as the connector hose is flexible and doesn't show any signs of failure, you should be fine, removing an empty tank and then reinstalling it with the old hose and clamps. Now, the trick is first following the proper procedure to do so. 1-empty 2- tilt it back (using the rod to hold it) 3- removing the lines connected underneath and the grounding strap, 4-lower the tank back down 5-remove the rear holding bracket (now this putting this back on can sometimes be a pain...) 6-Use long nosed(angled) pliers to remove the lower tank hose connection. 7- remove the tank, pulling it straight up. (There will probably be a little gas that comes out, but very little.)

But this was not what you were asking, but that's how these threads go!

ReSTored · Jan 15, 2018

I'd never risk juggling an almost full tank when removing it. Sounds like a recipe for a strained back or worse. Go for a nice long ride to use up or siphon off most of it into container(s) and just pour into your car or truck to get rid of it.

SMSW · Jan 15, 2018

I'll add to the unasked questions. It's far easier and more enjoyable to ride the bike to run the gas down to one bar, then proceed with Bob's instructions in Post 7. The only conditions under which I might try his suggestion in Post 5 would be in an open, detatched garage where a spilled gas (oh, you use petrol down under, don't you?) smell would not be objectionable.

I changed my upper fuel tank hoses this summer (7 years) and they looked fine to me. However, I'm a proponent of preventative maintenance and would prefer that I choose when parts get replaced and that the bike does not surprise me by requiring new parts at inopportune times. A ten year life for rubber parts (with no other direction from the Service Manual) seems reasonable to me, especially if failure would immobilize the bike.

Duporth · Jan 15, 2018

Thank you for replies. I have just had another closer look into the tank (via the filling inlet).

NOW I do feel like a dill. Yesterday I thought I could see a 'flat plate', a baffle of some kind that would prevent a siphoning hose from reaching the floor of the tank, but now I'm thinking the 'flat plate' IS the floor of the tank. If this is so then, yes, I can siphon the tank and that's an easy answer to my tank raising question.

So is that the floor of the tank I am seeing? It's kind of shallow, my probe with a pencil reveals.

Cheers, Dummy D

Trump · Jan 15, 2018

I would only lift an empty tank unless it was an emergency. That connecting hose will be a disaster if it ever leaks!

klaproth · Jan 16, 2018

Duporth said:
So is that the floor of the tank I am seeing? It's kind of shallow, my probe with a pencil reveals.

The tank is not as large as it might appear- the "flat plate" you see/feel is actually the bottom. The tank is concave at the bottom, to accommodate the airbox, etc.

To siphon the gas out, I stick a siphon down the L/H side of the tank, and get as much as I can out- this avoids the fuel level sensor.

cdnemsguy · Jan 16, 2018

I just lifted an empty tank and although I was warned, undid the strap and pulled it too far. I had a cut in the tank connecting hose. Don't go to far. It is easy to drain the gas. On the top of the lower tank there is a low pressure line with a snap clamp. Find the same size hose and quickly exchange the hoses, with the new hose other end in the gas can. The pressure from the fuel forces the gas out that line so no syphoning is required. Then I would pull the seat mount and remove the tank completely if you need it up further than the cable allows. I wouldnt tilt it with full fuel either.

Trump · Jan 16, 2018

As long as we re talking gas tanks keep that lock lubed with the lube of your choice. I use white lithium. Last summer I couldnt get the cap shut after a fill up. No way. Lucky for me the garage mechanic gave the lock a shot of wd40 and that let me get it closed. Qutir a problem a gas cap malefunction with a full tank and no way to get the cap shut!

Duporth · Jan 17, 2018

Thank you everyone for valuable advice. I must have been day-dreaming as I initially peered into the ST tank seeing the shallow floor as a baffle or such. Mindful of past bike tanks that were 'all tank'. Thanks klaproth for the reminder.

That's an interesting consideration, the tank lock, Mr Trump, thank you. I'll put that on my list and while speaking about lubing, my turn indicator button was a bit sluggish and stiff to turn on. So I recently sprayed some silicone into the button/switch area and the result was an immediate cure. It is nice and free now.

D

Trump · Jan 18, 2018

I had a somewhat similar problem with my old ST11. At night when switching from hi to lo beam (or was it the other way around?) the freaking headlights would just go OFF!

And stay off! Frantic flipping of the switch would restore the headlite after a while but I didnt dare touch the switch again! I gave the switch a good shot of electrical contact cleaner and all was well. For about a year when it would happen again. After that the shot of stuff was done once a year whether it needed it or not.

Team2010 · Jul 12, 2021

Trump said:
As long as we re talking gas tanks keep that lock lubed with the lube of your choice. I use white lithium. Last summer I couldnt get the cap shut after a fill up. No way. Lucky for me the garage mechanic gave the lock a shot of wd40 and that let me get it closed. Qutir a problem a gas cap malefunction with a full tank and no way to get the cap shut!

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I too have had this happen where I could not close the gas cap after filling up. I have seen previous threads where the gas cap would not open along with the proper fix, but this is the first mention of a cap not closing.
My question is what part of the cap gets the white lithium ? I don't think it would be on the cap's 'tab/ears' as the grease would be washed away by the gas. I have used a proper lock lube for the lock mechanism.

cdnemsguy · Jul 12, 2021

Team2010 said:
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I too have had this happen where I could not close the gas cap after filling up. I have seen previous threads where the gas cap would not open along with the proper fix, but this is the first mention of a cap not closing.
My question is what part of the cap gets the white lithium ? I don't think it would be on the cap's 'tab/ears' as the grease would be washed away by the gas. I have used a proper lock lube for the lock mechanism.

Are you talking 1300? If so it shouldn't be a lock or tab issue, it would be the allen head screws on the ring that are most likely overtightened. There is another recent thread on this, so take a look here... https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?117136-ST1300-Sticking-Fuel-Cap

SMSW · Jul 12, 2021

Someone here was selling an Oberon (aftermarket) screw in gas cap. Aside from a roommate's bike parked outside a bar overnight, I've never heard of anyone fiddling with a motorcycle's gas cap. (Rick's tank was mysteriously more full in the morning than the night before and it would not start. Moral, don't park a Suzuki in front of a bar overnight). That screw in gas cap was a delight - no more fighting with the locking cap.

Team2010 · Jul 12, 2021

cdnemsguy said:
Are you talking 1300? If so it shouldn't be a lock or tab issue, it would be the allen head screws on the ring that are most likely overtightened. There is another recent thread on this, so take a look here... https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?117136-ST1300-Sticking-Fuel-Cap

Hi cdnemsquy, thanks for the response.
Yes, 2007 1300 .
The above link address' the issue of the gas cap not opening. The issue I've had is not being able to close the cap after filling-up.
Upon inspection, I do see some 'shinny' spots on the leading edge of the cap. I will be sure to carry a 5mm hex until I remove the cap and file the 'shinny' spots down.
I've never touched the three allen head screws on the ring.
Interesting that my issue was closing up the tank as opposed to opening it up. :shrug2:

Fuel tank raising question

Duporth

klaproth

dduelin

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

MaxPete

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired

jfheath

John Heath

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired

ReSTored

SMSW

Duporth

Trump

klaproth

cdnemsguy

Trump

Duporth

Trump

Team2010

cdnemsguy

SMSW

Team2010