2015+ R1 Endurance Tank

Jim, just run the stock tank, it’s easier for us to beat you in the pits than on track.

 

Not a chance! We are gunning for 4th place baby!

 

Man... All this heavy weight endurance talk is getting me thinking maybe I will throw my GSXR out there next year and we all can fight for 4th place.

 

did you ask ETI about actually making you a larger tank out of kevlar?
https://eti-fuelcel.com/

 

Funny you would put up that link. I had a 2000 R1 with a Kevlar tank and I am pretty sure it was made by them. The biggest factor here is the price. $1,500 for a Kevlar tank is not worth it. I am hoping to stay under $600 once it's all done. I love making things myself, so hopefully I can make it work. It might not be exactly pretty, but that's what vinyl, stickers and some Bondo can fix!

 

Yeah they make some nice stuff. The price would be cheaper than that if you could find 4 others interested.

 

Updates on this project tank??

 

I am working conceptually on it at this point! Haven't had a chance to get into it physically just yet. I recently had triple hernia surgery, so that put everything on hold for some time. When I get at it though, I plan to take quite a few pictures from start to finish. When I begin cutting up the spare tank, I'll post up some pictures.

 

Interested! Heal up quickly! Looking forward to the pics.

 

Update 02/24/2019:

I was able to begin making some templates for the addition to the tank this weekend.

First thing, here is the donor tank I have, thanks Emerson at Bobbleheadmoto.



Next, cut out that stupid crap blocking the opening in the gas cap



Next, because I am going to use the space behind the tank where the ABS pump was located, I had to remove the rear mounting bracket that was welded on



I am trying to keep the seams down to a minimum, so I created a template made of semi-rigid paperboard (Ram Board to be specific)




Here is the second iteration of that template attached to the tank.



And here is the tank along with the small boxed in section sitting on the bike



I now have to order the aluminum sheet and transfer my patterns to the aluminum. The boxed in area under the seat should be easy to fabricate before welding it to the tank. The larger section won't be too bad, but I will need to massage the metal some to get a smoother result. The cardboard is a great starting point, but the back of the tank is a little sharp for a finished product.

 

Glad to see this update, I was afraid I was the only one doing anything fun this week, I am doing 3 R1 tanks and 2 R6 Daytona tanks now...

 

Are you going to cut off the area behind the cap? I think I'd keep it in place to act as a baffle of sorts and just add some holes between the two compartments to allow flow back and forth.

 

And do something to keep fuel cavitation to a minimum..as the level drops..when you create the holes.

 

Cavitation? I don't follow. Can you explain that one a bit?

In my head I'm thinking a hole, or a few, at the lowest point shared by both sides, and an additional set at the highest shared point so there's never a negative pressure over that extra volume.

Was that the missing piece?

 

During acceleration and braking the fuel will move front to back. I was planning on putting in a vertical piece maybe 2 inches tall or so, installed across the bottom of the tank near the rear. This would reduce the fuel from rushing to the boxed area behind the tank during acceleration. It would not go completely across left to right which would allow fuel to enter back to the tank from the boxed area.

I was planning on removing all the aluminum under the addition. Probably wouldn't make much difference in the fuel load, but it would just be in the way. Another question I had was about the weld. Would it be better to have a butt weld or just overlap the new piece over the tank and weld it down? If it didn't hurt anything to weld it up using the latter technique, I wouldn't have to manipulate the aluminum to make it match perfectly. Again, aesthetics is not that big a deal. I can add a little body filler before paint to make it look ok.

 

Lap Joint all day...Making good Butt welds on .025/.030 you are asking for a headache..and doubling the chance for failure...(I know it can be done and I do butt welds on thin shit all the time, but why make it harder than it has to be). JMO.

 

Yep that's great until the fuel gets lower and the holes start causing cavitation of the fuel..and the pump starts sucking air bubbles...instead of fuel.
Keep in mind, the fuel isn't just going forward and backward, it is in a washing machine environment...pitch and yaw..

 

the simple solution is to chop it off and use fuel tank foam - no baffling necessary.

cant wait to see more pics of the build.

 

Will foam keep the fuel from moving or just slow it down?

 

no idea.

arent those the same thing, since u cant actually stop the fuel from moving?