Stuck tank

Hi gang,
Has anyone else ever gotten their petrol tank stuck in the raised position? the first time I lifted it(remove the two bolts beneath the triple and lift, the lower lip of the tank snagged a bit on the bottom of the triple(near the ignition). I managed to squeeze it out but squeezing it back in was near impossible. In the end I used a screwdriver to wedge it back down. Surely they didn't come from the factory like this?

And is their anything I can do? Now that I'm aware of the snug fit, I fear that where the tank meets the ignition casing I'm getting a little rubbing resistance and this could affect my steering resistance. Or am i just paranoid?

2001 RSV Mille R in case that helps.

thoughts?
-b

plastic tank by the way...

Are you using normal unleaded fuel? if so your tank has swollen due to the ethanol in standard unleaded. You need to use super unleaded & your tank will return to almost correct size, if you remove the mounting bracket on the rear of the tank & slot the 4 bolt holes slightly it allows you to move the tank backwards a bit so it's easier to get the bolts at the front back in. It also relieves the stress on the tank, this is a common problem which is only going to get worse with the crap they are passing off as petrol nowadays.

its swollen because of the ethanol in the petrol....long but well known issue.

you might have to take it off completely , empty it and let it dry for a couple of days , it will shrink back or you can slot the rear mounting bracket to give you the required adjustment.

Interesting!
I've only been running premium(91 octane is as high as we can get around here in the US) since i got it, and no discernable change.
Does the rear mounting bracket actually adjust, or by "slot the bracket" are you saying I can drill a few holes to shift the whole system back? Assumption here being i won't actually drill into the innards of the tank?

thanks again for your help, i'm gonna have a good look at the rear bracket now...

Interesting!
I've only been running premium(91 octane is as high as we can get around here in the US) since i got it, and no discernable change.
Does the rear mounting bracket actually adjust, or by "slot the bracket" are you saying I can drill a few holes to shift the whole system back? Assumption here being i won't actually drill into the innards of the tank?

thanks again for your help, i'm gonna have a good look at the rear bracket now...

ah...now i understand...
View attachment 5357

these four bolts, right? leave the frame unmodified and drill the tank holes forward a few mm? reinsert bolts and call it a day?

not much room to play there but seems doable.
Just a green light from you guys and i'll feel confident to move forward.
thanks!

banyan said:

Interesting!
I've only been running premium(91 octane is as high as we can get around here in the US) since i got it, and no discernable change.
Does the rear mounting bracket actually adjust, or by "slot the bracket" are you saying I can drill a few holes to shift the whole system back? Assumption here being i won't actually drill into the innards of the tank?


thanks again for your help, i'm gonna have a good look at the rear bracket now...

Click to expand...

This is a massive problem for Harley xr1200 owners in the USA too. Harley will currently swap the tank under warranty, so it's not just our bikes ......

Yes just enlarge the four mounting bracket holes. I would just lift the entire tank up slide a couple of pieces of wood between the bracket and frame rails then enlarge them. Dont forget you will need a large washer under the mounting bolt.

banyan said:

ah...now i understand...
View attachment 5357

these four bolts, right? leave the frame unmodified and drill the tank holes forward a few mm? reinsert bolts and call it a day?

not much room to play there but seems doable.
Just a green light from you guys and i'll feel confident to move forward.
thanks!

Click to expand...

Almost all petrol contains approx 10% ethanol and I think maybe that is 15% in the U.S.

You can get special coatings to apply to the inside of the tank to stop the absorbtion.

banyan said:

Interesting!
I've only been running premium(91 octane is as high as we can get around here in the US) since i got it, and no discernable change.
Does the rear mounting bracket actually adjust, or by "slot the bracket" are you saying I can drill a few holes to shift the whole system back? Assumption here being i won't actually drill into the innards of the tank?

thanks again for your help, i'm gonna have a good look at the rear bracket now...

Click to expand...

Make sure that the pivot bolt under the rear mounting plate is not done up too tightly.
Had the same issue you describe on mine. Had all the same comments about the tank swelling because of ethonal in the fuel.
How much of a problem this actusally is i'm not sure. because it the tank has swollen then you'll not be able to lift it past the top yoke.
But I digress, The pivot bolt sits in a slotted mounting hole, lifting the tank drags the bolt to the front of the slot but if the pivot bolt is too tight it does not slide back to its original position. thus you cannot get the tank back past the top yoke.
Loosen the pivot bolt off untill you can slide the tank along the slot easily and you problem will be solved, it sould have a nyloc nut on to allow this. Simples.

loosened the pivot bolt, and dremel'd out the rear bracket holes to slide the whole thing back. still have to scrape it to lift it up and down, but not nearly as bad as before. And at least now I'm confident my steering is unaffected. Thanks for all the help!