I had to rebed the front two petcocks on my 610 IMS tank every 2000 miles, each time using an additional wrap of teflon tape from the time before. The wings spread apart from the wind (no brace) it was always a little crooked visually, I had to take a file to one of the rear petcock mounting areas to make it flat enough to seal properly just like I did on my IMS KLR tank. Not about to use the Uptite electonic fuel pump adaptor (which should be ready by now) for the IMS tank for the 610FI/630. Yeah the Safari is expensive, I just sold the TT 41 liter tank on my 1150GS to pay for it, that bike is pretty much a pavement queen now.
I've had 6+ gallon tanks on at least six dirtbikes, all different brands available. Never used foam and never felt I needed it. I ride offroad a LOT more than I ride on pavement, sloshing has never been an issue. The Safari tank carries it's load low, so partial fillups for shorter rides should not be noticeable, and the bike might handle a bit better with the weight down lower.
Tomorrow I am heading down to Oceanside to drop my 630 off at JustGasTanks. They are interested to see if they can come up with a workaround for the cross brace and mount the tank with the LV single pipe system. It's an 8 hour drive each way but will be worth it if it works. Hopefully it will pay off for them with increased sales in the long run. Should know in a couple days.
Just got back from JustGasTanks/North Country Motoersports. Tom came up with a simple and elegant replacement for the crossbrace on the Safari tank...two side braces. They are sending a template of these braces to Aqualine/Safari tanks in Australia, so these may be an option or included for future TE630 tank kits. Anyway I am stoked to have the Safari tank and keep my single LV pipe. Nice shop, nice people. I have purchased from them once before and they were great to deal with, never met them before though. The mounted tank feels stable and rock solid. One thing I noticed on the Safari tank, there is a second, lower mounting spot I think it is the location for the injected 610's fuel pump if the tank is used on the that bike. Anyway, the threaded brass inserts look like a potential spot to to mount a small tool tube or a quart of oil on long trips. Just got home and took a couple quick snaps.
Congratulations, the bracing looks first class so it was well worth persevering with - amply rewarded for your effort! The white tank is, in my opinion, the best match for the bike of the colours I have seen mounted so far (translucent and red). How does it change the feel of the bike when sitting on it, i.e. does it force your legs out or is it still a comfortable angle? I wouldn't mind seeing a photo from the top if you get a chance. Thanks, Russ
The tank is as narrow as the oem one at the knees. Totally unobtrusive. The lower lobes carry the bulk of the weight down low and forward. This is translucent, btw.... the material this tank is made of results in a better looking "natural" than most other brands.
Thanks, it really is quite a clever design for such a large capacity tank. It's a pity they don't offer one in a mid size, as a number of Members have expressed an interest. I see several have emailed IMS - I wonder whether they should also ask Safari (I can't recall anyone saying they had).
A more mid-size tank in the 4.5 gallon range would be nice....but remember, you don't have to fill up a 6.6. A partially filled Safari would carry the weight perfectly - but I know the real part of the equation here hoping for an IMS is cost. A smaller capacity Safari wouldn't be much cheaper. I'd love to see Acerbis step up. IMS has already tooled up for the 610's tank, so I could see them being the most likely to be persuaded to offer a small production run of tanks for a bike that's got such a short production run of it's own.
Agreed, for me it is very much a cost issue. However, the more pics I see of the Safari the more it grows on me. I like the idea of having a good long range bike especially since I don't own a truck, or hauler, to bring me to a trailhead. Looks like I may have to start saving some dough!
Do you know the volume of fuel that is carried in the two wings up to the crease line below the Safari sticker? I'm curious as to the fuel volume and weight carried lower than the stock tank. The photos above certainly show that the tank is thin and well designed. Wish it had a locking cap.
Thanks for the excellent photos. From the riding position it certainly doesn't look like a 6.6 gallon tank - it really is well designed. Although it's expensive, I guess like most things in life you get what you pay for.
It is worlds better than the IMS I had on my 610. Also, JustGasTanks said the wall thickness of the plastic is 3/16" whereas the Acerbis tanks are generally 1/8". Nothing like +50% over-engineering
I read through most of the posts in this thread, but not all of them, so if this was covered I apologize for asking again. How does the Safari handle the fuel gauge sensor? As you know the stock tank has no petcock, but does have a yellow idiot light when you are down to about a half gallon or so. How does Safari address this?
I cannot address this accurately yet as i have been transferring farkles from my 610 to the 630 so have only one short ride with the safari tank. However when i received the bike it had I am guessing a little over a half gallon of fuel in it and the yellow warning fuel light was on. i rode down to the gas station and added 3 gallons and the light is out. When it comes on and how much fuel you have at the point I cannot tell you yet. But is does seem to work at some point...
I'll keep an eye on mine, when the light comes on I'll take a picture of the fuel level (translucent tank). I know the light works, but I think there will be quite a bit of fuel left when it comes on. I'm keeping my eye on the trip odometer to see what sort of range I have, and will use that. Being able to see the fuel level is probably how I'll judge remaining range though.
