Honda XR 650L Fuel Tank Upgrade
Today I replaced my Honda XR 650L's stock 2.8-gallon fuel tank with an Acerbis 5.8-gallon tank.
My work was quickly halted by the discovery of some uninvited tenants in my airbox — mice.
I cleaned out their bedding and stinky droppings with some carb cleaner — yet another novel use for the stuff. I pulled the sullied filter and prepped a fresh one. To deter future rodent squatters, I dropped a rodent-repellent packet in the box; apparently mice are put off by pleasant scents.
Next, I took the seat off and drained the gas from the stock tank into the new one.
With the stock tank and fairings off and the Acerbis set in place, I realized the metal nubs that lock the stock tank down interfere with the new tank.
I hacked the nubs off and filed them down. I'll come back with some paint later to keep the exposed metal from rusting.
Then I zip-tied a piece of gasket rubber to the chassis to pad the new tank.
The tank popped on nicely, and I tied the new tank's support arms to the old fairing tie-ins.
I popped the seat back on and — voilà. The new tank looks great, and the bike is ready for longer-distance riding. I also swapped in a longer fuel line to reach the new tank's fuel valve. Down the road, I'd like to add a fuel filter to the system.
