CURRENT MILES
22,022
I have a set of Safari Tanks in the garage. Kyle gave them to me. They are in good condition and would really be a great addition and solve all of my fuel related range issues.
If you recall in my last post (like anyone reads this dribble) I said
For those at home keeping score. Here was the big list of things I had to do.
I checked the radiator for leaks, put in the new fork springs, the new rear spring, the fuel pump… but with this setback I cannot put on my Safari Tanks and their Vinyl to match – at least not yet. It looks like it’s my Tail Tidy and then I’m done for now.
This was all due to my not being able to source an o-ring for the adapter plate. It would go right in this slot.
It would be pretty simple to find right? Especially when I was watching a pump removal video from Rocky Mountain ATV and they used a Husky 701 and it had a very similar adapter plate made by TUSK (their in house brand). I queued the video up here to the exact spot. Just hit play.
So, I looked online at Rocky Mountain and couldn’t find that same adapter plate (nor the O-ring).
Next I got on chat with one of their support people. He couldn’t find what I needed either so he referred me to an online form to fill out and someone would get back to me.
They did. Pretty rapidly too. I like Rocky Mountain and they are my first choice for a lot of parts. Their shipping is generally fast and I’ve always had great service when I needed (except for the Spark Plug Fiasco).
Being somewhat in the tech biz, I love it when it works. When systems and procedures don’t work – well then something like this happens.
I sent the form out, just like I was supposed to. It did not allow me to attach a photo so instead I gave them a link to a photo from my site. Here’s the email copy they sent of what I submitted.
Like I said I got a pretty quick reply.
Fair enough I thought. Via email now I replied with both the same link and I attached the photo. Who knows they might have a system that strips out links.
Covering all my bases, I was confident I delivered the right information.
Apparently not. Their response suggests I was looking for a Fuel Pump Module or maybe just the gasket for the Fuel Pump. I was looking for neither. That link didn’t work in their system either. I was able to deduce what they were referring to by searching for the part number and name.
So I reiterated what it was that I was looking for. That should be clear enough I thought. How could someone not know I was “looking for the TUSK Adapter Plate O-ring“, right?
I was sure that my slightly aggressive use of ALL CAPS and BOLD would certainly point them in the right direction and clear everything up.
NOPE. Not looking for an ALL BALLS Pump either. Seriously. Come on guys. Read the freakin’ email.
So this time, with ALL CAPS, BOLD, LINKS and an IMAGE – I added an arrow. Then I thought to myself maybe one arrow isn’t enough so I added 3 more. I could add as many arrows as it took, but let’s just start with 4.
I cringed in using the words “your very own” twice in the same sentence but I was running out of patience. Yes, I was fully aware of how snarky I was coming across and I didn’t like it. That’s not me.
I got one more reply from this department. They had had enough of me and moved me on to someone else.
The Warranty Department replied pretty quick as well. Not the answer I was looking for but she took the time to read the emails and also seemed to have a working knowledge of the parts involved.
So, after a trying amount of time, Rocky Mountain does not have my part. For the record, neither does my local hardware store – but that’s not their fault. Besides this, I will still use them, it’s just their communication system that broke down.
But then I got to thinking….
Why not put them on? Just not hook them up to the fuel pump? They could hold a few gallons of fuel and if need be I could open the tap at the bottom, pour what I needed into a bottle and dump it in my tank? Plus I could get a feel on how I liked the weight distribution. Right?
So I gathered all the parts on my bench, it seemed like I had most everything other than that cursed O-ring.
I found the correct instructions for a two tank system.
For the record, Kyle has a single tank version on his bike.
There’s three brackets – one for across the top that ties the two halves together and the other two for underneath that help support from the bottom.
I also had what they called the Standoff bolt(s) – one for the left, one for the right. They replace two of the motor mount bolts on the frame. I seemed to have it all.
As I worked on assembling I could tell there were things I have added to my bike that were not going to be compatible with these tanks.
The first would be my Radiator Crash Bars.
I had added these to protect from a side impact but the new Safari Tanks would be doing just that. Easy enough. Coincidentally you might note that they also attach to the Motor Mounts.
So OFF they came. Next I realized that my Flatland aluminum radiator grill would also NOT work. It too attaches to the Motor Mounts.
I thought maybe the two might work together but there’s no way I could use the Safari Tank Stand Off Bolts and these side plates at the same time.
So OFF came my beautiful Flatland Racing Grill. In it’s place I found my old flimsy plastic stock one.
So with just enough to test fit, I put on both tanks just to see. You can see I don’t have the headlight on, nor the rear fender but we’re just looking to see, right?
From the left side.
From the right.
And from the front.
Generally, I like it. I do have graphics for the tanks that match my TacoMoto graphic kit. But then I started looking closer.
First issue I noticed was that the right side tank hits one of the motor mount bolts. I could find something with a shallower head. That currently is a stainless Allen that I replaced a while back. You can just barely see it as I look down between the gap in the tank.
How much room would I need? Not sure but I would guess the whole head of the bolt is an issue – so something countersunk would be the best. Interestingly, the left side doesn’t have that issue as the tank doesn’t go that much down. Probably for clearance of the exhaust pipe.
And then, on the top of the tanks there is a bracket that goes under the mounting plate for the front of your seat. It attaches the two tanks together at the top. Just putting it in place, you can see there’s an awful lot of gap that I would need to press each tank in just to get it to fit.
But that might be or there. Nothing too significant.
In any case, it was all adding up to too many small modifications and no time to shake it all down before the NorCal BDR.
So I put back on my shiny radiator guard, my radiator crash bars and we’ll just have to deal with the 4 fuel bottles I carry in my MoskoMoto Reckless 80.
I’ll come back to this project later when I have the right parts, and ample time. Maybe this winter.
He's an avid hockey fan, rides a mountain bike, sometimes rides a road bike, has a few motorcycles (he had a really fast one, had a big cool orange one, rode a really slow one, and is currently building a perfect "BDR Weapon"). If that isn't enough, he makes cheese and sourdough bread, loves strong beer and good red wine, and poorly plays the Mandolin.
- My Pre Nor Cal BDR Settings - September 15, 2024
- New Pump, No Pressure, What Did I Do? - September 9, 2024
- Studs > Bolts for the Rear Rack - September 5, 2024
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