After I upgrade my Magna's stock seat I *know* that I will want to take some long trips. I've done that in the past but stopping every 75-100 miles got to be a pain. At MM10 I saw somebody's 3rd generation Magna that had an external fuel tank mounted on the luggage rack. Does anybody know if there are any out-of-the box solutions for mounting a fuel tank onto a luggage rack, or would any application be a custom project?
Who out there has an external fuel tank on their 3rd generation Magna?
I know someone (i think Jim) bought a bike with one... You will get a response..
Mine was on it when I bought it so I can not tell you about the mount. The one I had looked like a little beer keg and it ran to a switch under the tank. I could run off the front tank or external, one at a time. I will look to see if I can find my information. I sold it awhile back.
Pretty sure that was Brad that had the external tank not sure of the company that makes them but they are still out there I think.
Quote from: roboto65 on July 02, 2012, 10:38:39 PM
Pretty sure that was Brad that had the external tank not sure of the company that makes them but they are still out there I think.
I've found a company which makes the tank (http://tourtank.com/). I was wondering if there is an easy way to get the tank mounted to the luggage rack, or if that is a custom mount.
mine was mounted with 4 bolts and a stabalizer. They drilled the holes through the bars on the luggage rack then attached a stabalizer pin to the back rest. It did not look like it was anything special.
It was indeed Brad that had the TOURTANK mounted on his luggage rack, I'd also asked him about it at one point.
If memory serves me correct, he just did hte install maybe a month ago, so hopefully he can help a bit :-D
It was a very nice, clean setup, looked great!
Your other option is a larger tank-the 'Valkna' tank-which is what I have. But I goofed doing a repair and sealed the vent chamber :sad:
Look at 'tips and tricks' on this site to get an idea, but I think there is a more successful method possible than what is posted.
Which seat did you upgrade to?
Hop Along
Quote from: hop along on July 03, 2012, 09:05:21 AM
It was indeed Brad that had the TOURTANK mounted on his luggage rack, I'd also asked him about it at one point.
If memory serves me correct, he just did hte install maybe a month ago, so hopefully he can help a bit :-D
It was a very nice, clean setup, looked great!
I was checking it out too. I was hoping to get Brad's attention with this post so I can pick his brain about his install.
Quote from: hop along on July 03, 2012, 09:05:21 AM
Your other option is a larger tank-the 'Valkna' tank-which is what I have. But I goofed doing a repair and sealed the vent chamber :sad:
Look at 'tips and tricks' on this site to get an idea, but I think there is a more successful method possible than what is posted.
That was my original idea before I saw Brad's setup at MM10. The "Valkna" tank *would* provide more fuel carrying ability, but an external tank would provide much more, and I suspect that constructing the Frankentank would cost more anyways (as I have no welding abilities).
Quote from: hop along on July 03, 2012, 09:05:21 AM
Which seat did you upgrade to?
I have not upgraded the seat yet. I try to ride the Magna every day to work so I was thinking about sending a spare seat I have to Mean City Cycles for them to upgrade. That way I won't have any riding down-time.
You might also check out Russell day long seats...
Hey, Brandon. I already had the Cycl-istic rack( which will hold up to thirty lbs). Bought the 3 gal., 8 in. by 16 in tank from TourTanks.com. Also got their 8x8 alum. plate to mount on the rack. Drilled 6 holes in the plate and the rack cross supports, attached with small bolts. The tank has supports welded on it, drill holes in the plate to match the tank supports, bolt tank to plate. I opted for the center fuel line opening, so I drill a hole near the center of the plate for the fuel line from the tank. I have a quik-disconnect ~8 in. from the tank. I ran the fuel line on the left side of the Magna. Near the main tank(between seat and main tank, left side) is the valve for the aux tank, within 4 in. of the main petcock. Easy when aux runs dry, reach with left hand to turn petcock on, then turn aux valve off in one motion.
It is easy enough to do, I did it! (I'm not a mechanic, more architect) Just need a plan drawn out(sketch). At Tour Tank there are several types of tanks, fuel line kits,etc. If any other Questions feel fre to ask.
btw, I can go ~240 mis. before reserve now.
Brad Badgett
Quote from: Brad Badgett on July 03, 2012, 03:24:39 PM
Hey, Brandon. I already had the Cycl-istic rack( which will hold up to thirty lbs). Bought the 3 gal., 8 in. by 16 in tank from TourTanks.com. Also got their 8x8 alum. plate to mount on the rack. Drilled 6 holes in the plate and the rack cross supports, attached with small bolts. The tank has supports welded on it, drill holes in the plate to match the tank supports, bolt tank to plate. I opted for the center fuel line opening, so I drill a hole near the center of the plate for the fuel line from the tank. I have a quik-disconnect ~8 in. from the tank. I ran the fuel line on the left side of the Magna. Near the main tank(between seat and main tank, left side) is the valve for the aux tank, within 4 in. of the main petcock. Easy when aux runs dry, reach with left hand to turn petcock on, then turn aux valve off in one motion.
It is easy enough to do, I did it! (I'm not a mechanic, more architect) Just need a plan drawn out(sketch). At Tour Tank there are several types of tanks, fuel line kits,etc. If any other Questions feel fre to ask.
btw, I can go ~240 mis. before reserve now.
Brad Badgett
I was planning on getting a tank from http://www.coyote-gear.com, the parent company for http://tourtank.com and hooking it up to my Magna just like yours. I am emailing Dobie at CyclistiC to see just how much weight, and ultimately what size fuel tank, I'll be able to put on my bike.
Do you have your system setup so that you are able to remove your external tank at will?
Quote from: Brad Badgett on July 03, 2012, 03:24:39 PM
... Bought the 3 gal., 8 in. by 16 in tank from TourTanks.com. ...
I took some measurements of my luggage rack and sissy bar last night. Based on those I figured out the angle between them (about 70 degrees for me) and proceeded to figure out the maximum diameter tank I could use with the following constraints ...
1) The tank would be mounted on a 1/4 " aluminum plate/sheet
2) The tank would be at least 1/4 " away from the sissy bar
3) The tank would not extend further aft than the edge of the luggage rack
... and I came up with a diameter of about 6.67 inches.
So unless my calculations are off, then I don't see how you could get an 8 " diameter tank to fit given those constraints. Brad, does your tank extend further aft than the edge of your luggage rack? Do you know the angle made by your luggage rack and sissy bar?
Quote from: hootmon on July 03, 2012, 01:24:50 PM
You might also check out Russell day long seats...
Those look better, but they are more expensive. Does anybody out there have one of these seats? Has anybody tried both the day-long and the mean city cycles seats?
I have the Russell that I got from Jim..
They are custom made for the individual rider (which mine was obviously not)...
I can say that on a Mustang, my max was 500 in a day and that was a stretch... I made it over 600 on the Russell on the way out and back from MM9...
I was not blessed with much "natural" padding.. so it was an improvement over the Mustang.. I like the Russell because it is wide and some of the weight goes to your thighs...
Just thought I'd throw it out there...
For me... After about 90-100 miles, i'm ready to get off anyway, especially after several lengths in a row at that distance..
Do you have a forwarding kit on your bike? That was a huge improvement for me at over 6 feet tall...
Quote from: hootmon on July 04, 2012, 01:13:11 PM
Do you have a forwarding kit on your bike? That was a huge improvement for me at over 6 feet tall...
I purchased a forward control kit, but it was setup such that my legs were resting directly on the transmission when I was using it, so I took it off. I don't know if that's just normal, but I didn't like the burn. I'm thinking of just keeping the controls stock and getting highway pegs for cruising.
Quote from: snoopy on July 04, 2012, 03:35:20 PM
Quote from: hootmon on July 04, 2012, 01:13:11 PM
Do you have a forwarding kit on your bike? That was a huge improvement for me at over 6 feet tall...
I purchased a forward control kit, but it was setup such that my legs were resting directly on the transmission when I was using it, so I took it off. I don't know if that's just normal, but I didn't like the burn. I'm thinking of just keeping the controls stock and getting highway pegs for cruising.
One of my '96 bikes has Jardine forward controls. They are arranged so my legs do not touch the transmission or other warm parts when riding. The other bike has stock controls, an MC Enterprises engine guard, and pegs on the engine guard. I prefer the latter setup, primarily because I can change positions -- gives some relief from cramps on long rides.
Of course, I am not as long as Harry, and, unfortunately, have ample "natural" padding...
Quote from: lragan on July 04, 2012, 03:41:05 PM
One of my '96 bikes has Jardine forward controls. They are arranged so my legs do not touch the transmission or other warm parts when riding. The other bike has stock controls, an MC Enterprises engine guard, and pegs on the engine guard. I prefer the latter setup, primarily because I can change positions -- gives some relief from cramps on long rides.
Thanks Lawrence, I think I'm going to go with stock controls, and an engine guard/highway peg combo. The peg would be great for the long distance, iron butt stuff, but I'd still want the stock controls so I can be spry enough to survive Dallas traffic.
Quote from: snoopy on July 04, 2012, 12:30:03 PM
Quote from: hootmon on July 03, 2012, 01:24:50 PM
You might also check out Russell day long seats...
Those look better, but they are more expensive. Does anybody out there have one of these seats? Has anybody tried both the day-long and the mean city cycles seats?
I've done some research, and I'm thinking of sending in my seat to get the Russel day-long treatment. Now I just have to save up some money. Hopefully I won't have to wait until next riding season.
Hootmon can you post up a photo of your seat, not that one, the one on the bike. :P
Quote from: TLRam1 on July 04, 2012, 11:46:50 PM
Hootmon can you post up a photo of your seat, not that one, the one on the bike. :P
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
The rack from Dobie (attached to Hondaline rack supports) sets parallel to the pavement. The back of the tank is even vertically with the back of the rack. The two cicular braces that hold the tank to the rack/plate stick out ~ 1 inch in front of the rack, but not past a verticle line at the end of the pillion seat. Forgot to mention that I also got from TourTank 4 spacers ( 1 inch tall)that also support the braces to the plate.
Brad Badgett
I can remove the tank any time that I want to. I put a quick disconnect ~ 8 ihches from the tank. Disconnect the connect, Take off the 4 bolts holding the tank to the plate, lift off tank, back to stock tank only.
Brad Badgett
Quote from: TLRam1 on July 04, 2012, 11:46:50 PM
Hootmon can you post up a photo of your seat, not that one, the one on the bike. :P
You asked...
Quote from: Brad Badgett on July 05, 2012, 03:29:45 PM
The rack from Dobie (attached to Hondaline rack supports) sets parallel to the pavement. The back of the tank is even vertically with the back of the rack. The two cicular braces that hold the tank to the rack/plate stick out ~ 1 inch in front of the rack, but not past a verticle line at the end of the pillion seat. Forgot to mention that I also got from TourTank 4 spacers ( 1 inch tall)that also support the braces to the plate.
Brad Badgett
Okay, I understand. You don't have a sissy bar / backrest then, correct?
As I've mentioned earlier, I've calculated that I can fit about a 6.67 inch diameter tank without it extending further aft than my luggage rack. And since the 6 inch diameter tanks don't hold enough fuel for me, I am thinking of getting a 10 inch tank and it'll just have to extend a bit past the end of the luggage rack. So at this point I just need to figure out how much weight I can support with that luggage rack, so I know how big of a tank I can get.
Designing this appeals to the engineer in me, but I'll probably save up my money and get my seats redone before getting the aux tank.
Quote from: hootmon on July 05, 2012, 05:26:43 PM
Quote from: TLRam1 on July 04, 2012, 11:46:50 PM
Hootmon can you post up a photo of your seat, not that one, the one on the bike. :P
You asked...
Nifty seats. I bet those wings on the port and starboard side of the driver's seat provide most of the comfort that the seat offers.
Good looking seat, nothing done to the passenger seat other than recovered, correct?
Brandon, the Honda rack is rated at 6.0 lbs, it will carry more but Dobie had his break, hence the new luggage rack he built.
Quote from: TLRam1 on July 05, 2012, 08:36:29 PM
Brandon, the Honda rack is rated at 6.0 lbs, it will carry more but Dobie had his break, hence the new luggage rack he built.
I'm actually wanting to design a quick tank disconnect system which will work with Dobie's luggage racks. I am imagining a plate that the tank is mounted to, which can be quickly snapped onto the luggage rack in a tool-less, or near tool-less way. I just need to know which tank I'll design this for before I can finalize everything.
I currently have an email thread going with Dobie to see just how much weight my Cycle-istiC luggage rack can support. The weakest points in my setup will be the screws which hold the luggage rack to the side supports. I *think* that the ones that Dobie provided with my kit are stainless steel, but I've done a bit of research and think that I could replace them with alloy steel screws to have an even stronger luggage rack. I'm just waiting for Dobie to confirm before I can choose a tank size and draw up the plans.
Quote from: TLRam1 on July 05, 2012, 08:36:29 PM
Good looking seat, nothing done to the passenger seat other than recovered, correct?
Brandon, the Honda rack is rated at 6.0 lbs, it will carry more but Dobie had his break, hence the new luggage rack he built.
Terry, I don't know.. the seat was bought "as is"... I do also have a back rest.. passenger comfort is not a big concern for me, as I rarely ride two up..
The seat is actually pretty hard, and the back piece (rear of the front seat) is really soft, I wish it was the other way around!
I do prefer to get as much weight on my thighs as possible, and spread the weight over as much surface as possible.. which this seat does..
Since I bought the seat used, I don't know the whole process of fitting the seat to the rider.. I heard they want pictures of you on the bike so the can custom make it to you and your bike, but that is just what I heard..
Like I said, the Mustang was way better than stock, and this seat is better yet... I can't say it's the best, but that is what I "know"...
The seat looks to have a lot of seating surface, more so than the Mustang, if the padding were softer it would probably be just about ideal.
I've come a long way towards my goal. I got a hand-me-down Mustang seat from hop along, MC Enterprises engine guard off ebay, highway pegs from a shop in Farmer's Branch, and a better windscreen from Smoked. I'm getting close to having this thing ready to iron butt. Now all I need is an air horn and the external fuel tank.
Per the iron butt rules, I have to have a verifiable fuel stop every 300 miles, so that makes my decision on what tank much easier. I figure I get 35 MPG running about 85 MPH, so I calculate that I need just under 5 gallons (https://www.google.com/#safe=off&hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=300+miles+%2F+(35+miles+%2F+gallon)+-+3.6+gallons+in+gallons) of extra fuel storage. Based on the maximum density for gasoline that I could find, the total weight of the tour tank I've chosen (when full of gasoline) will be about 40 pounds (https://www.google.com/#q=8.5+pounds+%2B+5+gallons+*+(0.77+kg+/+liter)+in+pounds).
I seriously doubt that I'll be riding the Magna for 300 miles straight, but it will be nice to know I *could* if I needed to.
Does anybody know if the Magna's fuel tank cap is vented or not?
I don't think so ... that's the reason for the tank vent tube/line. My wife's VLX has a vented cap though (no vent line).
The fuel cap is not vented the tank itself is vented.
Brandon, FYI, my tank is an 8" dia, 10" long cylinder lying crosswise on the rack. It holds 2.1 gallons, so it weighs about 20 lbs. It covers the last 3 crossbars of the rack and extends about 2" beyond the rear edge. The rack on my bike is the very first one I produced, and it has been on the bike continuously since. It is mounted with the 4 stainless 1/4-20 screws, and so far has performed flawlessly. I personally feel the stainless screws are adequate, but since you are going to be carrying about twice the weight I am, you could go to the cad plated carbon steel screws, which are actually stronger than the stainless. Any hardware store should have them, though some only carry them in black (which I'm sure could be painted over with some aluminum paint).
Quote from: Magniac on April 25, 2013, 06:31:43 PM
Brandon, FYI, my tank is an 8" dia, 10" long cylinder lying crosswise on the rack. It holds 2.1 gallons, so it weighs about 20 lbs. It covers the last 3 crossbars of the rack and extends about 2" beyond the rear edge. The rack on my bike is the very first one I produced, and it has been on the bike continuously since. It is mounted with the 4 stainless 1/4-20 screws, and so far has performed flawlessly. I personally feel the stainless screws are adequate, but since you are going to be carrying about twice the weight I am, you could go to the cad plated carbon steel screws, which are actually stronger than the stainless. Any hardware store should have them, though some only carry them in black (which I'm sure could be painted over with some aluminum paint).
Thank you Dobie, I will do this. And my bike is black, so maybe the off colored screw head will look cool.