[Guitarman]

Here I'll show you how I Installed my Clarke XT225 tank.



First I want to say thanks to two members here :



lzrdbrth, who had the great idea to start a group buy at justgastanks.com



Darnold87 who helped me in my quest with his useful thread about his XT225 tank installement.



Thank you guys! ;-)





Here is how I did mine



You will need :



1 XT225 tank

2 hockey pucks

1 backsaw

1 tin snip

1 small bracket that came with your new tank

1 top bracket from your stock tank (zinc coloured one)

3 zip ties

1 10mm bolt and nut

1 drill and a 1/4 bit

1 piece of rubber (about a square inch or so)

Something to sand



1. Take your hockey pucks and mark them so they fit in the cavities of the tank

2. Take your backsaw and cut the pucks (I used a C-Clamp to hold them in place will sawing)

3. Cut them on the side so they match the thickness of the stock TW200 pucks

4. Dill one hole in each puck (place a stock puck on top of your custom puck to help you)

5. Sand the opposite side of the puck and give it a round shape like the stock ones

 

[Guitarman]

6. Take one of your stock pucks, a small bracket that came with your new tank and screw them just like that with the stock tank bolt

7. Add a layer of foam that came with your new tank. I used a zip tie to hold it in place. I did this cause my tests revealed that there was something scratching the tank in this area.

8. Put your new tank in place and screw it tight. I placed a small piece of rubber between the two aluminum brackets and put the stock zinc bracket in top.

9. Cut a small notch in your seat like that.

 

[Guitarman]

10. Cut your side covers so they fit and compliment your new installation (I used tin snip). Drill two small holes, one on each covers, where they meet the frame and zip tie them in place so they won't fly while cruising on the highway (thank you lzrdbrth for the suggestion, I just red your post this morning about your experience)

11. Install your stock petcock. It will fit, but it's a tight fit.

12. Put your seat back on and take care to slip the tab under your new bracket

Voila! You can now enjoy your ride again without having to fuel four times a day ;-)



If you want your installation to be perfect, you will need handlebar risers or your stock bar will hit the tank at full turn.



I insist on risers because I first installed a Protaper ATV High bar and had the same problem, the base of the bars (where it bolt to the triple tree) would hit the tank. I was lucky I had some risers on another bike that I could use. Problem solved.



I will try the setup as it is now and see if I like it. The bar sit pretty high and I'm a bit worried about the cables I had to reroute. They seem ok but I'll definitely keep a good eye on them in search of any premature wear. There is no binding as I call tell, but they are surely tighter than they were before.



I'll keep you updated on that.



;-)

 

[r80rt]

That looks great, the hocky pucks a good idea. Well done!

 

[Kf6rqb]

Good job on the photos ,the tank looks like a good fit, how many gallons is it ? The puck is a good idea! Good Luck!

 

[JKWheelin]

Excellent write up! Thanks for posting.

 

[PJungnitsch]

Nice job! and helpful writeup. I might try that hockey puck idea, they are cheap and easy to work with. I've made do with the stock pucks for the last two years, they caused no problems but are definitely looser than stock.



Am thinking of offsetting the hole to lift the tank front up higher to access more fuel.

 

[Guitarman]

Thank you guys!



The tank can hold 4.1 gal. I say hold cause the available capacity is reduced by the forward protuberances being lower than the petcock. Needless to say that a relatively good quantity of gas seems to be "stuck" on that right pocket (you'll have to tilt the bike left if you get short on gas). The XT350 tank seems to have a better design in terms of gas availability.



It might be a good idea to offset the hole in the puck, but I feel it would worsen the "handlebar hitting the tank" problem...

 

[admiral]

Great job Guitarman. This is surely going to help the forum. Thanks for your contribution.

 

[Guitarman]

You are welcome ;-)

 

[darnold87]

Glad I could help out, Guitarman.

Our installs look darn near identical. I like your hockey puck solution to the front mount - That looks really good. The only other thing I did differently, that folks can consider, is that I just pushed my seat down in the middle (while installing it) and got it to hook on to the stock location (rather than trimming the seat and hooking in the higher spot)...

 

[Guitarman]

You must be a really strong fellow! I didn't even think of pushing it all the way down like you did. I'll give it a try next time I remove the seat. BTW, you don't absolutely need to cut a notch in the seat. Using a shorter bolt to hold the brackets would have solved the issue... It's definitely possible to install that tank without having to cut anything on your bike but the side covers.



On a side note, I went for my first 30 miles ride with the new tank this morning and I can tell you that it feels like it was made for this bike. No wiggling, buzzing, rattling or discomfort. I was really glad to see the tank almost still topped off went I arrived at work!

 

[Gerry]

Great Job on the install and presentation. Thanks. Gerry

 

[Splinter]

Guitarman, the hockey puck idea is freakin outstanding! I just got done throwing a metal XT350 tank on mine and the front of the tank wobbles some when I am actually moving it by hand, not when riding though (did not notice any movement anyway). Hope you don't mind but I totally intend to plagiarize your puck idea. Great Job!!

 

[Guitarman]

Thank you guys! ;-)



Splinter, go for it! That's the reason why I shared it with you.

 

[brent morley]

10. Cut your side covers so they fit and compliment your new installation (I used tin snip). Drill two small holes, one on each covers, where they meet the frame and zip tie them in place so they won't fly while cruising on the highway (thank you lzrdbrth for the suggestion, I just red your post this morning about your experience)

11. Install your stock petcock. It will fit, but it's a tight fit.

12. Put your seat back on and take care to slip the tab under your new bracket

Voila! You can now enjoy your ride again without having to fuel four times a day ;-)



If you want your installation to be perfect, you will need handlebar risers or your stock bar will hit the tank at full turn.



I insist on risers because I first installed a Protaper ATV High bar and had the same problem, the base of the bars (where it bolt to the triple tree) would hit the tank. I was lucky I had some risers on another bike that I could use. Problem solved.



I will try the setup as it is now and see if I like it. The bar sit pretty high and I'm a bit worried about the cables I had to reroute. They seem ok but I'll definitely keep a good eye on them in search of any premature wear. There is no binding as I call tell, but they are surely tighter than they were before.



I'll keep you updated on that.



;-)

How much more gas does your new tank hold?

 

[shiftline]

When installing the TW petcock onto the tank do you use that rubber gasket that came with the clarke tank or remove it?

 

[Guitarman]

The tank can hold 4.0 gallons, but it not all available due to the tank design. My rough estimate is that there is only about 3.0 to 3.5 gallons which can be used.



Yes I used the rubber gasket that came with the tank.

 

[shiftline]

Excellent tutorial, the hockey pucks work perfectly.



When you put the seat back on did it still hook under at the front or does it just float there now?

 

[peraevum]

Anyone ridden their Clarke XT225 tank from full to reserve to empty yet? Just curious about the estimated miles you guys are getting out of each full tank. I'm at about 80 miles on my tank and it looks like there's still quite a bit of fuel in there. It will be interesting to compare how much more the Clarke XT225 tanks get vs. the Clarke TW200 tanks.