Clarke KTM 3.5 gal tank

[phoo]

Should I be concerned that the tank rests on the exhaust expansion chamber? I know two strokes run cooler, but plastic filled with gas sitting on an exhaust component seems like a bad idea.

I might be able to prop the back of the tank up enough to get a little clearance, but then other things don't fit right.

Upon further inspection, I noticed one side of my front exhaust mount broke and the exhaust sat a bit high and I pushed it back down, but chances are it'll be pushed back up over the weekend. Should I not install the new tank, or should it be fine? There is very little clearance even when the exhaust is all the way down.


Thanks,

Patrick

[Junior]

I wouldn`t want any part of my GAS tank aginst my exhaust. The rubbing factor alone is an issue!

[Firebolter]

Did you just buy it? If yes, send it back and ask for another one. It is not uncommon for some of these tanks to not fit right. Not all of them are just alike. They do vary even though same mold is used.
You don't want it touching your exhaust for sure. You're right, 2strokes are not quite as hot, but can still cause issues. I would fix the pipe mount as well and make sure the pipe is sitting correctly or else any aftermarket tank will have issues.

[phoo]

Thanks for the comments, guys.

Today I'm going to pick up some heat shielding to stick onto the bottom of the tank. It should help with both the heat and the rubbing concerns. Long term solution is to get the mount tab welded (anyone know a *really* good welder? This thing is too small and thin to make any mistakes on) because there is a bit of a gap when the exhaust is down where it belongs.

When I started it last night I noticed I seem to have a bit of an exhaust leak at the head, too. This could be related to tweaking of the exhaust, or it could just be signifying the need for a new exhaust gasket, or both. I'll look into it more after this weekend.


Thanks,

~Patrick

[BigBird]

Phoo, 2T pipes can get twisted, bent. etc. so that even with a good mounting to the cylinder they are rubbing places where they shouldn't, etc. You MAY need to take the pipe of and do some "aligning" on it - but this is difficult to do unless you have a new pipe to measure against.

[phoo]

Yeah, that's definitely what I need to do. But it'll have to wait until after the weekend. At my last enduro, I dropped it on some rocks on the left side that actually dented the pipe under the guard. And I've had any number of times that the expansion chamber hit the ground. And let's not forget tossing it off a cliff...


Thanks,

~Patrick

[Space Ghost]

this is DaveJs, not sure if its a Clarke ,but does rest on the exhaust.http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthre ... st19923574

[phoo]

That looks awful, but it's also on a four stroke. So, after a 160 mile weekend, it seems heat shouldn't be a problem, but friction could be. I had plenty of buffer with over 10 layers of heat shield tape, but I clearly need a more permanent solution. Unbending my exhaust should help with that and the exhaust leak I discovered.


Thanks,

Patrick

[phoo]

So I mounted a new header pipe. It's amazing how much space is available when the pipe isn't twisted to oblivion. : lol:


Patrick