Fuel Tank Removal How to, 650 & 1000

[Preload]

Have you ever wanted to remove the fuel tank off the Strom to do your own air filter change, or maybe a Throttle Valve Synchronisation?

Well here is a step by step guide on removing that gas tank.

Step 1
The job is easier if the gas tank is low on fuel. But if your up to it, full of gas is fine.

Gather the tools required to do the job. Nothing fancy, just the following will do fine.

4mm Allen key
Cross head screwdriver
12mm socket and ratchet
10mm socket and ratchet and or two 10mm spanners
Terminal screwdriver or more commonly called electricians screwdriver (small)
A tub or box to keep all the bolts etc safe in one place
An old rag
Somewhere safe to place the fuel/gas tank once removed

Step 2
Remove the top box if fitted and the seat

Step 3
At the front top of the fuel tank, remove the two allen bolts that hold the black plastic panel in place, there is one on the left and one on the right (see pic below)



Then remove the two plastic rivets on the blanking panel, they are just above the bolts you have just removed. These are released by pushing the centre of the rivet till it pops, it does not pass all the way out. Then you can pull the rivet out with your finger nails or a small terminal driver.
Now you can simply lift away the blank panel and store it safely.



This what the rivets look like when they are removed. If you need to see more on how to reset them etc, clicky



Step4
Go to the front of the bike, the lower cowling below the headlamp needs to come off. Look underneath, above the front mudguard/fender, you will see three pop rivets. Take these out.



Then if you look at either side of this lower cowl, you will see another two rivets per side, remove these as well. One as you see it in the pic, the other is close to the radiator.



Now go to the air intake grills on the front cowl. Look inside and you will see a crosshead screw, there is one on either side. Remove these but be sure to use one hand to support the lower cowl as it is removed



Step 5
Whilst still at the front of the bike and with the lower headlight cowl removed, you will see another crosshead screw on the coloured plastic. There is one either side. Remove these.



Then go to the coloured side cowl and remove the allen bolt that holds on the black plastic cowl along the frame spar. This black plastic cowl can now be pulled gently towards you and off the bike. PN caution it is also held on by a plug into a rubber grommet so do not pull at an angle. Use both hands and pull gently towards your body.



Next remove the allen bolt near the front of the coloured panel that goes into the radiator.  



Also both the bolts on the upper black coloured plastic.



Next the next part needs caution. The coloured side panels are still fixed to the upper black plastic panels by means of a tab and a grommet. You will need to lift the upper black plastic by hand to see this. Do not lift to far as you may break the plastic, just lift enough to see the fixings and gently release them with your fingers.



Step 6
By now you have both side panels off the bike.
At the front of the fuel/gas tank, there is a 10mm bolt, loosen the bolt but do not remove.



Now go to the rear of the tank and remove the 12mm bolt that holds the tank and support bracket in place. Lift the rear of the tank by hand just enough to get the support bracket in, then remove the overflow pipe from the right hand lower side of the tank.



 Then undo the fuel pump connector (white plug). You may need the terminal driver to help push down on the locking tab to release the two halves of the plug.




Then you need to have a rag under the fuel pump supply pipe ready to catch and petrol remaining in the pipe. To undo this you press in on the white lugs of the connector and twist the black part anti clockwise and you will see it release.  



Now you need to go back to the front of the tank and remove the 10mm through /pivot bolt completely.



Now you are ready to carefuly lift the tank away from the bike. Best done by lifting towards the rear of the bike and then away from the bike.

You are now ready to do what you need to.

[Hanadarko]

Very well done...I presume this will be made a sticky.
EXCELLENT WORK!

[Preload]

After the aggro I have had doing this post IB better superglue the damn thing

[johnofchar]

Well done, since it works on both bikes I moved it to the combined section. The only difference on the early (02/03) 1000's is there are three pop rivets on the left side of the under cowl & the fuel pump connector looks different.

[greywolf]

I find putting a little silicone grease on the grommet and its mating part helps ease the connection and disconnection and prevents the thing from being pushed out of its hole and flying off to parts heaven.

[TravellingStrom]

A good thread but a bit more than needed surely?

I have removed my tank many times on my 06 wee and never removed that much, just the side black panels, the side bolts holding the fairing in place, the front clip in piece in front of the tank, lift the dash wings up and out and then hold the side panels out with cable.  Then the front and rear tank bolts etc.

I am not going to go to that extreme to clean my air filter every few days or so when I am on the road and as I have a Pat Walsh light bar, that would be a real pain anyway:)

Just my thoughts.

Cheers
TS

[DFW_Warrior]

Quote:

TravellingStrom wrote on 24.07.2008 15:42[/i] A good thread but a bit more than needed surely? I have removed my tank many times on my 06 wee and never removed that much, just the side black panels, the side bolts holding the fairing in place, the front clip in piece in front of the tank, lift the dash wings up and out and then hold the side panels out with cable.  Then the front and rear tank bolts etc.

+1, I've had the tank off of my 04 Strom more times than I can count and to this day I've never had to remove any of the fairing plastic to get it off and on.  Just the little black wings on the side, the front black cover piece by the bars and that's it.  After that, the tank slides right off the back of the bike with some wiggling.

[Preload]

Yes I agree, it is a bit more than required for a simple tank removal. But what you have to remember is that the procedure covers more than the a simple way of doing things and adding to the risk of problems such as paintowrk damage etc. It shows others with a little less confidence how to remove the side panels and get to other areas of the bike also.

We don't write these things up with the thought of you doing it by the roadside or for the quickest way around it.
 TS pointed out his way and reasons for his on the move maintenance due to the dusty climate conditions. And I believe his to be a good way. As why would you want to risk lying a panel out on the ground? Or to spend any longer than you needed for just a filter clean out. But that is not the intended purpose of this thread.

 I wrote this for the job to be done in the shed and with plenty of time to spare.

Plus there is the added factors that once the panels are removed, you can get to the wiring and all other sorts of plumbing.
 In the three years of ownership, not once have my side panels or gas tank been removed.
I found two ugly potential problems whilst doing this job. Fortunately I didnt spot any behind the plastics, but it did give me the opportunity to grease out the left hand connectors for the lights, to try and prevent the burnt connector issue that afflicts some V Stroms. And to have a good look around for any other issues that may cause problems in the future if left unattended.Thankfully the wiring connector was a good one.


First issue was the fuel tank water drain hose, which was trapped between the wiring loom, thus pinching the damn pipe and not allowing water from the gas cap area to escape quick enough.(see next pic)


Then there was the Intake Air Temoerature sensor (IAT) wiring that was pulled as tight as a banjo string. This again could have caused the inner wire to snap in due course, leaving the outer insulation intact. This sort of problem can cause untold misery trying to locate the damn problem.

[TravellingStrom]

Hi Preload you have made some good points.  I guess I just read the initial thread and thought you had to do it this way.  For a newbie, yes this is a very good learning curve way of doing it, because, as you say, you have access to more areas of the bike, and you will see different parts as you do this simple job.

What you have written is tank removal 101, I guess personally I had already graduated to level 4 or something with a twist

Goodonya anyway
TravellingStrom  

[SideForce]

Thank you!  I needed this.  Very well written, and you are correct, it gives a newby (like me) the confidence to tackle the job.

[Krusty]

A far better desription of the job than you get in the lousy Suzuki hand book, I tried to do a simple tank lift using the Suzuki book and couldn't raise the tank more than a couple of inces. Well written and most concise.  

[Counter Steer]

I sure enjoyed reading the complete works of tank removal as well as the comments on quick removal. I have book marked this and will print a copy as my first tank removal is coming up soon. Thank you for such a clear and concise and illustrated method. I may use the short form later, but I think for the first time I'll do it by the book, I mean the post. Things like this thread just cheer me up. Thanks

[tomatocity]

Excellent post Preload. Good tip on using the rear mounting plate as a support. Stupid me did not do this the first two times.

John can this be added as a new subject "BODY" in the Technical Area?

This post was found by using Search. I have removed my fuel tank 2.5 times while trying to repair vacuum leaks that are causing the TBS to be a (PITA) problem. Now that I have discovered the vacuum leak (probably the boot) in favor of the front cylinder I need to remove the fairing. Good description and good discussion.

- Does anyone need additional photos?
- This also a good time to install the Stebel horn; wiring to your GPS, 12VDC outlet, Charging monitor, accessory switch(es), etc.
- Install the fuel tank and ride it naked  then bring it home and dress it up as a V-Strom again 

[buyarbi]

 Before finding this post, I tried taking my tank just to see if I could and decided to put the bolts back in,  because there had to be an easier way than what I was doing.
I appreciate the effort put into this thread and will tackle the removal again using the info here. The extra plastic removal is an important factor for me as a newby. I would have wrecked the little plastic gromets if I were on the road with a problem.
Thanks
Bill

[Steely]

Wandered into the VSRI site when I was looking at purchasing a V-Strom and reckon it is one of the best sites I've found for DIY stuff.  After purchasing the DL 1000 (09 model) I did the mandatory introductory dismantlement to find out how everything works and to check there was nothing loose etc.  Had trouble with tank removal because manual did not adequately describe it.   Now I know, so that's for the post.

[PT Rider]

Thanks for the great write up & photos.

Just a note about your tool terminology.  In the U.S. the "terminal" screwdriver would be called a cabinet tip screwdriver.  It has a flat blade that is no wider than the shank.  Also, the "cross head" screwdriver would be called a Phillips head, although a proper JIS Japanese screwdriver (JIS 4633B-3/1991 and DIN/ISO standard 5260) would fit the screws even better.  The slot shape of the JIS screw head and Phillips screw heads are slightly different, and the screwdriver heads are slightly different to match.  If you need to remove a very tight + head screw on an Asian bike don't be surprised if the Phillips screwdriver strips out the slots, even if the Phillips screwdriver is the correct size and in good condition.  JIS screw heads have a dot between two of the slots.  (JIS = Japanese Industrial Standard)

[gepeze]

Thanks for taking the time.   

[StromTech]

Nice job thanks

[Peter T]

Excellent guide, a real confidence booster. 

[Storm Chaser]

Timely reading of this thread. I think I will need to remove my tank (or raise it) to access the brake switch light connector mounted under the coolant overflow tank. Is this correct? Can anyone confirm please.

Thanks, Gareth

[StromTech]

You should be able to reach the connector by just doing a tank lift...much easier.

[Storm Chaser]

Thanks  StromTech.

[rambunkshuss]

I have a VEE and want to replace the stock air filter with a K&N.  Do I have to take the tank out completely and remove all of the fairing?  There are 6000 miles on the bike.  Should I replace the spark plugs as well, even though they're working fine?

[greywolf]

The tank has to come off completely to get at the airbox. There is information here about getting the tank out by only disconnecting it from the fairing pieces but I don't want to take a chance on scratching parts. The stock plugs are good for at least 20,000 miles but replace them with Iridium plugs and you'll probably never have to replace those again.

[Ol_Baldy]

I recently acquired a 2010 V-wee and have been busy adding necessary(?) farkles. About $2,000 so far and more to come. I just love my new bike and I'm really into the "improvement" phase. Early on I was curious, naturally, about all the little (and some not so little) bits hidden under the cowlings and tank.  I started removing the various visible bolts and screws in hopes of being able to get my bike naked but was stymied by these little plastic rivets. I had a previous experience with them on my other bike and it didn't go well. I ended up breaking the damned things because I didn't know what I was doing. So, before going any further I went online and ordered a Service/Repair Manual. But it hasn't arrived yet! 

Serendipity when I happened upon Preload's Tenk Removal 101 today. A big THANK YOU! Preload.   

[Preload]

Your welcome Ol Baldy, makes it all worth while when it can help folks 

[ianbh]

Thanks for the pictorial.  I'm installing a Stebel Air Horn and a PC-8 fuse block for the GPS, Escort, grips and vest.  I bought the additional 18" wiring loom for my Wee from Eastern Beaver but don't know where the rear running light is.  (Tried to buy a Service Manual but they're back ordered.)
Disconected the clip below the coolant overflow reservoir that I saw in the Eastern Beaver site and it didn't seem to be the rear running light.  Seems I did better in the past making my own looms!  Any suggestions? Ian, Iowa

[greywolf]

Common places to run an ignition on hot wire include:

Any orange wire with a green stripe. It runs off the signal fuse that supplies the turn signals and brake lights. The OEM heated grip connector and the power to the rear brake light switch are popular places to find the wire.

The brown wire that runs in the sheath along the left side of the under seat tray. It supplies the power to the tail light and license light. It changes to gray to the rear of the rear fender connector.

Eastern Beaver makes connectors for the OEM grip heater, the rear brake light switch and the rear fender connector for power take offs if you don't want to disturb the OEM harness.

[ianbh]

I hollered before I was hurt.  Misread the diagram (said rear brake connector), hooked it up and looks like it'll be OK.  Like to think this will be my last stupid question but history begs to differ.

Another question-rather than run all the ground wires individually to the PC-8, would it be OK to run all grounds to a barrier strip and then one large (10-12 gauge) wire to the fuse block  Thanks Ian, Iowa

[Preload]

Ian you should be fine to take all earths from accessories to a barrier strip then one good gauge wire to the fuse block. Just make sure all the connections are sound.