Gas Tank Review

Date: Wed Aug 17 01:43:12 1994
From: Markus Grave (GRA@isf-n1.isf.rwth-aachen.de)
Subject: Re: Gas Tanks

I'm sorry for sending such a quite long posting again, but some of you asked for info on big gas tanks, so it's your fault :). I tried to dig out something out of the rags and catalogues I own.

I got most of the information from articles in the german mc-travel magazine "Tourenfahrer". They had two "specials" on all available GS add-ons, as tanks, seats, motor-parts, exhausts, bags etc. This was no test, only an information on available parts, so i cannot tell you anything about quality, fit, etc. I added some information, when i found something in my catalogues.

Nearly all the tanks seem to fit only without the fairing of the PD and newer GS models. With most of them the seat has to be slightly modified. I already did the liter-to-gallon conversion, but i will quote only the german price in D-Mark, as the exchange rate varies too much (1$ = 1,60 DM at the moment, i think). Prices include the german 15% sales tax. I don't know if this tax is refundable in export.

Plastics

Tanks made by Acerbis and HPN : 43 liters (11.3 gal.), in white, red or transparent for 798,- to 848,- DM plus 148,- for installation kit. Made of non-paintable material ("Philipps CL 50"), so you have to stick with these colors here. The HPN tank is also available in a Nylon-material (paintable), for 999,- DM plus the installation kit. These tanks have a fill sleeve that stucks out of the tank, so mounting a tank bag may be more difficult as usual (Same as with R 100 GS PD). Wuedo offers a small additional tank made by HPN with 10 liters (2.64 gal.), which is installed at the rear of a GS, where the exhaust system is/was. Therefore only usable with another (low) exhaust system. Costs about 310,- with installation kit.

The original BMW PD tanks for the newer models (with this bar around the fairing) are also made of plastics. Price: about 1300,- DM, 35 liters (9,25 gal.).

Aluminum

Fallert tank: 45 liters (11.9 gal.), for 1200 DM. This tank has a flat fill sleeve, so mounting a tank bag is easy. This price is also just a rough figure, I don't know if it is with installation kit and/or painting or not.

Tesch Travel Tank: 49 liters (12.9 gal.), for 1299 DM. This tank also has a flat fill sleeve, so mounting a tank bag is easy. Also available with 60 liters (15.8 gal.). Tesch offers also additional aluminium gas tanks with 11 liters (2.9 gal.) for 150,- DM each, which fit in the Tesch-Travel bags.

Steel

Wuedo steel tank: 43 liters (11.3 gal.), for 1069 DM. This tank has a flat fill sleeve, so mounting a tank bag is easy. The price is just a rough figure, I don't know if it is with installation kit and/or painting or not.

Original BMW PD steel tank for the "old" R 80 G/S PD: 32 liters (8.45 gal.). I don't know the price over here.

The addresses of all those suppliers were mentioned in the review, but to save bandwith i will not write them all down here. If anyone is interested in them he can send me an e-mail and I will send him the address he needs.

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Markus Grave | gra@isf-n1.isf.rwth-aachen.de
ISF Welding Institute | phone: +49(0)241-80 62 84
RWTH Aachen, Germany | DOD-# 1303
BMW R 100 GS '94 ("Papa Bear") | VW 1303 LS Cabrio '73 (Fun Car)
Vespa 50 N '73 ("Miss Ziggy")| VW Golf II '90 (Daily Driver)
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Date: Thu, 18 Aug 1994 14:32:53 GMT+0100
From: Markus Grave (GRA@isf-n1.isf.rwth-aachen.de)
Subject: Re: Gas Tanks
To: davet@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Dave Thompson)

Hi Dave, I'm currently looking for a large tank for my GS and am really glad there is more than one choice. I'd like to check out the tanks in greater detail (picture or brochure). If you have the addresses for these places on line that I could write to, I would be very grateful if you could send it my way.

nice to hear that you can use the infos I posted. Of course I can supply you with the adresses. There was one guy from the BMW-maillist (Frank Becsi) who asked for parts suppliers a month ago, and I sent him the adresses of WUEDO and WUNDERLICH, which both offer different gas tanks (steel and plastics, of WUEDO itself and HPN). I include the message I sent him at the end of this mail. Perhaps you can ask him if he already ordered the catalogues and if this worked.

The other suppliers of gas tanks were:

Fa. Buese
Vennstr. 14
52159 Roetgen
Germany

(Supplier of Acerbis tanks, I think they have a catalogue but I don't know if it is free or not)

Fallert
Fautenbacher Str. 15
77855 Achern
Germany

(Aluminium tanks, have no idea if they have a catalogue or not, but at least you can ask for a brochure)

Bernd Tesch
Moto-Reise-Versand (new as of 1/1/96)
Zur Fernsicht 18
D-52224 Stolberg-Zweifall
Germany
Ph./Fax: +49-2402-75375

(Aluminium tanks, has a free pictured brochure about the tanks and aluminium bags as well as steel mc-racks)

Markus

To: frankb@interaccess.com (Frank Becsi)
Subject: Re: Catalogues
Date sent: Tue, 19 Jul 1994 10:17:15

Hi Markus! Thanks for the prompt reply. Yes, I would like to have the addresses to the two motorcycle accessory suppliers that you subscribe to in Germany. Hopefully, they will send me a catalogue. Frank,

the two companies have the following addresses:

WUNDERLICH
Walporzheimer Strasse 26a
D-53474 Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler
Germany

phone: (+49)2641-36027
or (+49)2641-36242
fax: (+49)2641-36249

WUEDO
Deutsche Strasse 98-100
D-44339 Dortmund-Eving
Germany

phone: (+49)231-85 00 91
fax: (+49)231-80 60 87

You should consider:

That both catalogues are in German (You have to translate them)
That you have to pay in German marks, so considering the current exchange rate between $ and DM expect to pay big bucks on everything you see.

WUNDERLICH has a free catalogue (at least within Germany it is free) which concentrates mostly on parts as luggage and luggage-racks, shocks, lead-free motor conversions and brake parts. I visited them in their shop at Ahrweiler and bought several parts from them. There are very nice guys and I think they can help you along.

The WUEDO-catalogue costs 10 German marks which you have to send in advance. They very much concentrate on technical stuff as engines with more power, twin-spark ignitions and all other types of engine- and gearbox-modifications. Also they have a variety of different fairings and suspension parts. I have no personal experiences with ordering/buying from WUEDO, so you just have to try it.

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Markus Grave | email: gra@isf-n1.isf.rwth-aachen.de
ISF Welding Institute | phone: +49(0)241-80 62 84
RWTH Aachen, Germany | DOD-# 1303
BMW R 100 GS '94 ("Papa Bear")| VW 1303 LS Cabrio '73 (Fun Car)
Vespa 50 N '73 ("Miss Ziggy")| VW Golf II '90 (Daily Driver)
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There is a aluminum smith in Oregon who custom makes GS gas tanks. Average size is 12 gallons, which usually requires som trimming of the R100GS fairing. Cost is ~US$800 unpainted.

Contact info:
Evan Wilcox
5014 SW Custer St
Portland, Oregon
(503) 245-0312