‘H-D Forums’ Member’s Street Bob Wears a Sportster Gas Tank
Every Harley could stand to be just a little bit more like a Sportster.
Every once in a while you see something that’s so cool that you wonder why you hadn’t thought of it before. Such is the case with H-D Forums member Birtyyy’s 2019 FXBB Street Bob.
Birtyyy recently posted a picture of his bike to our forum, showing off his newest modification — a Sportster Forty-Eight gas tank. We love Sportsters and Softails in equal measure, and we’re shocked at how well the Forty-Eight’s tank fits the lines of the Street Bob. It looks right at home.
Th Sportster’s small gas tank is an iconic shape, one that’s easily recognizable, even to non-Harley people. Adding a Sportster tank to any larger Harley instantly makes that bike look smaller, and, well, sportier.
As Birtyyy says, “Just what everyone with a new Softail has been asking for, less fuel capacity! I know this isn’t terribly practical and it’s definitely not for everyone but I’m a big fan of the look.” We are, too. It looks terrific.’
As you can imagine, vanity has its price. As always seems to be the case, major aesthetic upgrades have downsides when it comes to performance or practicality. Birtyyy’s Sportster-fied Softail is no exception.
How Bad is the Range?
Birtyyy says that with the new, 2.2 gallon tank, his Street Bob gets about 100 miles to a tank. He also points out that that’s about half the range he had previously.
He does like the look of the smaller Sportster tank on the Street Bob. He’s considering changing it again to a 1200 Custom tank, which has a similar look, but a 3.3 gallon capacity. That may be a happy medium between the stock tank and the Forty-Eight tank.
One member chimes in that the blacked-out bike could benefit from the red, white, and blue graphics seen on the new Iron 1200. Those tank graphics are inspired by the 1970s AMF-era graphics. Birtyyy chimes in with a picture of his classic Ironhead Sportster.
Birtyyy muses that it would be cool if both of his bikes matched. We heartily agree. We can’t wait to see this cool Softail with some classic Sportster graphics on the tank!
Photos: H-D Forums members; Harley-Davidson
Join the Harley-Davidson Forums now!
