You will need to trim the seat a bit or get another seat. A few people have put 4.5 g tanks on 16+ Roadsters, Crusty at xlforum for one. Be aware the the actual capacity may not be 4.5 gallons, on my own 08 Roadster the bike will stumble if I accelerate and I've used about 3.5 gallons due to the EFI pump sucking air and I've read of some others with the same experience. A theory I read somewhere (that makes sense) is that when HD converted the tank to EFI in 2007 that they did not account for the difference in capacity due to the pump, filter, pickup vs. petcock etc.
Originally Posted by wlwoodruff
Thanks to all, I think I have what I need. I thought the frame was the same, but I wasn't sure, and I didn't want to launch this project it the parts weren't going to fit. I plan to have an engine built with a bit more punch. Along with that I am going to put the 4.5g tank on (so I wanted to confirm that it would fit my frame without having to do a crapload of custom work). And yeah, I understand that I will need to change the seat, but Corbin, for example, makes it clear which seats work with a 4.5g Sporty, and which ones don't. 100+ HP, with 4.5g of gas, and a comfortable touring seat should be a good start on a light cruiser. Still gotta figure out the bags, and the rear suspension, but it is starting to look doable. Again, thanks for the input!
See the highlighted portion. He did the same with a Roadster.
Thanks to all, I think I have what I need. I thought the frame was the same, but I wasn't sure, and I didn't want to launch this project it the parts weren't going to fit. I plan to have an engine built with a bit more punch. Along with that I am going to put the 4.5g tank on (so I wanted to confirm that it would fit my frame without having to do a crapload of custom work). And yeah, I understand that I will need to change the seat, but Corbin, for example, makes it clear which seats work with a 4.5g Sporty, and which ones don't. 100+ HP, with 4.5g of gas, and a comfortable touring seat should be a good start on a light cruiser. Still gotta figure out the bags, and the rear suspension, but it is starting to look doable. Again, thanks for the input!
I plan to do the same as you in a year or two, but I'm going to start with a Custom. I'm going to add seat, bars (apes), bags, suspension, engine work (at least stage 2 maybe more) and even a six-speed transmission. Yes, I plan to spend some money.
Still gotta figure out the bags, and the rear suspension, but it is starting to look doable.
There are plenty choices for the saddlebags. If you want to go hard saddlebags, Tsukayu has a solution. You can also use the touring saddlebags directly with a conversion kit from CycleVisions. Just get the touring saddlebags made for Harley. You might have to modify the muffler location on some.
I plan to do the same as you in a year or two, but I'm going to start with a Custom. I'm going to add seat, bars (apes), bags, suspension, engine work (at least stage 2 maybe more) and even a six-speed transmission. Yes, I plan to spend some money.
What year Custom do you have ? FWIW, I think the Baker XL6 might be discontinued,
as I do not see it listed anymore on the Baker website. It only worked for the 1991-2003 Sportsters.
What year Custom do you have ? FWIW, I think the Baker XL6 might be discontinued,
as I do not see it listed anymore on the Baker website. It only worked for the 1991-2003 Sportsters.
It looks like you bought the wrong Sportster model in the first place for your needs, the XL1200CX was introduced as H-D's Cafe' Racer style Sportster, the XL1200T was their touring Sportster model.
Maybe, but the Roadster has dual discs up front, and a significantly greater lean angle. To me, that looked like a better foundation for the bike I want to build.
I thought for sure I was going to go the larger tank route when purchasing my 2017 Roadster coming from mostly European brands. I have an MSR bottle that gives me .2 gallon extra fuel so I am fine with pushing it to the limits. This consistently gives me 160 miles- stock exhaust, stock intake, over 50mpg. On trips I tow my Bushtec trailer with 2-1/2 gallons in a roto-pax, see photo… which is needed in some parts of the west.
You will need to trim the seat a bit or get another seat. A few people have put 4.5 g tanks on 16+ Roadsters, Crusty at xlforum for one. Be aware the the actual capacity may not be 4.5 gallons, on my own 08 Roadster the bike will stumble if I accelerate and I've used about 3.5 gallons due to the EFI pump sucking air and I've read of some others with the same experience. A theory I read somewhere (that makes sense) is that when HD converted the tank to EFI in 2007 that they did not account for the difference in capacity due to the pump, filter, pickup vs. petcock etc.
I put a 4.5-gallon tank on my 2007 Roadster and the low fuel light comes on at about 3.6 gallons. I still have the full 4.5 gallons still available. Of course, there could be other factors involved with how hard you are accelerating, is there a tank lift, suspension settings, etc.
Originally Posted by Rob Roy's Revenge
It looks like you bought the wrong Sportster model in the first place for your needs, the XL1200CX was introduced as H-D's Cafe' Racer style Sportster, the XL1200T was their touring Sportster model.
I was looking hard at the new Roadster as my next travel bike also and may still go that route once I retire my 2006 Roadster and it's backup my 2007 Roadster from serving as a travel bike. Because of the extra weight I carry (6-gallon aux fuel tank, tourpak, saddlebags, etc.) I want the dual disc brakes up front. It's easier and cheaper to put a lager tank on a Roadster than it is to put dual disc brakes on a Custom/XL1200T. That is why I would go that route and suspect the OP feels the same way.
I put a 4.5-gallon tank on my 2007 Roadster and the low fuel light comes on at about 3.6 gallons. I still have the full 4.5 gallons still available. Of course, there could be other factors involved with how hard you are accelerating, is there a tank lift, suspension settings, etc.
I was looking hard at the new Roadster as my next travel bike also and may still go that route once I retire my 2006 Roadster and it's backup my 2007 Roadster from serving as a travel bike. Because of the extra weight I carry (6-gallon aux fuel tank, tourpak, saddlebags, etc.) I want the dual disc brakes up front. It's easier and cheaper to put a lager tank on a Roadster than it is to put dual disc brakes on a Custom/XL1200T. That is why I would go that route and suspect the OP feels the same way.
Getting the low fuel light with 1 gallon left sounds fine to me. That gives me 3.5 to cruise on, so about 160-170 miles with a comfortable reserve. BTW, I like the look of those leather saddlebags; do they go on and off easily? Where'd ya get them?
01-26-2023, 05:56 AM
