Wobbly Fuel Tank on Reinstall

[frkn_toaster]

Hi there - just got my 2002 r1150r in July this year (and I'm in love), rode it from Seattle to Sturgis and back, crossed the 24K mark and started the tuneup...so I finally have enough knowledge of the bike to post on a forum! Yay.

So far, I've changed the oil & filter, adjusted the valves, replaced the spark plugs, and replaced the air filter with a k&n.

Today I removed the tank and replaced the fuel filter. All went smooth, until I put the tank back on, and it wobbles. We're talking about an unacceptable level of wobble here, coming from the front of the tank, it rocks back and forth on the two nubs it's resting on. The bolt in back is torqued to spec (22Nm), and the tank sits as flush as it will, but those rubber thingies it sits on up front are not flush top to bottom.

Anyone else had this problem? Am I forgetting a bolt or something else? Kind of a dumb problem.

(By the way, the bike's a dream, super clean, no dings, well-maintained - looks practically brand new. Runs like a champ, I had no problems at all on the whole 3000+ miles Sturgis run.)

[iowabeakster]

Welcome to the forum!

Nice bike.

Your next maintenance item is the throttle body synchronization, and you get your merit badge.

There is just one bolt for the tank. You just need to make sure, that the rubber "tractor tires" are inside of the corresponding channels on the underside of the tank. Double check to make sure that is the case. Some people have mistakenly missed those channels the with the "tractor tires". It sounds like the the channels may be sitting on top of the "tractor tires".

Even when properly inside the channel, those soft "tractor tires" do allow some small amount of wobble.

[frkn_toaster]

Thanks for the reply - bad choice of words on my part. The "tractor tires" are definitely inside the channels on the tank. Maybe I need new tractor tires...

[sweatmark]

The "tractor tires" are definitely inside the channels on the tank. Maybe I need new tractor tires...

Can't imagine that the rubber bumper(s) could be worn out, flat-sided, or otherwise wacky.

I had the tank wobbles when (a) I missed one side's positioning of rubber bumper inside the channel; and (b) when a bumper was dislodged from the front subframe post but still captured by tank channel. My tank's been off &on dozens of times, with no indication of any wear of the positioning bumpers.

Curious to hear what's causing your wobbles.

[CycleRob]

frkn_toaster,
If you see that the rubber tank bushings are equally positioned inside the steel tank channels where they belong, the wobbling you now notice was likely there all along. You just never grabbed the tank and forcefully moved it around before. They all do that! About an inch of wobble up/down. Normally the weight of the fuel keeps the tank down-n-steady, so you just never noticed the movement.

If you've been reading here only recently, you should know that the plastic fuel Quick Disconnects (QD's) must be replaced by the chrome plated brass ones, or they will break soon and leave you stranded and likely fuel soaked. Well worth the ~$80 for the parts.

.

[AirForceDirt]

Honestly, the wobble was probably there all along. Mine wobbles all over the place when compared to other motorcycles, but its just part of the design of the bike. I've noticed that things that are hard-mounted or otherwise bolted on, tend to vibrate loose, or break due to the insane vibration from the engine. Blue loctite is your friend. Just loctite everything you take apart, it won't hurt anything, and just means a little extra effort when you remove it, but keeps them from working loose on their own.

Anyway, back to the gas tank, if the nubs are in the slots on the tank, and the bolt is in, there's nothing more (short of adding more damping material which would be a waste) to get it to stop wobbling. If it wobbles a lot by just the engine vibration, you might have an issue, but other than at idle, it shouldn't move much. Yes, if you grab it and wiggle it, it WILL move a bunch.


Otherwise, despite the few outspoken people who've had issues with their beaksters, these are great bikes, and as long as you take care of them, they'll take care of you. The few catastrophic failures are well documented and while they occur for unacceptable reasons, the amount of R1150R's that have said failures is pretty small. Ride the wheels off it and enjoy it.

[Boxer]

When you lower the tank (after placing the front tank channels over the rubber nubs) the little bracket with the rubber bushing at the right rear of the tank must fit down properly inside the metal threaded connector on the bike. I had that rubber bushing to dislodge from its seat on a couple of occasions and even though I noticed it pretty quickly, I believe it could go unnoticed and you could even place the bolt securely back in and that absent or loose bushing could cause the looseness you describe. Take the bolt back out and lift up the rear of the tank slightly to see if that bushing is in place and seating properly. Other than that, I'd have to agree with the others. It probably was wiggling just as much before and you just didn't notice it.

[Dr. Strangelove]

welcome to the forum and totally off topic, but OOOOO WEEEEEEEE...another fan (or at least a reference) to one of the best series that has ever ever ever made it to the small screen. Of course, I mean the NEW (now over) Battlestar Galactica!

Frackin' Toaster, indeed!

John
Caprica

[boxermania]

Maximized the pic of the bike ad it appears that the tank is correctly positioned on the front mounts (rubber tires).

I agree with Boxer, there is a rubber bushing on the inside tab of the rear bolt location, that sometimes gets knocked off as one is trying to slip the tank tang in to the bracket. If this happens, there will be some side to side clearance after the bolt is installed that could very well result in what you are experiencing.

Suggest going to the A&S Cycles site and peruse their parts fiche and you will see what I'm talking about.

Nice bike, but need to call your attention to the improper ridding gear, footwear and no helmet.........and you rode 3,000 miles like that....I'm in shock.

Welcome aboard

[frkn_toaster]

Thanks for the tips and warm welcome - on my way to the garage; we'll see if I can un-wobble it or if it's just a wobbly kind of thing.

@AirForceDirt - LOL at "few catastrophic failures". Well, I read all the scariest posts from this forum before I bought it, so I'm aware what I got myself into. (Still seems to be the best bike for the money.)

@Dr. Strangelove - you know it!

@boxermania - I'll be sure to post an image in proper riding attire!

[iowabeakster]

John
Caprica

...that caused me to imagine the good Dr. wearing a strapless red coc ktail dress and heels...

[frkn_toaster]

Thanks again for all the tips; after futzing with the tank a bit I've concluded the following:

-No missing rubber bushings or spacers - everything is where it should be.
-The throttle-side "tractor tire" appears to be slightly squishy - the is the side with the give that is allowing the wobble.
-As suggested, it was likely wobbly before I removed the tank, and I just didn't notice it.

So...maybe I'll try to shim it snug, or just let it go for now and see if I notice it while riding.

On the plus side, I'm not leaking any fuel and the engine is sounding pretty super. Onto the throttle body sync!

[boxermania]

Did you know your bike has K bike mirrors? They are MO better...... BTW is hard to tell the color from the pic....it appears to be green??

[Dr. Strangelove]

John
Caprica

...that caused me to imagine the good Dr. wearing a strapless red coc ktail dress and heels...

Red is a good color on me because I am a "winter," or maybe an "autumn," no I think I am a late November, around Thanksgiving, or just after. But no later than December 3rd or 4th, no way.

And, Toaster, should I tell him or you?

I'll tell him.

Caprica is the name of the planet (of the Twelve Colonies, read Planets) where the Cylons were invented. They ultimately rebelled against the humans and drove them off of Caprica into space where they now search for that mythical planet, Earth. The Cylons are in hot pursuit to wipe out the humans because the Cylons are monotheistic, while the humans are polytheistic, and the Cylons, with good reason, believe that humans will screw up anything they touch.

And "Caprica Six," a willowy blonde Cylon (they acquired the ability to mutate and look and feel exceedingly human), looked absolutely delicious when she wore that red (nearly) strapless co*ktail dress and heels, and the emerald green one, too. How could Baldur- imho the most interesting character in a series chock full of interesting characters - ever resist that vision?

This is Caprica Six



And "Toaster" is the derogatory slang term the humans had for the Cylons. "Frackin' " is self-explanatory.

Better than Star Trek; better than Star Wars.

[iowabeakster]

Strangelove...

Oh yeah, I know all about it.

I watched the whole series on DVD-Blu Ray not long ago. I thought they ended up referring to "Caprica 6" just as "Caprica", at the end. Hence, my "imagining" you in the red coc ktail dress...

I also began some DIY electro-shock-therapy, soon after the vision.

How could Baldur- imho the most interesting character in a series chock full of interesting characters - ever resist that vision?

He didn't resist at all... nearly killing everyone. The question is... who really could blame him?

I used "Frak" in a post, a while ago. Canyon Runner is a fan too, and we exchanged a couple PM's about BSG.

(sorry for the off-topic diversion... please don't tell the undercover forum gestapo, that lurk in the R12R section )

[Dr. Strangelove]

Woo hoo another fan!

(sorry for the off-topic diversion... please don't tell the undercover forum gestapo, that lurk in the R12R section

our secret and don't tell me anything about it. I still have a season to go. That show just gets better and better.

John

[frkn_toaster]

@boxermania - Did not know those mirrors were special, but they certainly seem to do the job. The bike is black - that image has a cross-processed thing going on that's skewing it green.

(btw, fellow bsg nerds - as if I needed to sound any nerdier, I also call my R "the tie fighter" - pretty much a huge nerd all around.)

[wncbmw]

frkn_toaster - many of us replace the 'Mickey Mouse' round mirrors with the K bike mirrors. I did it for the looks but instantly discovered they improved the field of vision behind.

And another BSG fan here! Nothing on the tube for SF as good since Babylon 5!

And nice choice in Roadster color, BTW!