Stripped tank mount

[rxvalk]

Well I really did it this time. 

I took the tank off Thursday so that I could install the 1/2 inch spacer and the frame supports prior to putting the velocity stacks on that I bought this fall. When i went to put it back together to check the frame supports and be sure there was no side to side movement. I found there was some slight movement. So I took it back apart and found that I had stripped the tank mount up by the handle bars.

I went to the store and got a tap the same size as the bolt and tapped the hole. Then I went to reinstall the tank after checking that I could screw a bolt by hand into the new hole. I was able to tighten it down but once I got it hand tight I  gave it a 1/2 turn with a socket wrench to snug it up and stripped it again. I had a hell of a time getting the bolt back off since the threads were all chewed up.

At this point it looks like i have two options.

1. The first is to go and get a new bolt and attach the tank with a nut under the current tank mount. This seems the easiest and most straightforward.

2. Or I could get the tap for the next size up bolt and re-tap the hole.

What do you guys think? Is either option ok?

[Chrisj CMA]

I would drill/tap to the next size so I can use a brand new bolt.  Just be careful you are probably drilling and tapping a captured nut, so theres not a huge amount of material to play with, but should be enough to up size it once Id think

[3W-lonerider]

i would hold off drilling and tapping. last year my front bolt came loose and almost fell out on a ride. tank started feeling very loose when going around turns is the reason i noticed the bolt coming out.
 looked at the bolt closly and it looked to be in perfect condition.
 got home and screwed it back into the hole only to have it not tighten up.
 figgured the hole was buggered up so i thought the same thing.. drill and tap..
just so happened i had another bolt in the tool box. pulled the spare bolt out. checked it against the old one. still did'nt see anything wrong with the old one. installed new one and tightened it down..been in there ever since.

[9Ball]

I had this happen about 10 years ago.  My fix has actually worked out better than the factory design.

I drilled and tapped the mount for a 1/4"-20 bolt.  I bought a chrome bolt...sorry forget the length, a chrome washer, and a chrome acorn nut.

I threaded the bolt through the mount base from the bottom, added a little red locktite and snugged it up.   This essentially creates a "stud" for the tank to rest on.

Now when I go to install the tank, I can slip the eye on the front mounting tab of the tank over the bolt and everything is in perfect alignment for attaching the hoses and vent.  This also makes aligning the rear bolt a non-issue.  The protruding bolt stud also keeps the tank in place so I don't have to worry about the front of the tank sliding or getting scratched/dented around while hooking up the hoses.

I drop the chrome washer on top of the stud, then tighten tha acoun nut to 10 lb-ft.

In my opinion, this is a better setup than from the factory...

Good luck.

[Brian]

I had this happen about 10 years ago.  My fix has actually worked out better than the factory design.

I drilled and tapped the mount for a 1/4"-20 bolt.  I bought a chrome bolt...sorry forget the length, a chrome washer, and a chrome acorn nut.

I threaded the bolt through the mount base from the bottom, added a little red locktite and snugged it up.   This essentially creates a "stud" for the tank to rest on.

Now when I go to install the tank, I can slip the eye on the front mounting tab of the tank over the bolt and everything is in perfect alignment for attaching the hoses and vent.  This also makes aligning the rear bolt a non-issue.  The protruding bolt stud also keeps the tank in place so I don't have to worry about the front of the tank sliding or getting scratched/dented around while hooking up the hoses.

I drop the chrome washer on top of the stud, then tighten tha acoun nut to 10 lb-ft.

In my opinion, this is a better setup than from the factory...

Good luck.

Awesome fix. I will book mark this thread.

[rxvalk]

I tried Nine balls suggestion and it worked like a charm. He is right this is a much easier setup. The alignment of the tank is simple when all you have to do is put it on top of the bolt. The Fuel lines and vent were much easier to hook up when the tank can sit on the bolt versus flopping around with a fair amount of pucker factor on my part.

Thanks Nine Ball.

Joe