IMS tank install - 2010 te250

[DougW]

I just installed the new IMS tank on my 2010 te250. It started a bit ruff but after some tweaking I finally got it installed the best I believe it will get.

Here is a picture of the tanks side by side. You can see how much bigger the tank is yet it is defiantly lighter in weight.

In the end I'd give the fit of the tank about a 7 out of 10. Also it looks a lot better in person then it does in pictures. Also, I'm betting when the low light comes on one is really close to being out of fuel. The pump sits right at the bottom of one of the sides so there is only a few inches between the bottom of the tank and no fuel. With the cross over tube you should be able to use as much fuel as possible. It will be interesting to see how far one can go on his tank.

Here the seat is down on the tank but you can see the gap under the seat. From farther away you really don't notice to much. I also had to tweak the lower fan shrouds to fit better as well. They don't fit even with the side covers very well. It wa hard to keep them "clipped" into the front of the side covers.

Here is the top view and you can see the seat is just about as far forward as it will go.

I can just get the seat installed onto the bike even though there is a slight bend in the back of the seat. Hopefully things will wear in some and it will loosen up some. I tried to get the tank to move a bit farther forward with not much luck. I even cut all the tie wraps off the frame to make sure nothing was binding. I ended up calling IMS today about the fit and they thought it was the 2 rear seat clips on the frame that was holding the seat from going forward. I tweaked the clips up some but didn't find it to help any.

Here is a link to some more of the photos I took of this install.

http://helibuf.com/pictures/TE250/IMS tank/

 

[Jrmobb]

Awesome, looks like a nice design. Update us when you get some seat time with it.

 

[ioneater]

That 2nd pic answered a lot of my questions. Innovative design for the pump location fuel crossfeed plumbing.

 

[ghte]

Doug, thanks for sharing. I honestly feel the fit is not up to scratch. The seat height is another half inch on an already tall bike. I think it is worth having another go at snugging it down some. The gap is a bit agricultural looking for such a smart bike. Good luck mate.

 

[Steam]

doug, i had the same difficult experience, and more.

the difficulties for me began with removing the seat hook and rubber bumpers... the inserts spun. i ended up putting the air wrench to them, and the allens holding the bumpers both released from their inserts, so that was easy. the seat hook however, did not release, so i spun it 'til heated the tank and softened the plastic, then popped it out. the insert looks like a bullet, so it's no wonder they don't hold better. it still took a wrench to release the machine screw from the insert. the ims inserts look much more substantial - square and and textured to bite the plastic.

everything else went according to plan until fitting the tank on the frame... there was significant contact with the fan, preventing the tank from settling onto the frame and resting on the bumpers. i have ofg radiator guards, and the fan side didn't fit as well as the left. the right radiator angled back. i shimmed the rear radiator guard frame mount to angle the radiator forward, and it got me enough clearance, but there is still contact with the fan.

then there's the seat... it's now a tall spring trap, suspended between the seat hook and dzuz fastener. getting the seat on was an absolute chore, and if the dzuz lets go, i calculate i'll be catapulted 18 feet vertically and 23 feet forward.

the bike fired up, no leaks, etc., so that much is good. the feel of the bike has not changed much... carrying the fuel low was a good move on ims's part.

given the fit problems, i might go as low as a 5 on rating the tank overall.

tomorrow, i'm heading out with a friend for a huge adventure, searching for some some trail connections discovered last year. in addition to the oversize tank, we'll each be carrying 5 quarts of fuel. it will be a good test of how the bike rides in various terrain, as well as range. with the stock 1.7 gal tank i got 60 miles almost to the tenth of a mile, apparently regardless of terrain. the 2.9 should give me 102 miles.

i'll be having a chat with ims come monday.

the husky (acerbis) insert:

 

[DougW]

Please let us know how your chat with IMS goes. They were pretty helpful with me to a point. In the end it they thought it was my bike and not the tank.

Please let us know how many miles you were able to go on a tank. If you happen to remember I'd be curious on when the low light comes on as well. I'm figuring there won't be much fuel left after that light comes on.

Thanks for the post, good luck.
Doug

 

[Steam]

if they get enough feedback similar to you and i, maybe they'll reconsider. the literature included with the tank stated roto-molding can create as much as a 7% variance in capacity... would this also mean a 7% variance in overall molding? hall's might be a good resource for their experience with these tanks.

my intention is to run the tank dry tomorrow before putting in the auxillary fuel, but i might change my tune after toting a 5 quart oil jug on the rear fender.

i couldn't resist a trip to the garage to look at the seat fit, wondering if it were isolated to the seat hook being further back. it's a combination of that, and the tail of the tank being longer.

 

[DougW]

I thought of the seat hook as well. However I cleaned up the seat portion of the hook with a dremel tool and didn't see any noticeable results. I also had bent the frame tabs up just a touch to see if that would help any as well.

Good luck and keep us posted on how it went.

Doug

 

[Steam]

yesterday was "one of those days." i didn't recheck the fan clearance after mounting the seat, and the pressure of the seat on the rear of tank pushed the tank into the fan, causing it to bind, blowing the 20 amp fuse, and it looks like the fan is done. a trail side test of the fan going direct from the battery had it turning, but slowly, and there appeared to be excessive current draw. repositioned the fan by using only the lower machine screw in the ofg guard and rotating it ccw. replaced the fuse, which also has the dash and lights on the circuit. some time later it blew again.

excessive blow down kept us from reaching our objective, so i don't have mileage info... yet. the larger tank emphasizes the need for beefier springs... i'm 6'-3", 190 lbs without gear. waiting for the new springs to arrive, hoping today was the today so i could enjoy some garage therapy tonight, but nope.

had a good conversation with steve, a tech at ims. they were aware of the additional material in the tail of the tank, and were trying to make the tank work with several different bikes. they did design it to clear the radiator fan in a stock setup with no guards. doug, you didn't mention any clearance issues with your fan, so it sounds like ims achieved that goal. steve said their experience is that the seat will reform to the new tank without damage, and i've already noticed that happening.

kelly and the others that fit their tank to models other than the te seemed to experience a good fit without issue. i think i need to up my assessment from the lowly 5 to at least a 7, maybe an 8. the crossover is trick, the fuel pump went in nice and without any leaks, the time saved from the cap fitting regardless of planetary alignment is awesome, and knowing what i know now the install would've been much smoother. hopefully this will save others the hassle we've had.

ok, now let's go on a really long ride!!!

 

[ioneater]

Well, as an early adopter of IMS's big tank for 2008 TE's, this is looking somewhat familiar. Their early versions had lots of fitment issues, some due to inconsistent frame builds and some due to IMS QC issues. My 3rd one fit "good enough" and has had the $h!t beat out of it by its slightly retarded operator. No leaks on the gouged wings.......! I left the front tank bolt finger tight while mounting the seat, seem to allow more "give", then tightened it after the seat was secured at the rear dzus.

I haven't dealt with this new tank on the x-lite frame, but will be looking into one shortly. Especially if Clark doesn't come through soon with their product. Hope they work on TXC's with a fan

 

[DougW]

So I just got back from a week vacation in Utah. My bike has the Co settings all at 100 and we rode from 7k ft to 11k ft elevation. We rode both street as well as hard slow rocks and to everything in between. The longest I rode as 150 miles and still no low light. I had to put gas in to make it back to camp so I really don't know how far I could have gone. What I was getting was around 60 miles / gal on shorter trips based on refueling. The bike ran great so I'm thinking that if there is an o2 sensor it leaned the bike out some.

One time though the seat managed to "pop" off the tank hook. The seat never really flattened out any, it still had a bow in it from something on the tank not fitting the greatest.

Doug

 

[Steam]

this past weekend i wasn't far into the first day's ride when i smelled gas. pulled the seat and fuel was leaking from the tank at a circular crack immediately forward of the seat hook, right at/just outside the edge of the insert. i put a shop towel across the tank behind the hook to limit the leaking fuel travelling. i figured when the fuel level got below that point the seeping would stop, and it did.

spoke to jack manley at ims this morning, and they are shipping a replacement tank, may have it wednesday, thursday most likely certain. ims has been great to deal with. i'm hoping it was an anomoly in the roto-molding process and not a fitment issue that will repeat.

 

[SanDHusky]

I installed the IMS tank on my TXC 250 last week. PERFECT fit

It went right on, no binding pulling, pushing etc. The seat almost seated itself. No binded up seat whatsoever. Plenty of clearance all the way around the tank.

Very happy and very impressed with the fit and feel...Thank you IMS.

Mitch

 

[NWRider]

I'm surprised to hear your seat fit so well. On my 125 it is a real pain to get it on and it is not getting better after several rides. I wish IMS would have tapered the back of the tank down a little as it would not have cost more then a cup of gas.

 

[Motosportz]

My tank fits very nice but the seat is slightly off. Went on a little hard and sticks up slightly.

K

 

[Steam]

the replacement tank was on my doorstep when i got home today... sweet. ims even included a pre-paid shipping label... super sweet.

the new tank went on like butter, dropping into position on the frame as i hoped it would. tightening the fastening bolt in front of the tank did not cause the back of the tank to rise. the seat fit on the mid rails perfectly, the nose engaged the hook perfectly, with a slight amount of play. the tail of the seat was still a little snug, but truly just a little and completely manageable.

i'm thinking the first tank was at the edge or perhaps over the 7% possible variance stated in the documents.

i'm very impressed with ims's handling of this situation... thanks jack manley and ims!

 

[fencelizard]

2009 With IMS 3.0 gallon tank and stock side plates

Hi, I did this to my 2009 TE450. I just installed the 2010 plates as they have the imbedded graphics. I did this mod with the old plates but the stock stickers were always peeling off. Removing the old plates proved the the glue "Amazing Goop" was holding up very well.

Wire wheel the IMS Tank

Remove inner mounting tabs

Air grinder till smooth

Wire wheel

Apply Glue liberally to panel and Tank.

Install and strap in place for 24-48 hours

You will have to clean up glue drippings for the first hour, then again with a razor knife the next day.

This is the finished product. I touched up the leading edge where the plate meets the tank to keep branches from getting wedged in. Over all, it looks totally stock.

 

[spleno1]

OMG!

Guys! I totally agree with this bigger tank but OMFG this is too much. This collaberation is not going on in my garage. Who has time for this? We are all gonna die in 2012! Which note is right around the corner. I wonna bolt it on and rip

I like DougW's tanks but definately not in favor of relacating my fuel pump to the outside of the tank like that. Its just waiting for a kid or a rock to wack those plastic pump elbows for gas to squirt all over that hot exhaust

Nice write up with quality detailed pics thanks!

 

[MontyCarlo]

Thread resurrection

I just installed the IMS tank on my 2010 TE250. It took a couple of dry fits before it worked well, but the tank has enough give that I think it will settle in and later R/R's will go smoother. I had similar issues with the fit of the fan shrouds. The seat was also giving me fits until I dremeled about 2mm off the front seat hook; now it fits nicely without the unsightly bend, but you still have to use a bit more finesse than with the stock tank.

Next up is a heat gun and a couple of zip ties to get the shrouds to fit better (maybe a bit more dremel work too). I'll try and come back with some pics unless I start a thread on that other motorcycle site

 

[moto66]

My SMR has got limited range but there's no way I would go to all of the bother above to get a larger tank. Surely it can't be that hard to make a product that fits correctly in this age of computer aided design/manufacture?

I totally understand the need and that there are limited options too. I'm just wondering how much it would cost to have an alloy tank made? I agree with sleno1 guest above.