Motosportz Damper + IMS tank - possible solution?

[jeffchri]

Buddy with a CNC machine and lots of imagination came up with an idea that might very well solve the problem that folks are experiencng with the combination of the 3.0gal IMS tanks + the Motosportz damper.

I know there are some Scotts-based solutions in the works as well, but for those of us who are already "in" with IMS and Motosportz parts, who would be potentially interested in getting such a bracket/adapter, and how much would you expct to pay? I have no idea what he'd charge - and to be clear, we don't have the prototype yet so we're not even sure it works yet ...

EDIT: btw, Kelly *does* know about this (e.g. just PM'd), we're going to work with him to make sure it gets to folks, if the thing works. Which I hope it does. A lot.

 

[HuskyDude]

Hey that sound interesting.



I wasn't thinking of a Motosportz damper just cuz I knew it would not fit with my IMS tank.

Things are looking up.

 

[Husqvarian]

I am very much interested in a solution, and costs are secondary.....

-Randy
Ft. Worth, Tejas
'08 TE510 w/Motorsportz damper and unused IMS tank

 

[jeffchri]

So, as cruel luck would have it, I took off my MZ damper today and mounted the IMS tank, and actually found quite a bit of space between the tank and steering stock - maybe as much as 5mm. Almost certainly enough for a weld-on of some sort ... gotta love that rotomolding process.

BUT: I don't want a weld-on, and most don't have any clearance, so the game is still on to find a weld-less fix.

 

[Motosportz]

So, as cruel luck would have it, I took off my MZ damper today and mounted the IMS tank, and actually found quite a bit of space between the tank and steering stock - maybe as much as 5mm. Almost certainly enough for a weld-on of some sort ... gotta love that rotomolding process.

95% of the ones we have seen the tank is slammed right up to the steer tube. Mine touches.

 

[jeffchri]

95% of the ones we have seen the tank is slammed right up to the steer tube. Mine touches.

Yup, understood. Again, rotomolding ... gotta love it. Mine was one of the first tanks shipped, so it's not like they fixed the problem ...

 

[Joliet]

95% of the ones we have seen the tank is slammed right up to the steer tube. Mine touches.

My first tank had about 1/8", the one I have now has a good 1/4" clearance. I think the way to go with these is to incorporate the post with the top race for the steering head bearing. I have seen some of these for other bikes. You could make this work with a tank with no clearance. Might cost a few more dollars to machine this way, but would work regardless of tank clearance.

 

[Darkside]

If you can do it. I'd be in.

 

[kanoa]

likewise

 

[Darkside]

I think the way to go with these is to incorporate the post with the top race for the steering head bearing.

I think this is how the Ohlins type 2 version of thier damper works.

 

[Joliet]

As far as I know, no one is working on one. So for now my Motosportz damper sits on the workbench gathering dust, where it has been for the last year.

I am trying not to spend another 4 or 5 hundred dollars on another damper. I guess I will see if Aqualine comes through with a new tank, or someone makes a post that will work with my Motosportz damper and the IMS tank. Hopefully soon. Ken

 

[BigNavyRider]

Bump: Any word on this?

Is this a dead issue? What is the story with the Aqualine tank?

 

[Joliet]

It is my understanding that everone that writes to Aqualing is getting the same answer; they are working on it and will have more info closer to the end of the year.

http://www.cafehusky.com/forums/showthread.php?p=42394&highlight=aqualine#post42394

Post #72 and #73 have some info in this post.
http://www.cafehusky.com/forums/showthread.php?p=39324&highlight=aqualine#post39324

 

[jeffchri]

Update update!

Sorry for the loong delay ... we have some movement on this front again, finally. We did some initial measurements and brainstorming, then life cranked up and ... well, blah blah blah, you get the picture.

Anyway, I dummied up a prototype of the bracket that my buddy thought would work (which relies on bridging the gap between steerer tube and tank mounting post, as you guys have discussed ...) and rode the crap out of it so we could see wear, work out kinks, etc.

Everything was good, so over the weekend he machined up an initial version of the bracket (v1), made in delrin for now. It looks great, and it appears to mount very nicely, though there are some design decisions that my friend thinks would make it fit and wear better.

Here are some pics:

There is a tall spacer that fits snugly into the hole in the tank that fits over the tank mounting post, and the bolt that holds the aft end of the bracket goes through bracket and spacer before getting to the post. The combination of strength from the post and tank itself make this thing feel totally bomber. The design of the steerer end is such that it is also super-strong, yet rides perfectly in the steerer with no real friction.

I have this installed on my bike right now, and the plan is to hammer the crap out of it for the next couple of weeks, then pull it (very easy) and check for wear, signs of stress, etc. as well as of course noting how well it works. So far it feels great - no slop whatsoever, which is I think even better than the stock mounting post.

Question for you guys: is there still a market for this bad boy?

- Jeff

 

[Joliet]

What will the finished product be made of? I would be interested (depending on price). Looks nice. Ken

(Hijack) Do you have Hellfire HID's on your bike?

 

[jeffchri]

What will the finished product be made of? I would be interested (depending on price). Looks nice. Ken

(Hijack) Do you have Hellfire HID's on your bike?

We'll probably end up going with aluminum - we're using delrin as a test for now. I'll see how it holds up.

And yep - that is Hellfire *wiring*, but I don't use the lights - need to pull that. I opted to get a Trailtech X2 HID setup and love it!

 

[ioneater]

Looks good so far! Neat to see a solution like that after soooooooooo much griping!

 

[danbartol]

Now that is a great solution!

Nice work!

 

[jeffchri]

Update: nothing earth-shaking to report ... I banged around on it on pavement for a few hours and it feels awesome. It is more snug on the "peg" than the stock Motosportz mount, so there's basically no play whatsoever ... but this can lead to other problems, so it might need to get loosened up a bit. I'll see how it wears.

I'm going to pull it temporarily and try to stuff it on a buddy's TE later this evening, just as test - I'm interested to see how much variation there is the relative position of the steering stock to fuel tank mounting post. I'm also interested in whether the notoriously broad tolerances on the IMS tank are going to cause any issues - though thankfully it doesn't matter at all how much the gap is between the actual tank and the steerer. It *does* matter if the tank height changes radically where the post mounts, however ... we'll see.

 

[K7MDL]

TE610 Maybe?

What are the chances of trying this approach on a '06/'07 TE610 with 5 gallon IMS tank? :-)

The post does not say what version bike this is clearly, but I am guessing from the 3 gallon and pictures of the different triple clamp this is being tested on a TE510 or TE450?

Hope this works out well for you.

Mike