FE/FC smaller gas tank

[Scudd]

I'm going to experiment making my bike narrower... I'm switching out my stock gas tank on my 2017 FE350 for the 2017 FC350 stock gas tank. There is a 0.4 gallon difference. My riding buddies are nervous about me running out of gas, but I a Giant Loop 1 gallon gas fuel safe bladder for backup.
Has anyone done this?

 

[MotoXImage]

I'm going to experiment making my bike narrower... I'm switching out my stock gas tank on my 2017 FE350 for the 2017 FC350 stock gas tank. There is a 0.4 gallon difference. My riding buddies are nervous about me running out of gas, but I a Giant Loop 1 gallon gas fuel safe bladder for backup.
Has anyone done this?

I think I saw on a FB dual sport page that you completed the swap. Do you still feel that the slimmer feeling is worth carrying the bladder around to compensate?

 

[racemx904]

So you want a thinner bike and carry 7 lbs on you? Seems nuts

 

[MotoXImage]

So you want a thinner bike and carry 7 lbs on you? Seems nuts

I guess the idea is the extra weight is temporary so after around 40 miles of hauling it, you dump it in your tank then carry the bladder around the rest of the ride? I'm light and my FE is unplugged, I have good throttle control+clutch action and get around 50mpg on casual mixed rides and low 40s on tight trails and aggressive rides. Gone over 125 miles on foo foo rides. Hopefully he'll be able to avoid the bladder on most of his rides and just use it on the longer uncertain of gas stop rides.

 

[racemx904]

I guess the idea is the extra weight is temporary so after around 40 miles of hauling it, you dump it in your tank then carry the bladder around the rest of the ride? I'm light and my FE is unplugged, I have good throttle control+clutch action and get around 50mpg on casual mixed rides and low 40s on tight trails and aggressive rides. Gone over 125 miles on foo foo rides. Hopefully he'll be able to avoid the bladder on most of his rides and just use it on the longer uncertain of gas stop rides.

I guess but extra weight on body is bad..... how much thinner are you going to make the thinnest bike?

 

[Scudd]

I think I saw on a FB dual sport page that you completed the swap. Do you still feel that the slimmer feeling is worth carrying the bladder around to compensate?

Yes for sure. Go to a dealer and sit on a FE350 and sit on the FC350. Thats how I was convinced. The feel of the bike is worth it for intense slow speed 2nd 3rd gear stuff mostly, 40-60 mile rides in Big Bear and Miller Canyon. On average, I can get 75 miles on a full tank. So I ended up using a smaller gas reserve instead of the fuel bladder... its the Wolfman fuel bottle holder with a MSR 1.3 liter fuel bottle mounted on front fender. The mounting hardware is very nice and bottle is very secure. Check out the pic of the smaller gas tank and the reserve bottle.

 

[MotoXImage]

The extra fuel looks like a good fit. Great pairing of the two products. I'm ok with the stock tank but might use your setup for longer DS rides where fuel stops are uncertain like Barstow to Vegas.

FWIW, I see you went with the Sicass turn switch but not the starter kill switch. I know they don't show it for the FE 350 but it will work. Just file a little plastic off of the top of the switch and it will slide under the throttle tube. I like it better than the turn signal switch change.
I also see you ditched the thermostat. Did you also do the plug on the carbon box and lines and change to the FC airbox?

 

[racemx904]

I’d hate that bottle up there

 

[Scudd]

The extra fuel looks like a good fit. Great pairing of the two products. I'm ok with the stock tank but might use your setup for longer DS rides where fuel stops are uncertain like Barstow to Vegas.

FWIW, I see you went with the Sicass turn switch but not the starter kill switch. I know they don't show it for the FE 350 but it will work. Just file a little plastic off of the top of the switch and it will slide under the throttle tube. I like it better than the turn signal switch change.
I also see you ditched the thermostat. Did you also do the plug on the carbon box and lines and change to the FC airbox?

Yes I had Blaise Racing (Chris Blaise) handle all the de-smog stuff after I got my ECU re-mapped by Thumper Racing.

 

[MotoXImage]

Yes I had Blaise Racing (Chris Blaise) handle all the de-smog stuff after I got my ECU re-mapped by Thumper Racing.

Didn't know anyone was still jailbreaking the unit. Chris is a good guy. It takes me about 50 minutes to get to his place but, it's worth the drive. I have complete confidence in him. I replaced the airbox and went with the ProMoto end cap for the exhaust which opened up the air flow and increased HP. I also added the ultra silent insert. Apparently the insert only looses less than a 1/2 hp on top and has a slight bump up in torque. For most trail riding I consider it a win win because quieter its better for the neighbors up here and less fatiguing on long rides yet yeilds a positive gain in HP over the stock tip.

 

[Proper]

Yes I had Blaise Racing (Chris Blaise) handle all the de-smog stuff after I got my ECU re-mapped by Thumper Racing.

How poorly are the FE350s choked down out of the box? Is there much work to be done to get them breathing well?

 

[MotoXImage]

Stock it’s a fun bike and has a good usable power band. If your not affected by California epa street requiments then it’s easy to open it up. Ditch the air box and get the off road box. Get the block off kit from Blaiss Racing block off kit and pull the canister out of the Dow tube. Remove the thermostat. Newer models have a locked ECU but if you know someone that can unlock it you can get a big boost by combining a reprogrammedower unit and a Pro Moto Billet slip on tip with spark arrestor. Not only will you have a more powerful bike, it’ll run cooler, live longer and be lighter.

 

[Proper]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Get the block off kit from Blaiss Racing block off kit and pull the canister out of the Dow tube. Remove the thermostat.

Did you do this work yourself? Difficulty level?

Newer models have a locked ECU but if you know someone that can unlock it you can get a big boost by combining a reprogrammedower unit and a Pro Moto Billet slip on tip with spark arrestor.

I'm in southern California. Is there someone you can recommend?

Lastly, I'm looking for a bike with some nice low end grunt. How does the FE350 do for that?

 

[MotoXImage]

Get ahold of Chris of blaisracingservices.com
He has an outstanding reputation. My bike is proof of what he can do. He has some unique clutch plates that you can install in about 15 minutes that will boost the already strong but tractable grunt on the low end. His pricing is very reasonable and if he works on your bike he’s incredibly efficient. Also ask him about Vortex. I think it’s available for your bike. If your not as concerned about exhaust noise as I am you might want to check into an FMF exhaust.

Below is a pic of my bike at his shop before he did his magic to it.