Quick question on removing 2004 999s fuel tank. Bike has 6k miles and I’ll be doing valve clearance check, belts, general clean up, etc. over the winter. I’ve got the fuel tank full with non-ethanol gasoline and fuel stabilizer and would rather not drain it. I know whatever fuel that’s already in the lines will drain once I disconnect them, but I’m assuming nothing will drain from the tank through the fuel pump disconnects. Can anyone confirm?
The fuel should not drain out. But I would get a mate to help lift a full tank off. Last thing you want to do is drop it!
I recommend propping the back of the tank up with a block of wood so you can access the quick release couplings. Remove them and then get is a good position to remove the tank. I prefer to do this from the left hand side myself.
Thanks for the quick reply! I’ve been debating whether to “extend” the scheduled valve check interval to the next belt change and not disturb more than I have to. I suppose the worst-case scenario with this approach would be running into some extra valve work if it were running out-of-spec longer than necessary?? I’ll definitely make sure I’m set up before lifting it off! I do this quite often with an old Honda CB550F (from the left side) but the recesses in that tank to fit over the frame make for extremely convenient handles. The reduced weight (capacity and range ) of the 999 tank finally has something in its favor.
