alright! got some work done... replaced the fuel return hose, sure enough had a pin hole in it... from there put in a new fuel filter... then moved on to the pipe... Have to say, it is AWESOME having someone with Tims skill in the shop... Tim is a mad man when it comes to custom pipes, metal, and well to be honest anything he touches... so we got the angle we wanted on the pipe (to allow for a air ride later so i can slam the bike when parked and not worry and then air it up full and not worry about the passanger peg hitting the pipe... also had to make sure the wifes heel would not scratch it while she was on back hahahaha.... got the new angle welded in... then we moved on to the support. after some cutting, welding and bending we where able to get the STOCK bracket from the pipe to work... granted it was cut into a few pieces, but tim was able to weld it all up and bend it to work perfect... around 5am i slapped some gloss black powder on the bracket and we where done! came out PERFECT!!!!
found the hole in the fuel line
replaced the hose with NAPA submersible fuel hose #H209 (cut about 3 inches off it) and used some self tight clamps as Formula suggested in his post
tank all buttoned back up
then moved on to the pipe... first we found our angle so we mounted up the new flange that was cut
then moved on to the bracket, stripped it, and stated to cut and weld
all welded up
all coated and done... insane the amount of work that goes into something so that you can make it so you can not ever see it
how the pipe should sit (sorry to who's pic this was)
how it sits now