Ok, the sporty did great on the few road trips to Kansas City (~700 mi). Fuel mileage was 50ish and I was at 80mph most of the time. My range is limited. Fuel light comes on at 100 miles and I pushed it as far as 140 with a 3.1 gallon fill.

Thinking I have a road trip in August covering 1500-2000 miles and while 140 miles my butt needs a break, I would like to not push the bike to run on fumes, so I am thinking of looking on ebay for a used, dinged up 4.5 gallon tank off a custom and swapping it for longer trips. If the color is ugly, rattle can it black and cover the dings with stickers along the way. I'd have to swap the fuel pump from tank to tank which is a pain, but I think if I got it cheap enough it'd be worth it. New tanks from HD are $650 and they say you need this installation kit to mount it to other models including the nightster which I am unsure if this is a necessity

Also NEW aftermarket tanks range from $195-225 which are a consideration

Yes I know, I am turning my low riding sleek nightster into a typical custom sporty, but that's just how I operate sometimes

 

Are you going back to the 3.3 gallon tank after the trip?

Sounds like a lot of hassle and $$$ just for one trip. Why not get one or two camping gasoline bottles and have them strapped to your luggage somewhere? Not sure how much those hold but I'm guessing with 2 you might get close to a gallon, which would be equivalent to having about a 4.5 gallon tank.

Just a thought.

Something like this: http://hubpages.com/hub/FiveBestCampingGas

 

Not just for one trip. It's for anytime I leave the state which is 5-6 times a season. My goal is NOT to run out of fuel, have to stop, toss in a half gallon to get me to a station to stop yet again. The goal is to be able to ride up to 200 miles or less and get gas once I am in need of a break, not when my bike tells me to on fumes. Yes I will swap back to the 3.3. It needs a paint job bad, as tank bags have scratched it up badly and after the repaint it will never have a tank bag on it again, but I require one for longer trips.

I don't carry much luggage. Strap a tank bag on and a backpack to the pillion and I am off. I have two large camping bottles for my dual sport trips, but could not find a decent place to strap them on safely. I lost a bottle of gatorade this trip, hate to loose 32oz of fuel at 75mph. But yes a half gallon of extra fuel might get me by. I could also strap one of these Rotopax under my backpack for a full gallon of fuel which I could also mount on my dual sport....hmmmm

Anyway, back on track. If I find a deal on a 'C' tank will it bolt right up or do I need that $130 install kit. If so, it's def not worth it.

 

Hey man......They do bolt right up. That istallation kit is NOT necessary at all. Total ripoff...I've been swapping tank between our Nightster, 48, and Custom and all three are set up the exact same way when it comes to the fuel pump setup and bolt placement to the frame....The fuel pumps take about 5 minutes to swap from tank to tank. (not counting the time to drain them and take them on/off) Once you do it a time or two, you'll get the whole job done in about 30 minutes.....total.......They recommend replacing the fuel pump gasket every time you change them over, but that is unessesary too....I've used the same gasket on 4 swaps and haven't had a drop of fuel leak by........Just make sure you torque the fuel pump bolts down correctly (evenly to start).......Hope this helps ya man.....

 

winner winner chicken dinner. Thanks GermDog, just what I wanted to know.

 

Did the swap myself, a few months back. IIRC you will need the HD part # 75301-07. That's the gasket that goes in between the efi module and tank. You can re-use the bolts and screws from the old tank to mount the new one on. Good Luck.
EDIT: Found the HD pdf instructions for you. The gasket is part number 4 in the instruction. You dont need the whole kit, just the gasket.
link==>http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US...ts/-J04180.pdf
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This sounds like a HUGE waste of time and money to me. Not to mention the 4.5 tank is not very asthetically pleasing to say the least.

 

It does'nt look pretty, but to some it's "peace of mind"
(the extra gallon or so could mean NOT pushing the bike to the next station)

 

One could also say your bike lacks the ability to ride comfortably for distance or a number of other 'hate'. If the owner of the bike likes his/her mods then IMO that's great. To each their own. I for one have a dual sport/sport touring background that requires fuel capacity. I lost my sport touring bike last year in a wreck and have been unable to replace it, so I am making what I already owned fit my needs.

Thanks knightenforcer, bike looks real good to me.

 

I don't like the peanut tank, much prefer the custom style on my SuperLow, which at least gives the bike a usable range! As for buying a second tank, that is best done by taking your time. I bought a 6 gallon tank off ebay for my old Glide for just 66 bucks (before shipping) with one small dent. The paint is so good I hardly dare touch it!