Ethanol-resistant Harley KR Tank

Late last summer Chris Rudy, AHRMA racer from California, contacted me about making KR tanks. He said no company makes a KR tank with anti-ethanol properties. He knew that I offered tanks with X resin which is impervious to alcohol in fuel.

Chris had an orange tank (see photos at right - notice the DOA bubbles in the side) that had been terminally consumed by ethanol and was no longer a viable tank. It became the mule for the tank I am building. We made a deal which I have done with others. Chris supplied the clapped out KR tank which is sacrificed to make the new one. When I am done Chris gets a brand new tank and I am able to sell the best looking KR tank anywhere which won't DOA if ethanol is used in it. (For safety I use non-ethanol gas in all my glass tanks just for that measure of safety).

Chris had seen a KR tank on an early Mert Lawwill bike which was longer than his stock orange KR tank. It looked much better and he liked it a lot and wanted me to make his KR tank longer. The longer tank also seems to be a consensus among his fellow racers and it butts up to the seat without a gap. Additionally Chris wanted a more pronounced 'shoulder' line where sides and top meet.

If you compare the orange tank with my dark 'pattern' tank you can see that it has shoulders and is longer. The specs on the new longer KR tank are:

• Length-18 ½" (1 ¾ longer than stock KR)
• Width - 10"
• Height - 6 ¼"
• Tunnel width - about 2 ¼" (I haven't build the bottom yet so I may cheat and make it a smidge wider)
  
  

The tank will be made in Harley racing orange gelcoat so racers won't have to worry about painting. It will be made from X resin so no ethanol worriers either. It will have 7/16" fine threaded receptacles in the bottom so it will bolt right on a KR or early Sportster.

Timing

I've cleared away some other projects and am now on the KR. Chris said he wants the tank in March, so that's my goal.

Here is a little "KR" tank history that Chris crafted: