There are some options. The most simple one is to get a tank off of a CBR600F2 or 600F3. These
are widely available for cheap. (Sub 100 on Ebay) Put a modern Harley right side petcock, which is not vacuum operated--just like the Hawk-- and are universal. By modern, I mean post 1975. Put some spacers, extend the tabs, bolt on and widen your seat. Done! However, I won't be going that route.
On an NT650, you have this tiny 3 gallon tank. Which means you can go 150 miles on a trip. That is another reason people install the F2/F3 tank; its bigger.
One great thing about this small tank is that it is super narrow. This is the primary reason I will not be going with an F2/F3 tank. Also, I love the looks of the stock tank.
I don't have any exterior photos of the tank, but here is what it looks like on the inside:
The horror!! The horror!! |
Fortunately I found these guys: http://www.gas-tank.com/
They'll take the tank, sand-blast the outer surface to get all of the paint off. Then they'll bake it to burn out the previous coating. They'll cut a hole in the tank to sandblast the inside as well. Any pinholes (which I have plenty of) in the tank that go through the tank walls will be filled in, any parts of the tank that need welding will be welded in. The inside will be coated with a badass proprietary coating and the outside will get a few coats of primer. Apparently the tank will never rust again.
I am not bad at rattle can paint jobs. I did side covers on my old '72 scrambler and it looked glorious. I'm going to do the same to this tank. I'm thinking about a crazy color like yellow or a light orange, but I have a feeling that darker colors contrast better with the aluminum frame. I'll keep you guys posted.
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