The 500 EXC doesn’t have particularly bad tank range, and I don’t really suffer from fuel anxiety.. but as smarter guys than me have said, “the only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire”.
The reasons for my oversize tank are simple enough – we have a big trip planned to Europe this year, to ride the trans-euro trail, and while I don’t need to have the longest range in the group, I also don’t want to be the guy with the least range.
Over the last number of trail rides I’ve been keeping an eye on fuel consumption, and the big KTM has been getting about 17km per litre over mixed road & off-road use which is fairly good. The standard 9 litre tank is probably good for 153km or just under 100 miles if I run it dry, but who in their right mind runs their tank to empty every time?
I reckon once you’re down to 3 litres left in your tank, you’re actively looking for the next fuel stop. So assuming I want to keep that 3 litres for emergency use, I have 6 litres of usable fuel in the 9 litre tank. If I buy a 15 litre tank and keep the same 3 litres in reserve then I’ve 12 litres of fuel to use without having to worry about where to find more..
To keep it short, I bought the 19 litre KTM powerparts tank (part number 7810791354499) and all the accessories needed to fit it, including a 90° factory fuel pump connector (77707988017)
Fitting the tank is easy enough, but there are a couple of points to note.
- There are no radiator scoops on the oversize tanks, and the inside edge of the tank is only about 1/2″ away from the radiator scoop mounting lugs on outside edge of the actual radiators. I don’t want to risk puncturing the tank, so I fitted some rubber bungs over the lugs for extra protection.
- The fuel pump needs to be transferred over from your old tank, it’s an easy job, and a good opportunity to replace your in-tank fuel filter too. To replace the fuel filter I suggest you get one of these stainless steel hose clamp tools.
- Your original airbox cover / side panel will not fit with this larger tank and you can either cut a bit off or order new side panels. The part numbers are 7720600300004 and 7720600410004. You can see in the images how the original airbox covers won’t fit with the 19 litre oversize tank.
My workshop videos aren’t great, so instead of watching me make a balls of it, enjoy this video of Jeff Slavens showing you how it’s done.
Jeff does really good videos that are practical and simple to follow, so you should probably follow him on the YT.