You asked about fuel tank removal. Blacktopper and I have done it several times on my Bulldog Bagger. We fought it for hours each time, mostly to get the fuel out. Disconnecting the fuel and wires to the fuel pump is easy—- then there’s a crossover hose that has to be removed (or cut)——so draining the fuel is an issue. Of course fuelies only send fuel when the fuel pump is told to, so when you disconnect the fuel line, it doesn’t drain except for couple of seconds if you are dumb enough to turn the key and press the ‘RUN’ button. Bad deal for tank draining. The banana shape of the tank doesn’t help either, as it retains fuel at the lowest spot. Took forever to drain most of the fuel out.
We covered the frame in front of the seat with a towel and used a pry bar to lift the back of the tank—it was snug. We spilled a lot and it generally was a mess and of course we were nervous about fumes—as you know gas fumes go to the floor and dissipate outward. But we got it done without any problem. The crossover hose is a real PITA to deal with. Leaked fuel everywhere and is hard to plug.
Solution: I drained and removed—a real wrench removed and drained!!
Several years ago we had to spend several days in Flagstaff bcs the fuel pump failed (in Winslow of all places!). Had to find a truck and a shop—we had no tools and no parts. We located a skilled mechanic at an Indy shop there and I was impressed when he said that he had the tank removed and drained 20 minutes…..I asked how he did that, and he said that he removed the lower bolts (see #22 above- Paul Knowles). As I recall he said he cuts the crossover hose and yanks the tank and immediately turns it upside down—takes it outside, then removes the cap and drains the fuel into a 5 gallon bucket. A little messy but quick. If I were gonna mess with it again, I’d do it just like that—outside if possible, in a field or gravel lot. With a serious fire extinguisher handy. No matter what you do, there will be spillage of fuel, so do it outside if you can, taking all spark/venting precautions.
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