It's a "No-Brainer"

If you want an extra 20-25 miles of range or riding time with your 2004 or 2005 Honda CRF250X, with less weight penalty than the extra gas itself, the Clarke 3-gallon tank is a no-brainer decision. Some people will buy it for the weight savings alone! Since the Clarke tank weighs 10.7 oz. less than the stock tank, it lowers the bike's center of gravity as well as the overall weight. Plus, it has a warranty (30 days against defects, and one year against breakage) better than the stock tank (none!).

Clarke Mfg. has been making plastic tanks for motorcycles since 1965. I bought one back in 1974 for my OSSA 250 trials bike, and never had a problem with it. It was not only lighter than the gas tank it replaced, it was far more rugged and damage resistant. How I know that last detail is best left unsaid!

Once installed, it's hard to tell the difference between the Clarke tank and the stock tank. The added capacity doesn't come from width, so it's no wider than stock. The neck and cap area is slightly taller, and the front fastener is different, but you can use the stock gas cap if you like, and make it even harder to tell the difference.

For this review, I very carefully measured the capacity of the sotck CRF250X fuel tank, after removing the white plastic filler neck restriction. My stock tank held exactly 298.5 fluid ounces, which equals 2.33 gallons. Plastic tanks do vary a little, however, so yours may differ by a few ounces. The Clarke 3-gallon tank held 381 fluid ounces, which is 2.98 gallons. This means the Clarke tank holds 82.5 fluid ounces (.65 gallons) more than the stock Honda tank. If left filled with gas, however, the weight of the gas will slowly increase the capacity of either tank over time.

Note: Fluid ounces (128 = one gallon) and ounces of weight (16 = 1 lb.) are not the same ounces. Water, having a specific gravity of 1.00, weighs 8.333 lbs. per gallon, while typical gasoline, with a specific gravity of 0.74, weighs but 6.167 lbs. per gallon. Do not confuse fluid ounces with weight ounces.

Speaking of weight, are you worried about that of the larger tank? Well fear not, goggle-eyes, because the Clarke tank weighs 10.7 oz. less than the stock tank! That fact alone means you can carry nearly 3/4 of a pint more fuel with no weight penalty at all! Carrying anything less means an overall weight savings!

So why would you want a larger gas tank? The most obvious reason is to have another 20-25 miles of range or riding time. A less obvious reason is safety. It's always nice to have extra range if you get lost for a while, or when you want to explore an unexpected side trail, but you're sometimes called upon to loan some gas to another rider. And don't let me hear you say, "My buddy rides a two-stroke, so he can't use the straight gas from my 250X." Hogwash! If you loan him a pint of fuel, all he needs for a perfectly safe 40:1 gas/oil ratio is a half-ounce of oil, which can easily be drained from an engine or transmission. (You do carry a plastic bag on your trail rides, don't you? If not, you should! Transferring fluids from one bike to another is just one of many uses for a nice big plastic bag.)

Review by: Gordon L. Banks, September 2004
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