Current & Upcoming Projects
These are some of the projects that I'm currently working on or plan to work on in the future.
AUXILIARY TANKS FOR KTM 790 AND 890 ADVENTURE PLATFORM
So this idea started during the first Covid lockdown. I've already had my 2019 790 Adventure R and lots of time at home. After watching many rally races, I got to thinking that it would be cool to have additional gas tanks instead of the storage compartments. Just like rally bikes.
I searched online if they existed. At the time no one made anything like that. So I had a wild idea to make them myself.
Started to research materials and slowly re-learning 3d design (did that in college).
GOALS:
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Look OEM, as if KTM made them.
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Fill with the main tank, as opposed to having separate fillers, mainly because I wanted to use soft luggage.
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Keep the original mounting, but that quickly changed. Only the rear hanger is left, the grommets in the front had to be replaced with my own hardware.
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Find a way to make them out of Kevlar and Nylon.
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At least 2 gallons
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Affordable
FIRST PHYSICAL MODEL. JULY 2020
Surfaces are very ugly. This was just to check what it looked like on the bike. And how it felt against your legs standing and sitting on the bike.
When standing the sharp edges would dig into the leg so the shape had to change.
SECOND PHYSICAL MODEL. NOVEMBER 2020
Changed the shape a little in the area close to the legs. Didn't feel the sharp edge anymore, but still thought they were butt ugly.
T-SPLINES TO THE RESCUE. APRIL 2021
Learned how to use T-Splines. And was able to make beautiful surfaces. Smooth transitions. The area by the legs was finally feeling and looking great.
TESTING STRENGTH. NYLON + KEVLAR. JUNE 2022
IMPACT TEST
ABRASION TEST
So the idea here was to have the outside of the tank protected by Kevlar. It's great for impact, abrasion, and flame retardancy. After figuring out the cost. I started to lean away from this idea because it would become expensive pretty fast. And also in a crash, if the tank is very stiff that means something on the subframe might break. But I haven't ruled it out completely. Thinking maybe it could be an option for someone who can afford it.
FIRE!!!! TEST
THIRD PHYSICAL MODEL. MAY 2022
Very happy with shape and surface quality. Finally figured out how to use the rear hanger and not a through bolt. Doing a comfort test. Accommodates a passenger.
PROTOTYPE 1A (LEFT TANK). WITH KEVLAR. JUNE 2022
First functional prototype. Nylon tank with 1mm Kevlar outer shell. Real world testing begins! First fail was that the volume is less than my goal. Only 0.75 of a gallon (2.84 LITERS) per tank.
PROTOTYPE 1B (RIGHT TANK). NYLON + HIGH HEAT/HIGH IMPACT RESIN, NO KEVLAR. OCTOBER 2022
Fitment is good. Looks good. Fuel lines routed and connected.
Wanted to ride like this for as long as possible to see how everything behaves. After almost a full year. I had a list of changes. And began working on 2ND prototype. The fact that it wasn't 2gallons like I planned, was really bugging me. 1290R front fender also fits.
PROTOTYPE 2A (LEFT TANK). AUGUST 2023.
Rode with 1st prototype for 10 months. And finally made half of 2nd prototype. 1 gallon per side! Really love the way it looks. No Kevlar on these either. Wanna see how tough they are on their own.
Need to make a few minor changes to the other half.
Ride for a few months and hopefully release them.
Fuel lines connected. And a gloss finish applied. Don't like the gloss at all. Matte finish will be on the final part to match the original tank as close as possible.
PROTOTYPE 2B (RIGHT TANK). MARCH 2024.
I hope this is the final prototype. It looks exactly how I pictured in my head. All the plumbing is done. It's little over 2 gallons, but I'll just call it 2. So that's 7.57 liters for everyone using the metric system.
Satin finish on these just to check what it would look like. I like it better than gloss, but matte finish still wins. Matte looks best, and matches original tank much better.
Only thing left is to test it for at least a month.
I also started testing a small transfer pump.
So, I'm an impatient person. And since I started riding with these (from 1st prototype) the time it took to fill the whole system up on some days bugged me. It's not unbearable, but it does take more than 5 minutes (I think it was 7 minutes with 1st prototype, when both left and right are installed, totaling 6.75gal or 25.5l). So my solution was to find a small transfer pump and somehow incorporate it into the setup. So with the help of a bunch of T and Y fittings it's on. Just need to do a comparison of the time it takes now to fill 2 extra gallons without the pump and with.
The pump will be an add on. Separate kit. Not everyone will need it for these tanks.
And also if someone already has auxiliary tanks from someone else (took me so long that there are others brands) they can utilize the transfer pump kit.
It's a tight fit. When all the plumbing is done, it works. And most importantly clears the exhaust
There are certain things about the tanks and the system I have not shared on purpose. The reason is that I don't want anyone to copy my ideas. When the tanks are ready to be released I will most likely make a long video explaining everything thoroughly.
Feel free to email with any questions.
Or if you know me from Facebook's 790/890 groups, message me directly there.