Ok, the fuel tank I had on the rack had a few problems with the weekend moto DS ride.

I am going to get a welder, thinking of a 90A inverter elec vs a oxyace torch. The torc is 3x the expense. Is it worth it on moto repair to be able to heat & bend metal?

 

Darren, what metal tank are you running on your rack? What kind of metal? I'm curious as to why you don't go for one of the bigger plastic tanks available. You don't have to go to the supertanker version I have.

 

I got a 2gal rotopax and put it on the end of the rack. I guess having it cantilevered way out on back, the bolts came loose. Of course doing the Payson DS (box of rocks) really put the vibration in the rack, bolts stressed opened the mounting tin, bolts fell out, had to quit the rest of the weekend as I did not bring any way to transport .5 gal or my tool kit other than this system. I took a couple of really big hits, and the rear end tried to come around about 10 times after some bad hits, once I though i was flying sideways.
I am going to beef up the bolt mount, move the whole thing forward so it is not cantilevered, put my tools in a blanket bag in lieu of a plastic box & try again.

 

I know some have had good success with Rotopax units, but I've seen quite a few of them...both number plate and rack style mounts...come loose like that even after very conscientious mounting. It only seems to occur when the ride consists of really rough terrain. I think many dualsporters who only do moderate trails and terrain don't have much if any issue if installed properly, but when you really ride some rocky, rough terrain, I don't think they're always up to the task.

 

If the bolts coming loose was the only issue... lock-tite is A LOT cheaper than a welder!