When you’re play riding around your favourite forest or ride park, the range from the stock CRF450L Fuel Tank is adequate, thanks to the miserly fuel injection but when you want to escape coronavirus, the fuel range becomes another reason to freak out.
The stock tank will give you 150km if you’re doing easy trail and dualsport riding, but if you’re going harder and deeper off-road, that range comes down considerably. It’s even worse if you fit the Honda LX Enduro Kit (with FMF exhaust system, Vortex Ignitions ECU and CRF-R shrouds) like we have, which makes the thing run better than poor old British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
So it’s little wonder that we were hanging out for Nomad Tanks in wild Wangaratta, Vic, to produce it’s to our wild CRF450L long-termer.
WE RATE
CAPACITY First things first, the Nomad tank takes on an extra 3.4 litres of fuel. That pushes the bike’s range out to a comfortable 200km (with the standard exhaust and ECU), so you might even make it to the state border before the corona cops catch up to you.
FIT The Nomad is a straight-forward swap with the standard titanium tank. Put the fuel pump into the Nomad tank and then mount it to the same fixing point at the front. There are then two supplied brackets to mount the back to the top subframe bolts.
SHROUDS Nomad supplies a set of CRF450R radiator shrouds to replace the stock L-model shrouds, which do not fit the Nomad tank. The R shrouds are supplied with CRF450L graphics already stuck on.
SHAPE The extra fuel is carried higher and further forward than in the standard tank. You don’t really notice the extra size as, at the critical tank/seat junction where your knees are, it’s not much fatter than the standard tank.
TRANSLUCENT The CRF450L has a low-fuel warning light, but we like the clear plastic of our Nomad Tank, which allows quick checks. It is available in black, for all you goths out there.
DURABILITY The Nomad tank has copped plenty of hits in the normal thrust and parry of a couple of thousand kilometres of trail and dualsport riding, and has come through with flying colours, unlike my ribs.
DON’T RATE
WEEP A few weeks into our time with the tank, Nomad sent us a replacement O-ring for the fuel pump, as some of their early tanks developed a leak. Ours eventually did, so we fitted the fatter O-ring and it’s been perfect since.
FIXING The supplied R-model shrouds have three fixing points, whereas the stockers have four. Without the benefit of the top-rear mount of the L shrouds under the seat, the R ones are not as ‘tight’.
WEIGHT If every kilo matters to you, the stock titanium tank with lockable cap weighs in at 1.34kg, whereas the Nomad with plastic screw-on cap weighs 2.34kg. We’ll take that extra kilo and about 2.5kg for the fuel every time if it means not having to push the bike to the next servo!
FILLER CAP If you’re a commuter and leave your bike parked in public places, you don’t have the security of the stock tank’s lockable cap.
VERDICT
The Nomad Tanks’ fuel cell is a must-have if you want more range from your CRF450L. It’s a quality Aussie-made product that lets you keep on roosting when the stock tank would leave you high and dry. And how’s this: Nomad has just released a 20-litre one for the 450L which is priced at $749 plus GST. ADV Editor Andrew Clubb
CRF450L Fuel Tank by Nomad details
Price: $495 plus GST (with screw cap)
Website: nomadtanks.com.au
Email: enquiries@nomadtanks.com.au
