IMS Large Capacity Gas Tank For Honda CRF450 L and X

What it is

• The new 3.0 Gallon tank for the 2019 CRF450 X and L.

The IMS oversized tank a larger capacity fuel tank available in either black or natural, the later being somewhat translucent, allowing easy viewing of the fuel level. These tanks are made with polyethyene crosslink material for claimed extra strength and durability. The tank can be purchased with either a traditional screw cap or configured to accept a dry-brake insert for racing if that is needed. We tested the 3.0 gallon offering from IMS in black with the screw cap.

How it works

• Easy to install but instructions suck.
• Adds the fuel without adding girth.
• Super durable.

The stock capacity of the Honda CRF450X and CRF450L may be enough for some, but we suspect most dirt riders will be looking for some more range if not just a little more piece of mind in fuel capacity. Honda has a trick titanium tank standard but with just a drop over two-gallons standard it makes fuel range an issue for some. IMS gives you just over a gallon of extra fuel in a plastic tank option that really only sticks up a little higher than the stock tank at the gas cap area. Plus it isn’t any wider in any areas where you would notice it, packing the gas down a little lower and out into the areas behind the radiator shroud and around the ECU. So much so that on the CRF450L you must remove the reflector mounted on the lower triplecalmp for clearance. Which is a good thing for a number of reasons, including weight and chassis feel--but this test is about the tank.

IMS is not known for their instructions and we will affirm that the included instructions just barley meet muster. They tell you what to do but you’d better have some of the basic understanding already. Pictures and more of a step-by-step procedure would help those less mechanically inclined. Also identifying some of the pieces and their location takes time and trial and error. We got through it fairly simple but we have done a lot of IMS tanks in the past.

The good part is the tank fits in like a glove, tighter than the stock tank but just as easy to place and settle. It is a tight squeeze getting down past the ECU but since the ECU is rubber mounted it slips by. And attaching the fuel lines and pump connections is just as easy as stock, but Honda’s connectors are delicate and a little tricky, be careful with them. The plastic shrouds lined up perfectly and we did not have to do the trimming to the radiator shroud like an included picture with the instructions suggested as everything lined up without this modification. If there was any alignment issues the tank will not settle on the frame rails so it has a very tight and positive. Once installed everything was tight just as standard with the most obvious difference being the taller area at the filler neck.

In use the only way you notice the tank is if for some unexpected reason you hit your sensitive areas on the raised gas cap. Very particular riders did feel the extra weigh when the gas tank was full, but did not complain about it. In fact the extra weight of the plastic versus titanium went unnoticed even though it is over three pounds heavier than stock. So with similar amounts of gas, you don’t notice or feel the tank at all. It holds more fuel, just over a gallon, holding 3.1 gallons, but otherwise goes unnoticed. That’s exactly what we were looking for. The extra 30-45 or even more miles was appreciated more than a few times. Bonus is that Honda’s way of monitoring fuel consumption by counting how much you use is not affected by the tank. The low fuel light still comes on like stock but we noticed about 10 extra miles when it did come on due to the increased volume in the lower areas of the tank. You must switch over to the IMS gas cap, a simple plastic design that does not have the tip-over one-way valve and is a little lighter than the Honda item. The vent hose plugs right in as well, but in a tip-over with a full tank the Honda’s evap system will suck the gas from the tank. Since the tank is designed for off-road competition you could also use a regular vent hose routing. IMS will also manufacture a tank with dry-brake filling capability for those looking for racing applications.

At $325 the tank is priced compatibly with the competition. It is made in America and we have yet to have a failure in an IMS tank over many years of using them. This tank extends the range to over 100 miles and goes largely unnoticed, just like it should.

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