Removing the seat, and especially the fuel tank is a big step for someone new to maintaining their Savage/S40. It is also necessary for many mods here on the site. I looked through the entire Technical section and there is no set of complete instructions for how to do it.

Six months ago I hadn't sat on a motorcycle, and until three months ago I had never lifted a tool to a bike. Taking off the tank for the first time was actually nerve-wracking. I gleaned the various information that was scattered throughout various threads about other things to find the information I needed. I can now have both off in under five minutes.

I hope this thread will give confidence to beginners like me, to have a go. And provide a resource that experienced guys can link to when describing a mod that begins with "First remove the seat and the tank".

I was prompted to make this guide because I plan to write two more technical guides which both begin with that sentence  

Comments, correction and suggestions are welcome.


The seat is very straightforward to remove. The stock seats vary from year to year and are either a two piece seat or a one piece seat.

Basically they have a connection point on the rear fender just behind the centre of the passenger seat, a connection on either side near the shockers, and the front has a plastic tab that hooks into a bracket just behind the tank.

I have provided photos of mine which is a one-piece seat with an Allen head screw at the back, and a 10 mm bolt on each side. Undo all three an the seat will lift off.

Here's the rear:

Removing the fuel tank can seem daunting to someone without experience, but it’s actually really simple.

You need to:

1. Set the fuel switch
2. Undo two bolts
3. Disconnect two hoses
4. Disconnect the speedo cable
5. Lift the tank and prop it on the frame
6. Unplug one electrical plug (for the speedo and indicator lights etc)
7. Place the tank somewhere while you work

2. Undo these two bolts and remove the bracket for the seat. During the process be careful not to lose the rubber stoppers.

Here is the where the vac line attaches with a stock petcock:

And the speedo cable:

5. Raise the back of the tank and begin to pull it backwards, and wriggle it. It sits on two round mounts at the front. You'll hear some squeaking as it rubs on the rubber mounts and some of the rubber boots that cover the wiring. You won’t hurt it. Set your feet so that you are balanced, to make sure you don't topple backwards if it suddenly gives.

With the stock petcock on there you will need to also yank it a bit to the left so the petcock can clear the bike frame. It WILL scratch the frame on the way out, I'm afraid you just have to live with that. I scratched mine a few times. With the Raptor petcock the tank will lift straight out.

When the tank is off, just place it up on the frame. Some more fuel may dribble from the fuel line so just make sure to have a rag around the area where it might run.

6. There’s a white plug in the centre of the frame, under the tank, That’s the wiring for the lights, and dial, on top of the tank. Disconnect that one:

Your bike will look a lot like this:

Island road.

Thanks for that. It is a really simple job but for somebody that has never done it one has to be careful.

Gotchas to watch out for.

That little thin wire clip on the vacuum hose, it's easy to lose.

The oil seal that is at the end of the speedo cable when you unscrew it, it may stay in, it may fall out. Good idea to put a small plastic bag around the end, also take the oil seal out so you can pay attention to the correct orientation otherwise when it falls out later you won't be sure which way in it should face.

Finally the rubber mounts that hold the tang that the tank slots into, when you take the tank off they'll stay in place, later you'll knock them out, so again pay close attention to the way they all go together because that also can be surprisingly annoying if you need to have to try and work it out.

Also if you're removing the right hand side chrome cylinder cover there are a couple of small cylindrical rubber grommets underneath that easily fall off unnoticed and roll away.