Fuel pickup mod for the VTX

Preface
This is a walk-through for modifying the fuel pump on the VTX 1800, this applies to VTX models with the fuel pump located inside the fuel tank. The 2004+ N models and all 05+ VTX's have an external fuel pump so this mod does not apply to them. The premise behind this mod is that there is always about a half gallon of fuel left in the tank that the fuel pickup cannot get to - this mod helps us get a little bit more of this fuel.
Let me say in advance that this is a lot of work to only gain about 10-15 miles more out of a tank, so this is NOT a mod I recommend everyone try unless you already have your tank apart for other mods.
As always attempt this mod at your own risk.

Preparation/supplies

10mm socket

Torque wrench capable of 9ft/lbs

Philips screwdriver

Lineman's pliers or dremel tool

Bench vise

Hole puncher (like is used for paper) or leather punch

Process
In order to mod your fuel pump like this you will either need to ride until your tank is empty or siphon the fuel out. With the tank empty (or pretty close) follow Tapper's write-up to remove the tank:
How to remove the tank
With the tank off look at the fuel pump on the left underside of the tank, it is where you disconnected the hoses from when removing the tank, it has 8 10mm bolts in it. Here is a pic of the plate you'll see, this is after it was removed:

Undo the 8 10mm bolts, you will need to break the hex (allen) head banjo bolt for the fuel line loose in order to get to the last bolt.
With the fuel pump/pickup bolts out and the unit loose turn it counter-clockwise until you feel it hit bottom. Look at how much you turn the assembly (use the bolt holes as a reference) and then remove the entire unit. Sometimes this takes a little moving it around to get everything where it needs to be to get it out - just remember, it had to get in there so it must come out!

With the unit out of the tank put the end by the mounting plate (left side of pic) in a vice and bend the end by the fuel pickup (right side of pic). Remember that a small bend can go a long way so don't overdo it, try it a small amount at a time. I have seen some that only require fractions of an inch and some that required as much as a full inch of bending - better too little than too much. Bend a little, reinsert it into the tank and turn the flange until you feel the pickup end bottom out. You want to keep bending it until the pickup end bottoms out when the bolt holes all line up. Just remember, only do a little at a time until it's right so you don't end up having to try to reverse the progress you've made.

Now with the unit bent into the proper position we want we'll move on to other adjustments.
Let's focus on the rubber boot at the pickup end of the unit (right side of pic). Carefully remove the black rubber protecting the steel wool pre-filter and use your hole puncher or leather punch to put some holes in the BOTTOM of this piece of rubber. It is not necessary to put a ton of holes but I believe "the more the merrier" - just be careful not to destroy the entire rubber boot by punching too many holes.

A few holes

A lot of holes

The boot on the left was done with a leather punch, the boot on the right was done using a normal paper hole punch. Again - just make sure the holes you punch are on the BOTTOM of the rubber boot.

Now with the pickup and the rubber boot modified we'll move onto modifying the low fuel sensor. This is an optional part of this mod as some people like having lots and lots of miles in "reserve" after the light comes on, I do not and I think many guys wouldn't mind it coming on a few miles later than it does now so here it is if you choose to do it.
Find the low fuel sensor in the middle of the pickup "arm":

Remove the philips screw to give yourself some room to work with the bracket on the sensor. Use your lineman's pliers, dremel tool, grinder or whatever to cut off the existing "tab" that locks the sensor in place and shave the bracket down a bit. Once you have it cut back a bit bend another small tab out of the bracket to replace the one you cut off. Lock this tab back in place and reinstall the philips screw to hold it all in place like this:

Click to see more detail

Feel free to experiment with how much you want to cut off of the bracket depending on how late you want your fuel light to come on. I don't recommend going too overboard with this since we have no reserve tank on the VTX and this sensor is our last line of defense against getting stranded - and pushing an 800 pound bike sucks!
With the sensor modified you've now done everything you can do to help with this problem so you can put the entire fuel pump/pickup back in the tank. Inspect the gasket that goes between the pump mounting plate and the gas tank for defects or problems that could cause leaks. If there are any visible problems (cuts, tears, etc) replace the gasket, it's OEM #17574-MCH-000 and available from HOP for about $8-9. When reinstalling the pump you have to torque the 10 mm bolts to 9 ft/lbs and you have to do them in this order (see pic) to make sure the gasket seats properly:

Now all you have to do is ride it and test it. I recommend filling a coke bottle with gas and running her empty to test when the light comes on and when the tank runs dry. When you're out you can dump the coke bottle and get to a gas station with the knowledge of how this mod has impacted your bike.

Afterthoughts
As I said at the beginning, this mod will not give you many additional MPG and is a fair amount of work by itself. I would not spend the time doing this mod unless I had the tank off the bike for other projects, BUT - if I did have the tank off for other projects I would definitely do the mod. It's easy to do and one day it might help you get that little bit of gas you need to not get stranded. Heck, if nothing else I like having the dash light come on a little later.