Remove the two 8mm bolts from either side of the rear seat.

Lift up on the rear seat while pulling toward the back of the bike. The seat should come free easily.

Remove the two 12mm bolts from either side of the back of the front seat.

Lift up on the seat while pulling toward the back of the bike. The seat should come free easily.

On both side covers, loosen the screw that holds the cover in place. Don't unscrew it from the cover, just the part of the bike it's screwed into.

Pull straight out to remove the side covers. Other than the screw you loosened, each cover is held in place by rubber bushings.

Put the fuel valve (or petcock) in the "off" position.

Position a container that can hold gasoline (not a Dixie cup!) under the fuel line, and disconnect it at any one of these points. Just do it wherever it's easiest. Personally, I disconnected the line at the carburetor. You need the container to catch any fuel that is left over in the line.

(Optional) If you want to be extra safe, you can drain the fuel tank by placing the fuel line into a gasoline container and opening the petcock to the "RES" or reserve setting. It might take a while, but all of the fuel will eventually drain out.

Start feeding the fuel overflow (or evap) line up through the frame of the bike. To completely remove the tank, you'll need this line to be free from the frame of the bike. If you have a CARB (California) model, this procedure will be different.

Remove the 12mm bolt at the rear of the tank.

Remove the 10mm bolts on either side of the front of the tank. After you remove these, the tank might fall onto the frame of the bike, so let it down gently.

Lift the tank off of the bike. If the fuel overflow line is still caught on the frame, set the tank back into place and free the line. Don't try to hold the tank while messing with the overflow line.

Reinstallation is the opposite of removal, but it can help to have another person hold the tank while you position it properly over the two front bolt holes.