Topic: Think Ill repaint my tank..AND BASH IT

[rlarkin70]

I just went back and found the tank that inspired my recent bashing. It was an orange tank and it belonged to you rlarkin70  Thanks for posting your pictures the other day.

That's great! I was inspired by some pictures on another website, and went for it. Turned out to be easier than I thought. I still like the lines and smoothed transitions of your tank better than mine. I just wanted the space for my knees, I didn't pay as much attention to the looks, though I wish I did! Function is more important than form, that's my philosophy when it comes to cafe bikes. But.....why not make it look good too?   

Looking forward to the finished tank. Bash on!!!

-Ron

[andy750]

With all the bashing thats going on does anyone know how much this reduces fuel capacity of the tank?    I guess its not a problem if you the bike is only going to be used for short rides.....

cheers
Andy

[rlarkin70]

With all the bashing thats going on does anyone know how much this reduces fuel capacity of the tank?   I guess its not a problem if you the bike is only going to be used for short rides.....

would have been interesting to check volume before and after, just for the sake of curiousity. I would guess it might reduce total capacity by a half gallon, at the most.

but with your knees all tucked in you get at least that much back in gas mileage due to the streamlining effect... 

[merc2dogs]

but then of course, you lose that again from twisting the throttle....

 On some, I'd estimate at least half a gallon, with a full gallon not being out of the question.

Ken.

[savannahcafe]

OK, here are a few more pictures of what I have done this morning. Man, this is allot of work and I still have another side to do. No wonder custom tanks cost an arm and a leg. The funny thing is Ill probably do another one to hone my skills. Im sure Ill throw it on e bay and see what happens. 

[savannahcafe]

shot some primer on it and took it out in the sun to see what I need to work on. Its looking pretty good but I still have some small spots  to smooth up. Oh, and the whole other side

[S-Dog]

That looks purty.... and not nearly as aggressive a dent as it looked in the first set of pics.

[ZetecOwns]

Turned out really nice. 

[Terry in Australia]

Well as nice as a bashed in tank can be, a "custom" tank made from sheet steel or aluminum by a skilled professional metal shaper, is a whole other thing entirely, all skill, and no bondo. And that's why you pay a premium price.

I was fortunate enough to win an EBay auction back in 2002 for a 32 litre hand made aluminium CB750 endurance racer tank from the 1970's, it's new, and has never held fuel. It's an absolute work of art with beautiful welds and internal baffles etc, and I was stoked to get it for only 200 bucks.

I approached a metal fabricator guy to make me a matching race seat/ducktail/oil tank, and nearly fainted when he said I'd be looking at around 600 bucks! Beautiful work for sure, but you gets what you pay for. Cheers, Terry.

[savannahcafe]

Ok, I'm getting excited. I finished the body filler work and sprayed the first coat of paint on the tank. Its getting chilly outside so I didn't have much sun to help the drying process. I'm going to sand it down with 400 grit and paint it again tomorrow. Maybe 2 more coats. There is a very thin and uneven layer of paint on it right now thats why it doesn't look really great yet.

[rlarkin70]

Looks terrific! I wish mine looked that good.

I like the sharp lines. I went with less bondo, and a rounded edge. yours looks more finished.

nice!

[savannahcafe]

finished

[ekim98]

Nice job, really got me thinking about my tank now.

[jtb]

Looks great, SC.  I think I'll POR-15 mine, and if it doesn't work, I'll bash the #^(@! out of it. 

[blounstation]

I was wondering, are you guys bashing the tanks on or off the bike?

[mgmuellner]

With all the bashing thats going on does anyone know how much this reduces fuel capacity of the tank?    I guess its not a problem if you the bike is only going to be used for short rides.....

cheers
Andy

Why would a slightly reduced fuel capacity be OK only for short rides?  Why the jab? 

Loosing 1/4 to 1/2 gal of capacity doesnt change things that much - actually after sitting on these bikes for a few hours & a tank of gas it's time to get off anyway - what's another 5-10 mi?

[3.8.85]

I was stumbling around youtube and found a video of your bike by happenstance,

The tank looks much better now, good work

[andy750]

Why would a slightly reduced fuel capacity be OK only for short rides?  Why the jab? 

Loosing 1/4 to 1/2 gal of capacity doesnt change things that much - actually after sitting on these bikes for a few hours & a tank of gas it's time to get off anyway - what's another 5-10 mi?

No jab intended just asking if anyone had thought about it/measured it.

Another reason is Ive done a lot of long distance rides on my CB750 and my 3.5 gallon tank gets around 140-150 miles before I need to fill up. Ive had a few close calls in between gas stops especially when in the middle of nowhere (Wyoming, Nevada, Maine, etc). Personally I need all the gas I can get and would like a bigger tank rather than reducing my capacity. If you loose 1/2 gallon of capacity (and lets say you usually get 40 mpg) then you are losing a potential 20 miles with a "cafe" tank. If your 550 needs to be filled up every 100 miles then you`ll be fillng up 20% more often. Personally I dont really want to be spending all my time at the gas station when I could be riding. So like I said, its fine for shorter rides (less 100 miles) but if you are going to be riding 300+ miles day then you`ll be filling up more often. Of course you might welcome the break and dont mind filling up so much.....anyway I was just curious to know by how much the capacity was reduced....maybe its not significant.

I do like the look of dished tanks (at least some of them) but for me personally they are not so practical (which is why my bike will remain un-dished). But hey each to their own.....not jabbing just asking.

cheers
Andy

[savannahcafe]

I was wondering, are you guys bashing the tanks on or off the bike?

Tank off. You need to be able to move it around.

I was stumbling around youtube and found a video of your bike by happenstance,

The tank looks much better now, good work

   Thanks. Its come a little ways since the video. I cant wait to get the tank back on it.

Why would a slightly reduced fuel capacity be OK only for short rides?  Why the jab? 

Loosing 1/4 to 1/2 gal of capacity doesnt change things that much - actually after sitting on these bikes for a few hours & a tank of gas it's time to get off anyway - what's another 5-10 mi?

No jab intended just asking if anyone had thought about it/measured it.

Another reason is Ive done a lot of long distance rides on my CB750 and my 3.5 gallon tank gets around 140-150 miles before I need to fill up. Ive had a few close calls in between gas stops especially when in the middle of nowhere (Wyoming, Nevada, Maine, etc). Personally I need all the gas I can get and would like a bigger tank rather than reducing my capacity. If you loose 1/2 gallon of capacity (and lets say you usually get 40 mpg) then you are losing a potential 20 miles with a "cafe" tank. If your 550 needs to be filled up every 100 miles then you`ll be fillng up 20% more often. Personally I dont really want to be spending all my time at the gas station when I could be riding. So like I said, its fine for shorter rides (less 100 miles) but if you are going to be riding 300+ miles day then you`ll be filling up more often. Of course you might welcome the break and dont mind filling up so much.....anyway I was just curious to know by how much the capacity was reduced....maybe its not significant.

I do like the look of dished tanks (at least some of them) but for me personally they are not so practical (which is why my bike will remain un-dished). But hey each to their own.....not jabbing just asking.

cheers
Andy

Im pretty sure I may have lost 1/8 gallon or less. At the lowest point I have bent the tank in maybe 1" and thats at the lowest spot. I live in Savannah GA so there really isn't many stretches of 100 miles or more without a gas station for a few states.  Plus this bike is an expression of me. I take chances, thats who I am. Hmmmmm I think Ill actually just fill er up half full all the time........or is that half empty? LOL just kidding. No offense taken about the loss of fuel though. This bike isnt really very practical  anyway, have you seen the handle bars?   

[andy750]

LOL yeah I saw those bars and I think your bike is looking good (as I mentioned before). I like what you have done with it, especially the gold frame - great idea! Well when you do fill it up from empty take a look and see how much gas you put in....dosent really matter in terms of function but Im just curious.

cheers
Andy

[savannahcafe]

Not a problem, Ill fill up from empty and let ya know what it takes.