Topic: Poll: Help me pick a cafe tank!

[joe29]

I'm finally ready to do it.  Despite recent posts about QA issues with BCR products, I'm going to roll the dice and place an order with Benjie.  There doesn't seem to be any other company that offers anything similar in terms of design.  His designs really resonate with me and the overall direction I want to go.  BCR has also stepped up to resolve the issues I read about.

Help me pick! (click on the thumbnail to enlarge):

BCR WHALE TANK



BCR DOLPHIN TANK



BCR TRIXIE TANK



THANKS!

[jessezm]

My favorite of those you listed is the dolphin tank/seat.  That said, I am one of those people who had some issues, which I haven't really written about...

I actually received the dolphin set, done in fiberglass, after a 2 1/2 - month wait.  When I discovered that none of the detailed measurements I gave seemed to have been used, and I could not use the tank/seat/battery box combo on my bike, I contacted BCR.  There was really no explanation offered for why the parts would not fit.  They said I could either send it back for a full refund (return shipping at my expense), or they could fix it, but since they were so busy, it would be another 8 weeks!  I figured after paying $1000+ and waiting so long it should have been fixed right away.  It left a bad taste in my mouth, so I moved on.

I ended up ordering a custom tank and seat from Sean at Roccity Cafe.  I originally wanted the metal armadillo tank from BCR, and what I got from Roccity Cafe looked a lot more like it.  He worked with me all the way through, making changes in the design at my request.  Plus, the tank and seat were probably 10 lbs lighter than the BCR fiberglass design.

Granted, if you've got a 750, there's probably less chance of error since I bet they build more of those.  For my cb400f, the only thing I can figure is that their jig was based on a 400 twin, rather than a four, and they just didn't check my measurements to be sure.  who knows...  Hopefully they have cleared things up in the customer service department--their bikes and tank designs are truly awe-inspiring!

I do recommend that you contact Roccity though.  He can build more than just the CR-style race tank.

[736cc]

buy metal not fiberglass

[traveler]

Sean at RocCity did a good job on my CR tank and seat.  Alloy is MUCH better than fiberglass, IMHO.

~Joe

[Skunk Stripe]

I like the whale tank. The dolphin just does not look cafe to me in the spirit of the 60s cafe and the trixie is nice but just not quite there.

[joe29]

My favorite of those you listed is the dolphin tank/seat.  That said, I am one of those people who had some issues, which I haven't really written about...

I actually received the dolphin set, done in fiberglass, after a 2 1/2 - month wait.  When I discovered that none of the detailed measurements I gave seemed to have been used, and I could not use the tank/seat/battery box combo on my bike, I contacted BCR.  There was really no explanation offered for why the parts would not fit.  They said I could either send it back for a full refund (return shipping at my expense), or they could fix it, but since they were so busy, it would be another 8 weeks!  I figured after paying $1000+ and waiting so long it should have been fixed right away.  It left a bad taste in my mouth, so I moved on.

Thanks for voting and sharing your experiences with BCR.  I'll give RocCity another look.

[joe29]

Sean at RocCity did a good job on my CR tank and seat.  Alloy is MUCH better than fiberglass, IMHO.

~Joe

I hear ya on the alloy being better than fiberglass.  It's more $$$ though.  Even at RocCity prices.

[fatmatt650]

I was seriously considering a fiberglass tank and was vehemently talked out of it by some old school racer guys I know. AS it was explained to me, you just can't help but ride these bikes hard, hard ridden bikes end up on the ground once in a while. A fiberglass tank hitting the ground will be MUCH more likely to rupture and leak fuel. Fuel all over the place + motorcycle sliding on pavement = Very Bad Things. Having said all that, I like the Trixie tank a lot.

[swellguy]

I was seriously considering a fiberglass tank and was vehemently talked out of it by some old school racer guys I know. AS it was explained to me, you just can't help but ride these bikes hard, hard ridden bikes end up on the ground once in a while. A fiberglass tank hitting the ground will be MUCH more likely to rupture and leak fuel. Fuel all over the place + motorcycle sliding on pavement = Very Bad Things. Having said all that, I like the Trixie tank a lot.

Back in the day, fiberglass tanks, seats and bodywork were all the rage.

My vote would be for the dolphin tank and seat because, as some of you following my thread might know, that's what I bought. Benji did a bit of alteration to the seat by shortening the cowl a bit.

I too had some fitment issues with the tank but none so bad as described above. I have a 73 cb750 but the rear mounting flange was a later model type so I had to find and buy the appropriate strap.

Perhaps I might offer a bit of clarity to the discussion about fiberglass in BCR's tanks. Some have mentioned that therre should be no bondo if the pour in the mold is good. As far as I can tell, this isn't how he make his tanks. In my case he started with and old, rusty tank and must have cut out sections he needed to, then formed much if the style shape with fiberglass, then covered the whole thing with a bunch of bondo. My filler neck was old and rusty, the petcock mounting holes were clearly used and needed to retapped. Looking inside the tank you could see all sorts of crap from the tunnel of the old metal tank.

It was quite a bit of work to clean it out and there was a no real consensus about what to use to seal the tank since it has metal and fiberglass surfaces. In discussions with a local radiator shop, we settled on Red Kote.

I guess I'm saying that when you rod a fiberglass tank from BCR, some of it is fiberglass, some of it is not.

[traveler]

old rusty tank.....


I'm speechless

[zanorak]

So... let me get this straight... he takes an OLD METAL tank and then he plops fiberglass (probably chopped mat) all over it and puts a big ol' jello mold on top? People worship this dude?

Somebody please correct me if this is incorrect.

[thehammer]

how tall are you? I like the look of the trixie the best, but at 6'2" I wouldnt go with it. Im also a proponent of using a hacked up gastank for the seat and get a body hammer, some bondo, a small softblock and sandpaper and going to town on the original tank

[swellguy]

So... let me get this straight... he takes an OLD METAL tank and then he plops fiberglass (probably chopped mat) all over it and puts a big ol' jello mold on top? People worship this dude?

Somebody please correct me if this is incorrect.

I can't tell you exactly how he does his tanks, but, as I said, mine had a used, somewhat rust colored metal filler hole. Looking down into the tank you could see some crud on the tunnel on a surface that looked to be previously coated metal, the rear mounting tab was metal and obviously integrated into more metal at the rear of the tank that was covered in fiberglass/bondo.

I can tell you it is not light lightweight, molded fiberglass shell the ultimate shape of the tank, at least mine wasn't.

[traveler]

since he is a member here "poorboi".....perhaps he would like to salvage his rep?

[swellguy]

since he is a member here "poorboi".....perhaps he would like to salvage his rep?

I don't really think this rises to the level of a reputation that needs to be salvaged.

[Old Scrambler]

From my experience, Red Kote for a lining will work very well for several years. Un-lined fiberglass will turn to gell after a few months of exposure to fuel with any amount of ethanol content.