Tank design, Comments welcome

cscarroll · Full Member Joined: Oct 08, 2006 Posts: 112

Fellas,

Got rolling on my tank design based off my masking tape mock-up. This will serve as the cover to hide my fuel cell and electrics, battery and such.

Next step on this will be to make a bunch of cross-section templates to build up a foam mold. I hope to start this in a week or two.

For the interested computer nerd, I drew these up in SolidWorks 2005.

cscarroll · Full Member Joined: Oct 08, 2006 Posts: 112

couple more pics...

KYLEPRESTON · Posted: May 30, 2007, 9:37 pm Post subject: Re: Tank design, Comments welcome

nice if you go to the tank shop under the links you can see something very similar looks like a manx design. I am running the tank from a 70's cb550t not as extreme but same effect

good job

cscarroll · Full Member Joined: Oct 08, 2006 Posts: 112

Thanks Kyle. I like the Manx design but wanted to play with the shape a bit more. this shape should be pretty straight forward out of fiberglass. I got alot of inspiration out of the new Nortons...

Gmaan · Posted: June 1, 2007, 12:11 am Post subject: Re: Tank design, Comments welcome

Looks good but can you add an ever so slight flat along the top of the tank, front to back.
I think it might break up the pattern.

xs1961 · Posted: June 1, 2007, 4:37 am Post subject: Re: Tank design, Comments welcome

Check out the Tank-shop comments in the 'Im only saying...' section mate...
Tankshop a big no-no Exclamation

cscarroll · Full Member Joined: Oct 08, 2006 Posts: 112

Gmaan, What do you mean by "break up the pattern"?

As for Tank-shop, no worries there. I don't have that kind of $$ anyhow.

ttmaniac · Full Member Joined: Dec 22, 2006 Posts: 468

It'd be a sweet tank..build it and run it. I dig it just like it is cscarroll. Just wanted to show my support. I'm glassing up a fender/seat that was chincey from the word go. I also filled some areas that were cut back on it. Gonna be my build off seat.....good luck with the tank man....awesome.

cscarroll · Full Member Joined: Oct 08, 2006 Posts: 112

Thanks TT. I'll be anxious to hear how your seat/fender comes out. I'm sure the build-off bike will be a stormer.

ttmaniac · Full Member Joined: Dec 22, 2006 Posts: 468

I'm still stumped on a tank for my build off. I got a sportster tank but I don't know how good it will look with a cafe racer seat. Kinda going for a cafe/drag race look though. I like the tanks off of a BSA victor 441, you know, the aluminum one. Pricey though and would need mounts welded to it. What will the capacity be on your tank?

cscarroll · Full Member Joined: Oct 08, 2006 Posts: 112

tt,

Tough to tell. Total volume was about 4 1/2 gals. So, I figure 1/3 to 1/2 of that lost to make room for electronics and such and I ought to get 2 to 3 gals out of it.

The sportster tank is a risk. Mixing styles like that (chopper vs cafe, american vs brit) can be an all or nothing type of thing.

If you want to use a design similar to what I'm working on, I'd be happy to change this per your specs and shoot you some dims and patterns you could use to make a mold if you go the fiberglass route. The BSA Victor you mentioned would not be tough to do.

ttmaniac · Full Member Joined: Dec 22, 2006 Posts: 468

If it looks like trash (the sporty tank) I won't run it. My fender design may match it. It's supposed to be a Goldstar BSA cafe seat but I modified it. It's a bit lengthier than most cafe seats. I'm just going for a bare bones (slammed in the back) look overall I guess. I can't afford a cool tank at this point and if I did the money would go to go fast modifications.

I have only used fiberglass a couple times and I don't know how to work it for the fuel tank. Is there a necessary type of fiberglass or resin that you must use. If you were the selling the tank you are gonna make, how much would they go for?

jayel · Posted: June 2, 2007, 3:07 pm Post subject: Re: Tank design, Comments welcome

yeah, go with the sporty tank we know your really a secret harley wannabe

ttmaniac · Full Member Joined: Dec 22, 2006 Posts: 468

Well, not really, but you gotta admit that a sporty tank has smooth lines. That and the fact that repro's are cheap is the main reason I'm running it. Sorry for being a broke ass.

jayel · Posted: June 2, 2007, 3:36 pm Post subject: Re: Tank design, Comments welcome

I've been rich and I've been poor, rich is better

cscarroll · Full Member Joined: Oct 08, 2006 Posts: 112

I could find out what glass will stand up to fuel. For my tank I was just going make a shell that hides my electronics and a seperate fuel cell.

Bad thing about fiberglass as a fuel tank, when it fails it fails big time. Meaning fuell all over, and a rather bad situation.

Gmaan · Posted: June 2, 2007, 11:07 pm Post subject: Re: Tank design, Comments welcome

Well I meant it will, in my opinion add just a ever so slight visual perspective to it. Extrude out a flat along the top and see what I mean.

cscarroll · Full Member Joined: Oct 08, 2006 Posts: 112

Gmaan,

akes sense, I'll play around with it and see what comes out. This is very much a work in progress...

Cafe_Shop · Posted: June 3, 2007, 12:25 pm Post subject: Re: Tank design, Comments welcome

Now that I look at it, I agree with Gmaan. A flat section down the middle will take the blobbiness out of it. As an added bonus it will be easer to mount the filler. As to material to use, you can use fiberglas with epoxy resin (hard to sand but not effected by fuels). Than fill the tank with fuel cell baffling for safety. Here's a link for the foam:

www.airtech-streamlini...s/foam.htm

cscarroll · Full Member Joined: Oct 08, 2006 Posts: 112

That foam is a great idea, I'll have to keep that in mind for the future. For now, since this is just a cover hiding my actual metal fuel cell and electrics I'm more concerned with the styling.

-C

Cafe_Shop · Posted: June 4, 2007, 7:03 pm Post subject: Re: Tank design, Comments welcome

Have you put any thought into the tail design? How the lines flow from tank to tail are important.

cscarroll · Full Member Joined: Oct 08, 2006 Posts: 112

Yeah, I mocked up a proto with wire and masking tape, but haven't gotten it into 3d yet. Have you seen the new Nortons?

www.nortonmotorcycles.com/

I'm drawing alot from that styling. Very much like the tail design there.

ttmaniac · Full Member Joined: Dec 22, 2006 Posts: 468

That 961 is pretty nice. It would be cooler to have your tank and the norton style seat on an xs though. Says 80 hp and 65 ft lbs torque...not bad....xs is cooler. They did have the correct color on that bike though.

Gmaan · Posted: June 5, 2007, 1:20 am Post subject: Re: Tank design, Comments welcome

One thing, if you do make it out of fiberglass use the fuel cell foam. Then if a leak starts at least it will not be a total rush of gas.

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Yamaha xs650