Building a gas tank

[n1elkyfan]

I've been thinking of building a gas tank for my gs and was wondering If I should make it out of fiberglass, which would be easyer, or making it out of steel, which I'm thinking could be safer. My questions are has anybody on here ever built there own gas tank or have anybody had experiance with a fiberglass gas tank.

[fat_sac]

I've been thinking of building a gas tank for my gs and was wondering If I should make it out of fiberglass, which would be easyer, or making it out of steel, which I'm thinking could be safer. My questions are has anybody on here ever built there own gas tank or have anybody had experiance with a fiberglass gas tank.

Glass could be dangerous if you're not familiar with running a glass tank on the street. Could be easy to poke a hole in given a small crash. I don't think I'd hesitate to do it tho. I've actually been thinking about how to make a reinforced glass tank. That way I could make it look exactly like I want it to.

[TheCafeKid]

Glass tank could be very dangerous...but what about taking an existing metal and doing glass overlay to your desired shape?? Or even steel facades? Building a tank from sheet scratch will inevitably prolly cost you more than buying one. plus unless you have ALOT of experience with metalforming, it might prove very frustrating. Unless you're planning a old school toaster box cafe tank or something, but i would guess you're not.

[tone]

My questions are has anybody on here ever built there own gas tank or have anybody had experiance with a fiberglass gas tank.

yes is the answer to both of those questions :-D

steel is easier if you can weld or braize to a decent standard the difficult part is getting compound curves & getting an exact match on the other side but its possible with patience

glassfibre is more difficult if you are not well versed in how it works, its really a job for an experianced mold maker/ laminator (I am experianced at this stuff & still found it bloody hard work)

I did use a grp tank on a gs1000 for 3 years & crashed it once with just minor scuffs A mate highsided the same bike & the tank flew off but was still usable & did not leak which is more than could be said for him

the decision is yours but neither option is easy & i now stick to altering tanks from other bikes to suit

[n1elkyfan]

I have more experiance working metal then fiberglass but I don't have all they tools I would need to make one out of steel. So It could be an excusss to buy more tools \\/, but would add to the cost. Or I could get some more experiance with fiberglass \\/. Either way it would be a plus. I know it would be cheaper to modify an exsiting tank or buying one but I would rather say I made it myself.

[Mark M]

Another option is to form one in aluminum. It forms easier than steel and makes an excellent tank when done. It is also harder to work with in terms of welding and requires pretty much the same skills as steel for the forming part.

But NOTHING looks better than a polished aluminum tank!:-D

Mark

[n1elkyfan]

That is another Idea I hadn't thought of. And it would give me a chance to learn how to weld aluminum. \\/

But I could also use this

Its fiberglass with aluminum covering it.

[Ironriot]

A la carbon fibre? It'll look plain out devilish. Anyone say Confederate Hellcat... Probalby wouldn't go with the style at all but damn if it doesn't look cool

[TheCafeKid]

DAYYYUM that is a sweet bike! i dont even like cruisers much but i would rock the hell out of that!

[Ironriot]

I don't even know how to classify it. Its suspension is more setup like a sport bike but it looks wicked cool like a cruiser. One thing's for damn sure. It looks fast as hell. 124 CI engine surrounded by carbon fibre and aluminum. Deathwish some might say :-D

[TheCafeKid]

for sure..most of that thing's weight would be rider motor and forks and wheels..lol

[Ironriot]

You can scratch wheels off of that lol. I think they're carbon fibre also. And if I remember correctly the motor is all aluminum. And I wouldn't doubt if the forks were aluminum also. So really its only the rider's fat ass that weighs it down lol

[TheCafeKid]

man i bet that thing costs a small fortune tho..carbon fibre isnt cheap for sure.

[Ironriot]

man i bet that thing costs a small fortune tho..carbon fibre isnt cheap for sure.

Plus its hard to work with. But I'm sure whatever it cost they made back in double

[spyug]

A metal tank would be best but without proper forming tools it could be a bear to do in steel. Aluminum would be easier but again tools like an english wheel would be needed to get a smooth finish and a TIG welder would be required for buttoniong everything up.

Fiberglass would be easier for most folks but still requires a good knowledge of forming. In this case mould making. There are also other considerations like the correct resin and cloth to use. Standard resins are not up to gas so you can't get away with a trip to the autostore for a gallon of body repair resin.

As mentioned, glass tanks can be dangerous in accidents and in most jurisdictions are illegal for street use.

Overall, I think it would be best to try and adapt/ restyle an existing tank or go to an aftermarket tank manufacturer to see what they have. If you have the coin, I'm sure a custom tank could be fabbed.

The bike builder guys make it look easy but without the right tools. training and experience it would be difficult and potentially a disaster.

Sorry to rain on your parade.

Chers,
Spyug.