Please post pictures: Gas tanks on old rigid frames

[DoomBuggy]

I want to make this thread for those who wonder what the options are for old rigid frames. I have an old Panhead in a wishbone frame and have really been going back and forth on the design I want. I have finally settled on the classic Sportster style tank. I am good with cutting off the rear mounts since these are aftermarkets with crappy welds anyhow. I would like to keep the front mount as it reinforces the frame where the speedo cable hole is. ( And I may go back to fatbobs at some point.

I am going to base my overall design on the profile of this David Mann painting ( he seemed to use this basic design on several of his paintings and it just works for me )


So I am really interested to see what tanks are out there and how they mount up. Ideally the tank would sit level with the backbone, just covering that top tube, but not hanging down too far. If you post to this thread, and have the shot, include a view of how the front mounts to the frame. Also, please include the manufacturer if you know it.

Thanks -H

[Dragstews]

Think that style of mounting a Sportie tank is called "Frisco" from the area of California...

It a nice look on a chop...

I'm kinda running the same deal on my 52 ... Sorta .. ??


Photo courtesy of "Chopper Dave"

What I did was to sit it down over the top tube...
That tank I choose to used was off a Hummer with the key-switch...
The tunnel on the Hummer tank was way to narrow for the frame rail, so a bit of work went down with cutting the bottom out of the Hummer and cutting the bottom out of a 72 XLCH then mating them together....



Did the same thing on the Turbo Pan sitting next to the 52 .... Sort of ...
How that one was done was using a re-pop tank, cutting the top out of a Hummer tank and welding it in on the re-pop ...

[DoomBuggy]

I'm sorry, I totally lost focus when I read TURBO PAN. Dude you're one sick puppy, and I whole heartedly approve.

The Hummer tank is really clever, wish I had the wherewithal to come up with an idea like that. Those sit lower on the frame then I am looking for, but really work on your bikes.

Many thanks, Harry

[Dragstews]

A lot of folks would mount the Hummer tank "Frisco" being the og tunnel wouldn't allow the tank to go over the tube...

Do think that's what the Cail Boys was using back in the day....

Here's a link that may give ya ideas to play around with ... ??
.../// http://www.hotbikeweb.com/diy-gas-tank-fabrication \\\...

[DustyDave]

Here's an axed tank from Low Brow that I cut a U out of the back to let the front seat mount pivot far enough forward that my poor old back isn't doing the hoochie koochie. Then I ran the two 1/2" rods back to mount it to the casting, instead of drilling holes in a 77year old frame. Just a little bit differently.

Dusty

[fastfiat]

Mounted mine flush with the bottom of the backbone. Bungs and allen bolts. Had to modify the tunnel and also took 2" out of the middle.

[fastfiat]

[Tattooo]

^^^^^^^ Now that is BAD ASS awesome....^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[fastfiat]

Thanks Tattooo

[Dragstews]

I'm sorry, I totally lost focus when I read TURBO PAN.

It's not a real Panhead ....
Took a 96" S&S Super Stock Evo motor (Tuned for Turbo use) and added fake Pan rocker covers and cam cover .....





Bad Wammer, Jammer ..!!
Wouldn't hook up till half way through third gear.... Running a Jim's Pro-Cut 6-speed trany ...
______________________________________

Here's a little story of a fun day ....

Was on the turbo 96" "48 Pan Look-a-like" bike...It had well over 5,000 miles on it and I had it in fine tune.....Rode it to a Local hang out to throw back a few....

.../// https://youtu.be/ooehA_X7zNU \\\...

A Lot of bikes was in the parking lot that Sunday afternoon...
Was belly up at the bar ..and a Fellow pretty close to me was talking about his V-Rod being the fastest bike in the parking lot...So I kinda moseyed a bit closer to hear better.....Had all kinds of Hot-Rod parts and work done to it....
I had to tell him that his bike may not be the fastest in the lot.....
Told him the bike I was riding had some gigantic balls, not because I built it, just because it was the truth....Scary fast.......would smoke the tire in three gears.

Asked him if he wanted to go play...??
He said...Sure.

Once we got outside, he asked where was my bike....I pointed to the "48 Look-A-Like" and his jaw fell to the ground....

He asked if that was a Turbo hanging off the side of it....
I told him ...naw...Just a Hi-Tech muffler....Don't think he was buying that..??

Anyway it was on....We pulled out on Blue Diamond Road and we both got lined up side by side and from about 20 mph nailed them....

Dang good thing it was a rolling start cause for the spool up of the turbo was a bit slow...

Trying hard to not light up the tire and keep a grip on the road .. From the start I jumped ahead...and all the way up to about a hundred was pulling away from him....Heard his bike bumping the rev limiter on all his shifts behind me.....At the century mark I shut it down because I didn't like the way that bike handled at high speeds and we was fixing to see some curves....The race was over as far as I was concerned....And then he blew by me..!!
Think he wanted to road race me....I should have been riding my Buell..
(He would had got another spanking)

We got down the hill into the outskirts of Vegas and pulled into the Blue Diamond bar he came up to me and said he outran me ...I said wanna go again..??
He said nope..And I bought him a Beer........Well.....I did loose the road race...!!

[DoomBuggy]

Jesse,

First, let me say I am really taken by the craftsmanship on this bike. The more I look at it, the more little details jump out. Classy stuff.

Second, loved the story. Back in the late '70, early '80s I had a '69 XLCH ( avatar picture ) which I hand ported and polished the heads and then had THE local pro speed shop assemble for me, big compression, tight gear set, the works. It was stupidly fast for a quarter mile at a time and I won a good deal of money on it......until I ran up against the first Turbo Kawasaki in town. He so totally embarrassed me that I stopped drag racing bikes altogether. He was actually slowing down and as I would start to catch up he would twist the throttle and blow me away!

Dave,

Love me some flathead, my very first bike was a basket case flathead I got in exchange for painting the local mailman's barn. Great deal until my dad made me sell it to pay for the tickets I got.....

FastFiat,

That is really clean execution, dig the color and the clean lines.

Thanks for sharing, -H

[Dragstews]

.. .. ^^^

[triumphbruce]

here is one

[Tattooo]

Here is the tank I customized on my 53 Pan....

[Bbqbiker]

Left the front mounts on this 39' frame undisturbed

[tomsoftail]

This is a very good thread for me. I'm trying the same ideas out right now. If I leave my tank stock I'll have to cut and relocate the mounts... I am sure the bars will contact the tank if I leave them be.

[tomsoftail]

Pic of the aforementioned tank. I do like the tank an awful lot. It would be the first factory paint I've ever run on a bike. Not named rattle bomb

[Davestune]

I love Frisco look

[DoomBuggy]

Again I appreciate all the input folks.

Tattoo, did you narrow that tank, from the angle of the picture I am not certain. If you did that is a very cool idea, how many gallons are left in there?

BBQ, clean looking bike, how many gallons is that tank, I am torn between a 2 gallon tank that is about 9" wide and a 3 gallon tank which would be about 11" wide. The 9" width would be perfect with the narrow glide front end on my bike, but man that is pretty limited on distance.

TriumpBruce, I have always been fond of diamond tanks, with the girder it looks just right. One of my closets buds was going in that direction on his Pan before he passed. I would have loved to see how his bike would have come out.

Tom, I think you might be a little close with that one, but ya that is a really nice looking tank! So many options and so much talent on this site, a bit humbling for an old hacker like me!

I was rebuilding the rear star hub last week and kept going back to the frame. The closer I look at the changes that have been made to this frame the closer I get to just cutting the fat bob mounts off and cleaning up the look of the whole chop.

Please keep the input coming.

[Dragstews]

.../// https://youtu.be/Pj-qBUWOYfE \\\...