Making a gas tank...what would you do?

[mklang]

i'm in a street rod and custom metal fabrication class right now, and i am going to be making a custom gas tank from sheet metal to paint on my '05 DR-Z.

for those of you that have bought after market tanks, what do you like about them? what would you change?

i think i'm going to shoot for 3 gallons and try to make it so the fuel is as low as possible.

[Mellowyellow]

I would like to see the tank a little bit wider all the way through..The more petrol the better.the shape is nice

[jarrettolson]

dont waste your time with a gas tank, how bout making a aluminum frame and lightening up the bike. I have thought about that for awhile, just lazy when it comes to firing up my TIG. Or make a tank and we can have a biker build off. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v725/jarrettolson/billylane.jpg

[Mellowyellow]

you guys are really skilled aren't you. I wish i could just go up me shed and say right im gonna make a tank today.

[kalabula]

It would be sweet to have a gas guage in it.

[chronos]

Billy Lane (Chopper's Inc.) is about 15 minutes from here. I met him at the build off in Daytona last Octoberfest...really cool guy and down to earth. Everyone swarmed him for pics and he just put up with all of it and took pics and signed stuff and didn't give a crap about any of the Discovery Channel people until he gave all the fans about 2 hours of time. He's pretty short though, that was surprising.

His bikes really lack fit and finish, but they definitely have that "assembled in the garage" feel.

[mklang]

i don't see it as wasting my time at all. i need a tank and i need a project for class. even if i didn't plan on using it i will still become versed in the english wheel, pull max, power hammer, bead roller, etc... plus i will have a one off thank that nobody else has.

i can't make a frame. the project has to involve sheet metal. the last class i took (chassis fab) was where i could have built a bike frame, but i built a car frame instead.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j228/mklang/DSCN1176.jpg

[Plane Dr]

Sheet metal? Hell build a Cessna!

Make a tank that runs forward from the seat like a trials bike sorta thing. Think gas gas. No fuel capacity to speak of I would think. But it would attract attentention and would be an interesting excersize. Plus you could lower the side maybe get some capacity back. And the weight of the fuel would be dropped lower. Only issue then woul be maybe dual petcocks so you don't have issues. Granted when you run low you just have to wheelie more often. Works with the Clarke's.

[gstanfield]

Sounds like a fun project, when I was in school there I just did some cool custom work on my 65 Impala and frenched hinges on a 37 Ford, but you're doing much cooler stuff. I still have some friends who work at WYotech and visit laramie often. I just bought a 2006DRZ400S today in Rapid City SD, so maybe I'll see you around sometime.

George

[kawidual]

If you didn't want to do the main tank you could make a custom aux setup for longer trips.

2 (1.5 or 2 gallon) side tanks that bolt on instead of the plastic panels?

Like rear Dakar tanks. Would be cool to have a modular setup like that.

Another cool project would be some side hard luggage like the Happy Trails.

PS.

What are you going to put in/on the car chassis you built, nice work.

[RedRider250X]

a gas tank sounds cool, that chasis is awsome, I'm intrested to see what you put on it...

[gsxrdoug]

3 gallon would be great, maybe making it a bit wider would gain the size instead of droping it to low to cover up the carb area. Looking forward to what you have to offer.

[DaveI]

Should have made a DRZ bike frame instead...

I don't think anybody makes aftermarket frames for dirtbikes other than BBR for mini/pocket bikes...That's a market that is wide open...Aftermarket swingarms are available but nobody is doing entire frames...An aftermarket Aluminum frame for the DRZ would sell for certain...Could be priced at the $1000 to $1500 range...

There was a company in Spain that made a custom one-off DRZ with an Aluminum frame...very nice but it was a one of a kind...

the last class i took (chassis fab) was where i could have built a bike frame, but i built a car frame instead.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j228/mklang/DSCN1176.jpg

[mklang]

gstanfield - i graduate at the end of june but if you make it to laramie before then let me know

[mklang]

that chassis is fit for a 1979 el camino...the theme of my project is motorcycle transportation

that frame is totally custom...it has a 2" rake for a fighter-stance look going down the road, and the the rear rails are kicked up so that i will be able to drop the car to the ground to load the bike and go back up to ride height once its loaded. and i made it so the rails and the third member are not going to come up into the bed.

[ldbandit76]

If you didn't want to do the main tank you could make a custom aux setup for longer trips.

2 (1.5 or 2 gallon) side tanks that bolt on instead of the plastic panels?

Like rear Dakar tanks. Would be cool to have a modular setup like that.

Indeed, that would be a hot setup.

The Clarke and IMS tanks address how to get more gas on the DR. Either you do something like that (maybe a little lower) or you go for something completely different.

Shoot, replace the tank with a shroud and put the gas somewhere else (like in the sidepanels) to lower the CG. That would be cool and look pretty slick.

[JoeDints]

Had a friend that purchased a used E, it had an aluminum gas tank on it 3.4 gallons pretty nice in fact. He brought it from an employee of Drew Smith (WER - Works Enduro Riders) ISDE, and made a DS out of it, but sold it in favor of a KTM 400 that was owned by Paul Clipper of Trail Rider Mag.

[Noppy]

I like the Dakar idea! Could you design an integrated fairing for the headlight plus subframe, which integrates into a 5 gallon tank, which is attached with quick releases (rally releases) to the frame?

After the project, we could create a mold from the fairing and create these into carbon/keflar. These combinations typically go for 4.000$ each, so better money wise compared to building a frame!

We have to be under the tank so often that it would make sense to do it with a quick release. If they do these tricks in automobile sports, why not in motorsports?

Noppy

[mklang]

Noppy i like your idea

[Noppy]

If you didn't want to do the main tank you could make a custom aux setup for longer trips.

2 (1.5 or 2 gallon) side tanks that bolt on instead of the plastic panels?

Like rear Dakar tanks. Would be cool to have a modular setup like that.

Another cool project would be some side hard luggage like the Happy Trails.

PS.

What are you going to put in/on the car chassis you built, nice work.

Kawi,

But I like your idea too!

Noppy