Greetings and introduction

[MarkInVermont]

Hi. I'm Mark. I live in northern Vermont above Stowe. I want to join here to learn more about shaping, well, metal.

I do not have the medical mental disability I have coined "Manufacturing Dependency Syndrome." In other words, I abhor it when someone suggests using a suburban frame with a crew cab and a resultant 55"-long pickup box (cool!) and then the guy then asks, "does anyone make a kit for that?"

That goes to another mental diagnoses I have coined: Part Number Dependency Syndrome. Every bracket doesn't have to have a bar code on it...

All my life I've made stuff- woodworking, carpentry, welding, mechanics, guns- even stereo speakers.

Right now I have fallen back into something I did 30 years ago: finding basket case 70s motorcycles and making them back into a fine machine. I used to sell them after but the current thing is I have three CB350F frames, a running 1973 CB350 Four, a CB400F Four motor, several CB350F motors, and most of the parts of three bikes.

What led me to join is I want to read what people have done with motorcycle tanks. I have a shapely Honda tank (I know, not the norm for cafe racers, but that's me) that I'll try to attach a photo of. It doesn't fit the 350F frame, and probably was from an 80s CB550. But it has nice curves, so I want to cut it, reconfigure the bottom to fit over the coils on a 350 frame, narrow it some, and knee-dent it to complement the curves. I could cut it now and do everything and it would be fine, I have the confidence and basic skills, but I wanted to raise the bar a little and put form ahead of function on this visible part.
image.jpg
And here I am, trying to find a way to make the learning curve get steeper...

[Jere]

Hello Mark and welcome to the site.

I would not touch that tank.

Make a buck the shape that is in your head and start a new.

Jere

[Peter Tommasini]

Hi Mark welcome to the forum
Peter

[skintkarter]

Hi Mark and welcome.

What Jere said... That is a nice tank, so would be a shame to chop it up. A million years ago I chopped up a very rough Matchless tank when I made a 16C sort of replica trials bike from a pile of bits. Didn't change the shape as such, but narrowed and sectioned the tank, made a new tunnel etc... Wasn't too bad to weld, as was probably 20g. I would bet that the Honda tank you have is quite a bit lighter gauge than that, so would be a real challenge to shape and weld. Really neat project to make a tank from scratch.

Look forward to seeing some progress shots of whatever you decide to do.

[MarkInVermont]

I here you guys on the scratch built.

Two things though: the tank has been repaired in the past with some sort of stuff that almost looks like refractory cement with aluminum powder in it. So it is a low confidence tank. Second, I have wire welded tanks before using low heat and high wire speed successfully and I have this tank that looks good. But it's too long for the frame.

So it needs the pan repaired anyway, I have it, and I have no other use for it.

I have a good tank to fit the third bike frame; just needs paint.

The fourth frame has no tank. Saving my pennies to get a good used (if I'm lucky) or not-so-good new Harbor Freight English Wheel. Don't know what that tank will be like yet but it will fun to do! I have imagined a vintage-style seat pan, bolster, and gas tank that is completely one unit, though. I know for sure it will be soft edged and flowing, and I have a sewing machine so the seat pad will be sculpted to flow with the tank and rear seat bump/cowl.

But that's quite some time off in the future cuz I have two other bikes before it to reassemble from puzzle pieces. Ya, I have two frames and most of their parts, but they came in cardboard boxes with little or no organization- just boxes of bolts and such. By the time I get the next so bikes done it think And I expect I will find myself short of some stuff. Gas tank included.

Thanks for the encouragement. I've enjoyed what I've seen here so far!