Cantilever Tanks

GoldenMotor.com
David D.

David D.

New Member
Sep 12, 2010
146
0
0
California
Does anybody know of a reasonably priced in frame tank for the std schwinn cantilever frames? Saw one aluminum one awhile back I think... was over $200 though.... any help? David
 
Goat Herder

Goat Herder

Gutter Rider
Apr 28, 2008
6,237
20
38
N.M.
These tanks are not going to be cheap. Also with our economy going the way it is I don't see any miracles in our future.
 
David D.

David D.

New Member
Sep 12, 2010
146
0
0
California
I have designed and built many products and fully understand costing , production, and marketing..... was why i was curious about the absence of a good reasonably priced tank for such a widely used bicycle in our industry....that's all..... David
 
Goat Herder

Goat Herder

Gutter Rider
Apr 28, 2008
6,237
20
38
N.M.
David D. said:
I have designed and built many products and fully understand costing , production, and marketing..... was why i was curious about the absence of a good reasonably priced tank for such a widely used bicycle in our industry....that's all..... David
Click to expand...
http://motorbicycling.com/f23/custom-gas-tanks-25802.html

http://motorbicycling.com/f23/custom-fuel-tanks-coming-soon-26125.html

This subject seams to get brought up every two weeks.:rolleyes: With the same answer. I mean I don't want to stop you. Jump into the market and getter dun! Why don't you? You can do eeet;)

To me what I want to say is all I hear is hype and no action. I will believe it when I see it. It has not happend and one has to wounder why?

BarelyAWake said:
I think it's a catch 22...

Not only is making tanks a bit of a pain even w/jigs, those are aluminum - not known for it's malleability or ease of welding and it's curved no less. Add up all the hardware (2 petcocks, brackets, bung & cap, fasteners), the materials not just including all of the offcut scrap aluminum but all of the welding supplies, even any botched tanks (aluminum not being very forgiving during welding)... throw in the time it takes just to make them & I bet his profit margin isn't nearly what you would think.

Where there's a catch 22 is if he could gear up for "mass production" no doubt he could bring his costs down, not only by finalizing his jigs & assembly, but by buying his materials and parts in bulk... but given the market he's selling to and the limited number of frames that tank would fit perfectly on - I doubt he's got a lot of turn over.

Honestly? Given all of the above... about $200 per tank is I think a fair & acceptable price, it'd sell a lot better @ about $150 - but given the difficulties inherent in small production runs of a relatively complex product, that'd prolly put him into the minimum wage range. As most fabrication shops charge anywhere from 40-80 dollars an hour... well... *shrug*

Even though I've made my own tank and have free and unlimited access to a fabrication shop - I'd buy one of his in a heartbeat lol... tho I'll admit the style isn't my bag ;)


Google up the prices for aluminum fuel cells sometime to get an idea of the average price for a "mass produced" aftermarket tank, even not "custom made" for your application... I think given the insanely low costs of the engines we tend to use as well as the commonality of extremely inexpensive box store bikes, we sometimes forget what's considered "normal" pricing for stuff...
Click to expand...
bairdco said:
here's my opinion/statement.

as for the craigslist guy, his materials cost depends on a few things. good petcocks are 10 bucks, caps, 20+, and bungs, 30+. the steel is the cheapest, but then add in the cost of the machines to cut out the shapes, and the welding materials. and paint. too.

he might work at a shop with free use of a welder, gas, welding rods, or wire and electricity, but that doesn't mean the savings should be passed on to you.

tanks ain't cheap, and they definitely ain't easy to make. try it yourself and see what happens.

i'm in the process of building my 6th copper tank. materials-wise, it costs me about 50 bucks, and that's using a high-quality petcock, and brass fittings from Ace for the cap and bung.

i put in about 5 hours of hammering, cutting, bending, shaping, and soldering time today, and 3 hours the other day. i've got the basic shape together, and i still have another day's worth to install the petcock and bung, then grind, sand, and polish it.

then another day for it to sit around while the tank liner cures.

this tanks a little trickier, because i'm rounding it all out to fit the frame better, so there's a lot more work involved, and there are no templates for a future one, because of the shaping/hammering work. i started with a flat piece and beat it into a shape.

i've done 2 "toolbox" style tanks that had all flat sides, and those were easier, but still took at least a day.

i have no idea what a coppersmith makes an hour, but whatever it is, it's worth it.

i totally agree with BA's remarks about how people expect the rest of the parts to be as cheap as the motor kit. it just ain't so.

look at any other motorsport that uses custom tanks, expansion chambers, etc. they don't come cheap. the process of building a tank for a motorcycle is the same for a motorized bicycle. it doesn't cost any less because it's going on a bicycle.

if you think about it, it should cost more. if you buy a motorcycle frame, chances are there's 50 different tanks you can choose from. and those 50 tanks fit 75% of the aftermarket MC frames.

there's thousands of different bicycles being used out there, and all those frames are different. to make a production tank for any of them is a pretty big undertaking, with little reward.

even if someone were to market a tank for the Cranbrook (arguably the most popular "entry level" bike used for motorizing) you wouldn't sell enough to price it comparitively with the engine kit. low cost is the reason most people buy a Huffy. not too many people would pay 3 times the cost of the bike for a custom tank for it, and if they did, they'd end up with a useless tank after their bike falls apart.

hand made, custom products are disappearing, due to the "buy it now" mentality people have. it's old world craftsmanship in a new world order.
Click to expand...
BarelyAWake said:
Ya gotta wonder why.
Click to expand...
 
Dan

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
115
48
59
Moosylvania
Know what you mean David. Bought a welder in part to try and make tanks. Is a bummer finding good ones. I too thought they were crazy expensive but as pointed out, lotta work goes into em.

Today went to a semi local bike shop looking for 12g spokes but they were closed. Any way found a place that makes first-aid, lunch, tool boxes etc. Gonna stop by and see if they or if they could make up some rough ones for me. Bare bones sort of thing and finish them my self. (paint, petcocks and site tube) Dunno. Be kinda cool if the are set up for some thing similar and can make 10 or so up easily. Well, some what cheaply, snork.
This is their link. American Metal Crafters - Metal Boxes & Cases, First Aid Kits & Cabinets and Custom Projects Really old factory. Kinda becoming a thing with me. Finding and touring them. Have made some great finds.
Will report.
 
happycheapskate

happycheapskate

New Member
Nov 26, 2009
1,989
3
0
Rockwall TX
Why are there no plastic motorcycle style gas tanks for MB's. They would be cheap to make, and easy to modify for adding vent tubes, secondary/return lines, etc. They could be molded in a few popular colors.
 
Goat Herder

Goat Herder

Gutter Rider
Apr 28, 2008
6,237
20
38
N.M.
My bikes and motors far exceed the cost of the tank. I look for things like real spokes, wheels, disk breaks, custom, exhaust, paint, better alloy frames and all my general tweaks and modes. Simply not available at wally world tho. I strive for as superior a ride I can possibly make, buts that's just me...
 
BarelyAWake

BarelyAWake

New Member
Jul 21, 2009
7,194
21
0
Maine
happycheapskate said:
Why are there no plastic motorcycle style gas tanks for MB's. They would be cheap to make, and easy to modify for adding vent tubes, secondary/return lines, etc. They could be molded in a few popular colors.
Click to expand...
I suspect it would be a (perhaps misguided) safety consideration... One of the things that differs street-legal dirtbikes from their off-road only brethren is a steel tank vs the plastic ones - the thought being that metal is more likely to dent instead of crack in an accident, reducing the likelihood of a fuel spill & the resultant fire hazard on the roadway...

I'll admit it's been a while since I was involved in that sport, things may well have changed given plastic tanks are now not uncommon in cars - but at the time and in the state I was living in, a steel tank was required to pass inspection...
 
scottmanesis

scottmanesis

New Member
Dec 30, 2010
107
0
0
Austin, TX
It is still that way in most states I believe. A plastic tank relegates and regulates you into "off road use only" territory. Although I am sure most peoples exhaust on MB and motorcycles certainly are in that "zone" as well.
 
F

fundreamer1

New Member
Dec 6, 2010
180
0
0
Oklahoma
I just found this post and I am the one that posted http://motorbicycling.com/f23/custom-fuel-tanks-coming-soon-26125.html, And while it may seem like a long time to wait until I get things rolling along, I also needed to see if it would be worth my time to even try manufacturing the tanks.
It would appear so, I am expecting to be able show some pics soon, hopefully within a couple of weeks, the bad part is that I also have to have surgery very soon and there is about a three month recovery time involved. Barring any complications that should be the only real time delay I have to deal with, so if everyone will bear with me I believe the pay off will be worth the wait. Thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom