Motorcycle fuel tank kits?

[Chris Stevens]

Been talking to a mate who makes alloy bike tanks, and have come up with the idea of providing a finished top skin (the hard part), filler neck, cap etc, and the end user makes the tunnel themselves to fit their own bike perfectly, and then gets the two parts welded together. Just wonder if anyone thinks there would be enough interest in this to make it viable to do?

 

[scott0031]

Unlikely. If it was a viable thing to do someone would already be doing it. Reason why they probably are not doing is because like most things, it will be hard to make a quid out of. It's hard to make any money out of anything that is labour intensive like tanks because there is only so much you can charge and only so much people will pay. Secondly the people that have the skill set to carry out the remainder of the work without making the wrong end of a dog out of it are few, so your potential customer base is few.

Will you sell a few? Yes of course,. will you sell enough to make it worth while....... try it and find out!

 

[addjunkie]

Unlikely. If it was a viable thing to do someone would already be doing it. Reason why they probably are not doing is because like most things, it will be hard to make a quid out of. It's hard to make any money out of anything that is labour intensive like tanks because there is only so much you can charge and only so much people will pay. Secondly the people that have the skill set to carry out the remainder of the work without making the wrong end of a dog out of it are few, so your potential customer base is few.

Will you sell a few? Yes of course,. will you sell enough to make it worth while....... try it and find out!

Well put, if you can make a tunnel, and weld it in, theres a dam good chance your the type to have a go at the rest.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Unlikely. If it was a viable thing to do someone would already be doing it. Reason why they probably are not doing is because like most things, it will be hard to make a quid out of. It's hard to make any money out of anything that is labour intensive like tanks because there is only so much you can charge and only so much people will pay. Secondly the people that have the skill set to carry out the remainder of the work without making the wrong end of a dog out of it are few, so your potential customer base is few.

Will you sell a few? Yes of course,. will you sell enough to make it worth while....... try it and find out!

He is doing quite a few upper skins already and makes good money out of it. I have been putting part finished tanks together for several years, and its not particularly difficult. For anyone able to TIG weld and do simple sheet metal work means a tank which maybe costs 50% less than the current going price.

 

[BrokenBiker]

He is doing quite a few upper skins already and makes good money out of it

i would think he would be in a postion to determine if there is a market for a full kit then...

For anyone able to TIG weld and do simple sheet metal work means a tank which maybe costs 50% less than the current going price.

as above, if i were able to do simple sheet work and tig i wouldnt be looking at buying a pre formed kit and only doing the tunnel myself, i would be looking at buying flat stock and making the whole thing...and i know a lot of bikers that would do the same if they had the skills...

guy i used to work with buys cb750's and turns them into cafe racer reps, he does everything with a mig and the end result is astonishing, he does all the panel beating and forming on a lump of wood and a sand bag, its part of the enjoyment of a project like that

if, however, people havent got the sheet skills or welding skills...well they wouldnt want a half finished tank where they had to make the tunnel either would they?

 

[Chris Stevens]

i would think he would be in a postion to determine if there is a market for a full kit then...



as above, if i were able to do simple sheet work and tig i wouldnt be looking at buying a pre formed kit and only doing the tunnel myself, i would be looking at buying flat stock and making the whole thing...and i know a lot of bikers that would do the same if they had the skills...

guy i used to work with buys cb750's and turns them into cafe racer reps, he does everything with a mig and the end result is astonishing, he does all the panel beating and forming on a lump of wood and a sand bag, its part of the enjoyment of a project like that

if, however, people havent got the sheet skills or welding skills...well they wouldnt want a half finished tank where they had to make the tunnel either would they?

How would your mate go about forming a tank skin for a 916 Ducati say?

 

[BrokenBiker]

How would your mate go about forming a tank skin for a 916 Ducati say?

why would he...he makes cafe racers...

i still refer to my original reply though...your mate that makes these kits? does he not have the business sense and foresight to determine if there may be a market for this sort of stuff? after all he knows the customers, the prices they are willing to pay etc...

 

[Jim Davey]

I'd say yes, some will sell but I don't think they are ever going to be a big seller. The other issue is if they make a balls up of it because they can't get the gaps right when cutting the tank to fit the tunnel who's fault is that (you can guarantee it won't be theirs) I've seen the tanks and the gaps in question and your friend copes no problem, but Fred in a shed having a first go is likely to struggle.
I just see a lot of opportunity for damaged, leaky tanks and liability. If you can get that side of it nailed with a cast iron liability waiver then crack on and churn them out, but I don't expect it to be a hassle free enterprise with customers regularly on the phone asking how to fix melted holes in thin ally.

 

[Chris Stevens]

While I have no clue if it's a viable idea or not I do get the
thinking behind it.

The tunnel is 'easy' to form (without things like relieves for coil/rocker covers etc.) but putting multiple curves into something like a 'teardrop' top is not. Compound curves in sportsbike type tanks even more so, or 'wraparound' trials tanks where the tunnel is a plain 'u' section.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who would form a tunnel but not attempt a full tank - but whether they'd also be the type to buy a performed top is the question.

He is already making part finished tanks for a major motorcycle manufacturer, and seemed to me that for someone who can TIG weld and who has basic fabrication skills, buying tank skins, making a tunnel and joining the 2 parts together, might be a relatively worthwhile garden shed type of business?

 

[Jim Davey]

Sounds like something you should do Chris.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Sounds like something you should do Chris.

I have made a fair few tanks, but not interested in anything for road bikes, and would have thought anyone into a particular make of bike, and able to TIG weld might find this was of interest?

Have someone in the midlands who is aready making aluminium swinging arms, very interested though, and will be into doing a few..................