Steel fastback Tank from India

I have now received my bare steel fastback tank from india.

I bought it via this Ebay auction http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370807162318? ... 1439.l2649

Why did I choose this vendor? Because he came with a shedload of Ebay sales, some negatives of course but I could see that he made efforts to resolve problems.

The tank took about 14 days to arrive which is quick and arrived well packed in a substantial cardboard box.

The tank is in bare metal and has been sprayed internally with some oil to keep rust at bay. I dont think that getting finished or chromed tanks from india is a great idea as the finish may not be up to your expectations.

Fit and finish: I think that the tank is a preetty good reproduction of the fastback tank. I have fitted the mounting studs and put it on the bike in a fairly rough and ready fashion and the lines seem to curve in the rightplaces and the bottom of the tank lines up with the seat. when I waggle the tank on the bike, I can't hear anything hitting and I'm fairly sure that there will be space for a dave Taylor head steady. A little bit of fettling will be required to fit the fuel cap, but nothing out of order. fuel taps are tiny bit nearer the rear than on the fibreglass tank but only by 3/4" or so.

i will be taking to the guy who will be doing the painting on Wednesday and he will test the tank for leaks. I just need to decide on what shade of green and what to doing about painting the inside.

Some photos:
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Thanks for the report.

whats the fork clearence like from lock to lock?

Baz
Fork clearance is good.

But that's with the later style fork stops. I wonder how it would be on mine.

It's good you are using later style frame -fork stops . Earlier as Dave stated would bang that tank and create an angry owner.

Looks very good .
But underneath & around the cap , where theyve left it sitting after welding & the old OXIDEs underway , Id do so serious rust treatment ,
or beadblast & then rust killer , as you dont want it festering away & lifting the paint .

Best ould be the bead blasting , as its mostly underneath , even sand blasting :shock: as its not much there , but you dont want any .

Looks Good , Shades of GREEN . Why , that green tank beside its probly the right colour & might match the tail fairing . Sort of ' Jade ' / Greenstone
by the look of it . The colour of the primer affects how it changes in sun & artificial light . youd want the same undercoat on the tank & tail fairing .

Price seems pretty good to

DogT said:

But that's with the later style fork stops. I wonder how it would be on mine.

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My commando is possibly a bit of a mixture, Nos don't match, but are fairly close, registered as a 71, lots of new components ,but has been sitting around in a collection for ages. I have not tried to start it yet, it needs new oil lines.

I bought a Norvil aluminum replica for @$850.00 US about 8 years ago. I ran out of options to keep the glass tank in operation. I had to "adjust" with a ball peen hammer to clear the head steady. Nice to know that we have options.
Nothing more satisfying than taking the time to smooth out the rough edges and give your painter a good place to start.
My painter will close his eyes, run his hands over the surface, shake his head and hand it back to me for more wet sanding!
Mike

great pics hope it doesn't leak ......definitely test it before painting be nice if they could do decent welding but I am guessing they don't have much to work with in the first place
not a bad looking tank otherwise

Looks good, the only thing that stands out is the indent for the seat tangs. That curve where it goes from flat into the dip should be a smooth constant curve because it will be a main focal point after paint. It looks like you'd need to round that edge out a bit to achieve a perfect curve.

I don't know...that tank looks pretty darn rough to me. I find it a bit troubling that that's the sort of stuff we think is "OK" nowadays. I guess, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for but to me it's hard to believe that a new tank that looks like that would even be offered for sale.

Oh well, if it doesn't leak and can be cleaned up and painted where you can't tell any external difference from an original tank, I guess it's serviceable.

Yea, they need to send the Indians to work at Aston Martin for fourteen years , so they learn panel forming properly . :x

Wonder if they could educate them a little , an Aircraft factory or suchlike . If they watch the American hot rod shows or
the twertles , theyll end up doing them full of Bog . Actually , a kit of the panels would be best , then you could friging weld
it together after dressing the features where required . Still , if thats hand formed from sheet , We'll give him 8 / 10 .
But Next Time , itll be 5 /10 overall .

mike996 said:

I don't know...that tank looks pretty darn rough to me. I find it a bit troubling that that's the sort of stuff we think is "OK" nowadays. I guess, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for but to me it's hard to believe that a new tank that looks like that would even be offered for sale.

Oh well, if it doesn't leak and can be cleaned up and painted where you can't tell any external difference from an original tank, I guess it's serviceable.

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Totally agree! That tank needs a fair amount of work before it's ready to paint. I wouldn't paint it black. The filler neck looks very suspect for leaking. You get what you pay for, considering what a good stock tank brings or those of a real tank maker such as Evan Wilcox.

JimC said:

mike996 said:

I don't know...that tank looks pretty darn rough to me. I find it a bit troubling that that's the sort of stuff we think is "OK" nowadays. I guess, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for but to me it's hard to believe that a new tank that looks like that would even be offered for sale.

Oh well, if it doesn't leak and can be cleaned up and painted where you can't tell any external difference from an original tank, I guess it's serviceable.

Click to expand...

Totally agree! That tank needs a fair amount of work before it's ready to paint. I wouldn't paint it black. The filler neck looks very suspect for leaking. You get what you pay for, considering what a good stock tank brings or those of a real tank maker such as Evan Wilcox.

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I perfectly understand that this tank is in an unfinished condition and will need quite a bit of work and leak testing before painting. I did not buy a painted tank on purpose.

But it is cheap at just over £200 inclusive of postage and there is no other realistic option, Fairspares sell an alloy fastback replica for over £600 and I bet you that was made in India and the other alloy tank makers in the UK are quoting ridiculously long lead times. I would be happy to pay more money for a UK manufactured Fastback tank, in steel or alloy, but after lots of hunting around I have not succeeded in finding one. I don't know how many Fastbacks were produced, but a lot less than Roadsters or Interstates, so maybe there is not so much demand out there for FB tanks.

I don't know if it's worth considering but I have had a Burton Bike Bits FG fastback tank now for several years with no issues at all...so far. BBB says they are made with resin that can handle ethanol though I Caswelled it anyway before putting gas in it for the first time. IF a FG tank made with appropriate resins can handle ethanol gas, I don't see any particular advantage to a metal tank. Admittedly, it will take many years before the claim can really be verified over the long term.

I don't think that they are making them anymore. My bike was restored about 10 years ago and I have a feeling that a BB Fastback kit was fitted to the bike, however the tank was not lined and so has rotted.

I don't think there is anything wrong with buying a tank made in India. As long as the buyer realizes the time needed to leak check, repair if necessary and prep for paint. I bought an aluminum tank from Waldridge years ago. It didn't leak and the welds were fine, but it took many hours and all-metal™ filler to get the contours to resemble a stock roadster tank.

This is my tank after sealing and painting.

It looks pretty good, though the painter described it "as a bit lumpy"
I really like the colour. Painting done by Ultimate bikes paint in Keynsham UK.

Progress with my 71 Fastback