Go to page: 1 - The Beginning 2 - Oil tank, seat & gas tank 3 - Coils & fender 4 - Electric box & frame 5 - Welded frame & battery 6 - Oil tank, seat & taillight 7 - Painted parts & covered seat 8 - Painting and final assembly 9 - Last minute changes & starting 10 - Final bike photos Credits: Me: guy that owns the bike and comes up with "great" ideas that usually don't work. I can't weld Dad: does most of the tack welding and brings home lots of scrap metal from the weld shop where he works. (when I say "I welded" I mean "Dad welded") Brother-in-law Rich: mechanical engineer that comes up with great ideas that do work. Also has the mig welder that my Dad and I borrow when we work on the bike. Last updated Tuesday, August 02, 2005		After cutting out the frame rails, the frame needs to be reinforced. I will be welding on the larger diameter backbone with a steel plate underneath it to reinforce the neck area. This plate will get some holes punched in it. The new backbone is 1/8" wall. There is a fishmouth joint cut in it to match the one on the stock frame. In the photo you can see where it gets cut.		Click for a larger view
			A new oil tank has to be made to fit in the lowered frame. Since I wanted to use all the stock oil lines and fittings, I decided to mount the tank underneath the carbs instead of underneath the seat where it is usually mounted. The tank is made out of a 1/8" thick, 5" diameter, 14" long steel pipe. Angle iron is welded to the side of the tank to serve as mounting brackets. 5/16" holes are drilled through the top of the brackets and nuts are welded below the holes. 1" inside diameter square tubing is welded onto the frame brace right above where the oil tank will sit. I drilled holes in the square tubing and ran 5/16" bolts through with rubber washers between the square stock and the angle iron to cushion the tank.		Click for a larger view
			Next a hole was drilled in the top of the tank for the fill tube, and a steel pipe welded on. I'm using steel plumbing pipe. The cap will be a plumbing end cap. The hose coming out of the side of the fill tube is the vent line that comes out of the back of the engine.		Click for a larger view
			A drain plug needed to be welded on. I put this on the left side of the tank. When the bike is leaning on it's kickstand, the oil will be on this side of the tank making it easier to drain. On the right of the photo, you can see the oil feed line is in place as well. The return line from the engine and the end plates are the only thing left to finish off the oil tank.		Click for a larger view
			Well, the tractor seat idea wasn't working out too well. The sides of it were too high, and when at rest, my feet couldn't touch the ground. So, I picked up an old used solo seat instead. The seat hinges in the front, and has springs underneath for cusion. To mount it to the frame, I welded a small steel tube to the backbone.		Click for a larger view
			This is the seat after it's mounted. I didn't want the seat mounted too close to the frame, so I can flip it up and check the oil.		Click for a larger view
			I didn't take photos of the actual mounting process of the gas tank. Here you can see a sketch of what I started with. I had a Sportster style tank with a deep tunnel. I wanted it to be hi-mounted on the bar. I cut a steel plate to be welded into the tunnel to cover the extra space created by raising the tank. I will be finishing the front of the tank with body putty to hide all the welds around the tank plate.		Click for a larger view
			This is a bad photo, but it shows the rear mount tab on the tank. Rich shaped it to match the contour of the backbone and tacked it onto the rear of the tank.		Click for a larger view
			I made 2 steel tabs that got welded to the bottom of the tank. A 1/4" hole was drilled through the tabs, and rubber grommets inserted to cushion the tank. Rich drilled a hole through the backbone to accept a 1/4" I.D. piece of steel pipe and welded it inside. The tank was then successfully "frisco" mounted. In the photo you can see a bit of the steel plate welded to hide the open tunnel. This will all eventually be filled with body putty and sanded smooth.		Click for a larger view
			Here you can see the finished frame bracket with the holes stamped into it. Pretty cool.		Click for a larger view