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Repro skunk tanks and other parts

  • Thread starter Thread starter drhach
  • Start date Start date
D

drhach

Guest
Hi everyone. I'm researching the viability of making some repro and custom parts for GS's and other bikes. Maybe you guys (and ladies) can help me out a little bit. One of the frustrations I've seen and had myself has been getting gas tanks for older GS's; specifically the 78-80 GS1000. If you find one, it seems like it's beat up or rusted through. Then you have to find a good gas cap. I'm researching the viability of reproducing these tanks in fiberglass. The thing that I'm trying to sort out is how many people would want one of these and if there are other parts out there that need to be made. What would you guys be willing to pay for something like this? PM me if you're interested. Right now I'm in the feasibility stage. Let me know your thoughts. It seems like this is a good way to end some of the frustrations with these old, rust prone tanks. Thanks everyone.

Dan
 
I think you may run into some troubles if you are trying to do tanks in glass. The biggest hurdle would be getting them certified for street use which would take a whole lot of wading through red tape and probably lots of cash for legalities. In a lot of regions glass tanks for street use are illegal. They are illegal in Ontario.

In order for you to make it worth while, you would need to do and sell a fair number at an affordable price which would mean one offs would not be feasible. You would need some production line capability which would likely entail some large expense in the way of hardware ( i.e. resin and chop strand guns, compressors, filtration gear etc.fire supression gear etc.) In addition you would likely need to be set up in an industrial area with proper zoning and licensing which means you couldn't run out of your garage.

As there is likely not enough of a market in one brand you would need to look at other makes as well which would entail a lot of time and work in designing and making bucks and molds for the other models.

I don't want to burst your bubble but it seems like a gigantic amount of work which likely wouldn't get anywhere in the end.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

cheers,
Spyug.
 
Thanks, don't worry about bursting my bubble. I'm an engineer and I have a lot of experience in manufacturing. I'm not really talking about "one offs" as much as small production runs. That's why I'm trying to get a sense of the market size and the price that someone might pay. Is $200 a reasonable price for a new tank? What about options? The possibilities for different types of gas caps and petcocks are endless. It seems like this is the opportunity to kill many birds.

As far as legality goes, fiberglass tanks are legal in the U.S. So, that is really not an issue. What about other stuff. What do you guys want that you just can't get? Gas tanks, fenders, saddlebags, side-panels? You tell me.
 
Gas tanks or no - you should be able to make some money on sidecovers. There's always somebody searching for those, ebay prices are getting way high, and the used ones you get always have broken tabs. I just paid $30 for a pair for a buddy's 450.

Just a thought.
 
I wonder what happened to the original production tooling. How are these things made anyhow? Hydroformed & welded? Perhaps for a short run, aluminum forms could be used in making new steel tanks?

Regarding fiberglass tanks: legal or not, this makes me nervous. Would they have a lining that could seal them if (when?) it cracks? I also think they might be less desirable from a restoration point of view, but they would certainly be better than nothing.

Anyhow, to your original question... I'm not currently looking for a replacement tank. Just throwing another opinion or two on the pile.
 
Suzuki still makes & sells them:


TANK ASSY,FUEL
44110-49020-YD8 (replaces 44110-49001-019) 1 $416.89
 
robertob said:
Suzuki still makes & sells them:


TANK ASSY,FUEL
44110-49020-YD8 (replaces 44110-49001-019) 1 $416.89
Click to expand...

My thinking is that most people who pay around $1000 for their bikes don't want to pay $400 for a tank. Also I was thinking that there could be other options for fuel tank filler caps. You could have flip-top caps, screw caps, flush mount etc.

I had a lot of concerns about the fiberglass issue too. I think the best thing would to have a liner in it so that in the event of a collision there would be some protection.
 
420 bucks isnt a whole lot for a brand new tank, considering the Tank Shop in Scotland charges about 1800 USD for an alloy repro tank for a stock bike or cafe racer (mainly deal in Manx and the like tanks, but i have seen them make some rare and hard to find stockers too) And, he's on a waiting list. Having said that, there is a certain type of resin that will be needed for use with pump gas, and most 'glass tank manufacturers recommend that one of thier tanks is sealed anyway using POR-15 or Kreem or the like, as the additives in pump gas will eat away at even the special resins used for tanks. I would likely be interested in a glass tank or two, depending on what you ended up making. I dont have a 1000, but will be looking for one for a winter project, so who knows.
 
I think there would be a market for replacement exhaust, particularly for the exhaust beyond the OEM headers.

The OEM outer exhaust systems are one piece. If there were a decent-looking way to cut off a rotten stock muffler and attach a nice new muffler, for a reasonable price, I'd bet it would sell.

The result would have to be sturdy, since it's the rear mounting point that suspends the whole mess. The fronts (the headers) are generally in good enough shape to be re-chromed. From there back is the problem area.
 
robertbarr said:
I think there would be a market for replacement exhaust, particularly for the exhaust beyond the OEM headers.

The OEM outer exhaust systems are one piece. If there were a decent-looking way to cut off a rotten stock muffler and attach a nice new muffler, for a reasonable price, I'd bet it would sell.

The result would have to be sturdy, since it's the rear mounting point that suspends the whole mess. The fronts (the headers) are generally in good enough shape to be re-chromed. From there back is the problem area.
Click to expand...

The stock exhaust (for the GS1000 at least) are also still available, but you might not like the price.
 
There are lots of newer bikes with plastic tanks, too. New Ducati Monsters, for example.

OEM tanks and exhausts are still available for a few GS models, but certainly not all.

In line with the earlier post about a solution for rotted mufflers, I think a line of "universal" tank kits would sell like gangbusters. Starting with maybe four or five basic tank shapes patterned after the most popular models, develop a mounting system that could be adapted to almost any UJM with basic tools (no welding, but possibly cutting and drilling the hardware) and preferably no modifications to the frame.

Offer it in gloss black or primer and stand back.
 
The OEM replacement tank that is available I understand does not have the indentation for the skunk stripe ??????? Correct me if I am wrong
 
SqDancerLynn1 said:
The OEM replacement tank that is available I understand does not have the indentation for the skunk stripe ??????? Correct me if I am wrong
Click to expand...

I don't know, but Suzuki lists the same PN for 78-79-80 GS1000, so that's probably what they've done.
 
The replacement tank has no indentation for the stripe. Mine came in a nice silver color but no place for a stripe. The bolt pattern is for the longer petcock, so you need a different one of these also. I wish Suzuki could have maintained a supply of the original tanks, but I understand the market would be small for them. Ray
 
bwringer said:
There are lots of newer bikes with plastic tanks, too. New Ducati Monsters, for example.

OEM tanks and exhausts are still available for a few GS models, but certainly not all.

In line with the earlier post about a solution for rotted mufflers, I think a line of "universal" tank kits would sell like gangbusters. Starting with maybe four or five basic tank shapes patterned after the most popular models, develop a mounting system that could be adapted to almost any UJM with basic tools (no welding, but possibly cutting and drilling the hardware) and preferably no modifications to the frame.

Offer it in gloss black or primer and stand back.
Click to expand...
Most custom race or cafe tanks involve a strap mounting system. That way they can attach to just about any frame that has a backbone that will fit inside the tunnel. Works quite well, and the straps attach to both the frame, and the tank. Pretty secure, especially on a comparitively light tank such as 'glass or plastic.
 
Are you running one of those? I've always wondered how well they work.
 
SqDancerLynn1 said:
The OEM replacement tank that is available I understand does not have the indentation for the skunk stripe ??????? Correct me if I am wrong
Click to expand...

That is correct, they also don't have the indents for the Suzuki emblems either. I guess they would be a direct replacement for the Wes Cooley tank. Not what you would look for if you're restoring an "E" or standard model.
 
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