Hitchcocks Forum

I've just got a new petrol tank for my Indian 350 bullet trials bike.

The price of an alloy one means I couldn't justify getting it all battered and scraped, and it's an actual trials bike for use in competition so it WILL be fallen off -probably on every second stage with my current skill level- so I went cheap.

So it's basically a considerably cheaper (and heavier) steel version of the alloy trials tank. I got it from an Indian company who also do alloy tanks on the basis that if they can weld alloy, they can probably weld steel properly.

Remarkably, it is fuel-tight, the cap fits and so does the fuel tap. Predictably, they did something totally stupid and painted it inside and out with a non petrol-proof grey primer . Anyway, after much ado with acetone I've got it all back to bare metal and have lined the inside with POR15 so it'll be ethanol and rust proof (better to line it now than remedially line it after it starts leaking).

So the question. How does it mount? It's got the traditional mounting on the front to bolt through the frame. At the rear there is a kind of peg-thing. I'm going to guess I need to put a piece of rubber over the back of the frame spine for it to rest on? Then presumably there is something like a giant rubber band that loops under the frame and attaches to the peg either side (I'm thinking vacuum cleaner drive belt)? Or maybe some sort of strap?

There is presumably a proper way of doing this so I thought I'd ask before just making something up.

I suspect you're thinking along the right lines, presumably with a big chunk of radiator hose round the frame top tube at the rear?

A.

a narrow strip of inner tube makes a good rubber band. Or a couple looped together. This was standard fitting on my Suzuki TS400 and Yamaha DT360.

Mini Moke bonnet strap or similar from vintage/veteran hill climb/trials cars?

+1 on vacuum cleaner drive belt.

These days most drive belts don’t stretch because they are flat and reinforced with fabric. Hoover Junior belts are an older type with a round profile and might be more suitable.

Another possibility might be to weld a couple of 2BA/M5 captive nuts into the tank tunnel at the rear and replicate the later Redditch spring mounting.

A.

Put a rubber saddle from a Jap trail bike over the top rail at the back of the tank and wrap a thick cable tie around the peg and frame.
That is what I have done on mine for the last 10 years without incident. The later Reditch bikes made do with a spring clip at the rear.
I used the rubber from a Kawasaki KT250 on mine, google "Kawasaki KL250 KT250 KX250 KX400 KZ250 KZ400 KLR250 Gas Tank Rubber Damper" for an idea of what I'm talking about.

John-m made me think of something like this:

http://sfhs.org/developerl/index.php/Ot ... es/515599/

But then thought even simpler, a big o ring:

https://www.motorworks.co.uk/vlive/Shop ... 5_30_FA_60

John-M wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 08, 2020 10:02 pm

Put a rubber saddle from a Jap trail bike over the top rail at the back of the tank and wrap a thick cable tie around the peg and frame.
That is what I have done on mine for the last 10 years without incident. The later Reditch bikes made do with a spring clip at the rear.
I used the rubber from a Kawasaki KT250 on mine, google "Kawasaki KL250 KT250 KX250 KX400 KZ250 KZ400 KLR250 Gas Tank Rubber Damper" for an idea of what I'm talking about.

Cool. Although I was thinking of cutting a bit out of an old mountain bike tyre but one of those will be good if it doesn't work.

windmill john wrote:John-m made me think of something like this:

http://sfhs.org/developerl/index.php/Ot ... es/515599/

Those are nice.