Reproduction Metal Fuel Tanks

[ATC King]

samuraispares on Ebay sells reproduction metal tanks. They ship from India.


They reproduce a lot of different tanks, including vintage motorcycle. I haven't bought or seen any in person and the undersides have a good number of welds, while others are obviously hand formed. The construction is more observable on the bare tanks.

Many come painted and with decals, while others are bare. They also have some polished and unpolished aluminum tanks.

[thomaskwar]

I’ve checked them out before. They make a bunch of different tanks, but the quality’s kinda all over the place. Some look decent, others have pretty sketchy welds. If you’re picky, probably best to ask for more pics before pulling the trigger. Could be a good deal if you don’t mind doing a bit of cleanup yourself.

[ATC King]

Thank you for the reply.

Yes, the fit and finish is questionable. I made the post just to get it out there and maybe hear from someone who has bought one.

It's clear they don't have the capability to stamp the bottom section like OEM manufacturers do, and are building them from multiple pieces, welded together. I kind of like the manually formed bottom sections on some of the tanks, the ones that look hand ed, or at least done manually with a power . It may not so much be the look I'm attracted to, but knowing the labor that went into it.

The aluminum tanks look pretty good though, considering the difficulty in making them by hand. The thought has crossed my mind if they'd build an aluminum ATC tank. From their listings, it sounds like they'll accept the challenge. They may just need a factory tank in hand to do it, if it's not already something they have.


Edit: I wanted to mention that I've also considered the price of junk and 'refinished' used tanks being sold in the U.S.. Any new aftermarket part that is just as functional and durable as OE interest me. The inflated prices of used ATC parts needs competition. I know plastic tanks are available for most trikes, but steel is real.


Edit: Not to detract from the people restoring OE tanks to like new or better condition. That's something entirely different and needed for people building a trike back to top tier condition.

[camy]

I bought the reproduction 1973 atc70 and it's close to OEM not as refined because it's handshape but it gets the job done!

[ATC King]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[ICS Vortex]

I would be interested in a 350x steel tank reproduction. I know Travis Gisclair with D&A Restorations has released an ATC 70 tank and is in the works of releasing a Big Red 250 tank currently. I've spoken to him in the past about remaking the 350x tank and he said it's on the list. I sent the seller a message to inquire about a 350x tank - we will see what they say. When there is nothing but 40 year old parts that are junk available at a high premium, I am all game for reproductions, even if they come from China - at least somebody is keeping the machines alive.

[ICS Vortex]

Just some information from the seller. He doesn't have anything made for the 350x currently, but said he would be willing to make them if he could get a decent tank to model it after. He said he could model it after the plastic tanks (IMS/Clarke) or OEM metal tanks. He said turn around time was about 10 business days to make a custom tank (WOW?!). The tank would proferably need to be one that is in "decent" shape with minimal dents/no damage, but he said that even if the seems were rusted out and whatnot, he could still work with it. I unfortunately don't have a metal tank to send him, just a plastic Clarke one. Anyone want to task a risk? If not, I may try to find a "decent" tank cheap on feeBay/Marketplaces (but good luck, right?)

[kb0nly]

If you need a repo ATC70, 250SX or 250ES tank check out Serwa tires. They ain't cheap but they look like OEM.