New guy, new build

Love the welds and fabrication I need to download your skills and experience Matrix style to my consciousness, send me the data when you get a moment please.
 
Two petcocks? With the way your tunnel is I would think it would be needed. How much gas will it hold do you think?
 
Two petcocks? With the way your tunnel is I would think it would be needed. How much gas will it hold do you think?
Yes, there's a dead spot with only one petcock. It's maybe a quart or so of capacity so at this point I'm thinking the future trouble of a second isn't worth disconnecting two petcocks every time I remove the tank. I submerged in a sink full of water today for leak testing and also to get a volume estimate. Going by the water displaced by the tank it has a capacity of 2 1/4 gallons so realistically 2 gallons or so.

I may weld on the 2nd petcock bung without drilling the passage through the shell. That way I could start with one petcock and easily add the second by drilling through the shell if I really miss that capacity. Or if it turns out I don't miss the capacity cut off the 2nd bung at a later date.
 
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very nice, wish I had the gear to do that

Thanks. TIG or a gas welding rig and the patience to learn it is the one expensive thing req'd but the rest can be pretty simple stuff; hammers, dollies, slapper, snips and few other odds and ends.

Spent way too much time fitting these ears to carry the front mounting cushions but they finally fit. Steel spacer is just for locating and will be removed and replaced by the cushions.




 
After all that work on tail I've now decided to move to plan B. I'll keep the tail as a future option but pursue a seat that allows a rider. At this point I think I'll upholster it from front to back. So I have added a tail light bracket and will start working on a buck for the seat pan. All the frame will get covered by the seat pan so the funky bracket won't show unless you bend down and look up underneath. I'd like the keep the frame as is so the first tail remains an option for the future. The funky bracket also lifts the tail light assembly enough that it won't interfere with the tire on a big bump.



 
First time for a wire frame buck. It's perfect for things like this that have a close fit to the frame. As much as I like metal work I like wood bucks better. No fun welding 3/32 welding rod
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. The flat wires through the middle represent the line between the metal pan and foam. Once the base foam is shaped it gets an 1/8 layer of foam over everything and then vinyl over that. I didn't put in all the stations, the seat pan is flat and parallel to the bottom where I left them out. And I didn't smooth the top profile line too carefully, it's there mostly to give the wire frame some shape.







 
This is all looking amassing! I’ve been thinking about getting a TIG welder so I can try doing something like this (on a way smaller scale to start). The price range is all over the place. What’s your recommendation on specs for a decent TIG set up? I’d like to be able to make my own exhaust too. Can’t wait to see how this bike looks when it’s finished!
 
You'll get range of answers as big as the price range! But I will try to give you my opinion.

I'm a hobby guy too. I wanted AC as well as DC to allow doing aluminum. I started with a Chinese import, it got me started into TIG. I currently have a Miller Dynasty 200DX. It was expensive but I was lucky enough to come into some unexpected money so I got it. I worry about the day my Miller goes beyond repair so I keep shopping from time to time to see what's out there.

There's a ton of Chinese imports that are less expensive. A lot of them don't have brick and mortar store front. Those brands to me are problematic in that any kind of service if you're lucky enough to get it the shipping is on you both ways. A buddy of mine has an AHP, I've tried it and was impressed but he has had to have it serviced. They were good about helping trouble shoot it but he ended up up shipping to get service there and back.

We have a store here called Harbor Freight. They sell cheap imported tools. Some of it's not so good but a lot of the products are decent. They have recently added a store brand line of welders including a TIG model. One of the managers told me they hired an ex Lincoln engineer that is responsible for the design. It's priced around $1,000 dollars and has a one year warranty that can be upgraded to 3. It's not as full featured as the Miller but it's got a lot and I think would be a choice if I'm ever looking for a new welder. I especially like that I could take it back to a store that's 10 minutes away if there is ever any issue during warranty.

There are also some good midrange priced brands like Thermal Dynamics and ESAB. I have no experience with them but a lot of people seem to like them.

I'd look for a brand that has a local store front. If you want to do aluminum AC is a must. AC balance control is next and AC frequency is a nice to have but not as essential as balance control. Pulse is awesome for anything less than 1.5mm thick. 200 amps is more than enough to do any motorcycle frame work. I wouldn't get too worried about duty cycle, if it's high great, if not it's not a big deal unless you are in a production setting. The Miller has the ability to chose a variety of AC wave forms but that's not essential either unless you are going to weld less than 1mm thick or happen to be used to an old inverter machine. Make sure the torch connections follow an industry standard for connections so you can upgrade the torch and cables. Air cooled torches are okay for getting started but if you get serious you'll want a liquid cooled torch. You can run a liquid cooled torch all day and they are much smaller than air cooled torches. CK Superflex cables and torches are expensive but worth every penny. I always get flex head torches and Superflex cables. Nothing worse than fighting a stiff heavy cable in an awkward position. Most welders come with a foot control and at least have the connections for power control on the torch. Foot control is essential and the best way to start. There are several formats for torch controls. I don't use it often but occasionally you find yourself on you back or you belly and then some kind of torch control is essential.

Good luck!
 
Progress on seat pan. The hairpin is accessed from under the seat near the rear. The little hook in front locks the front down, it also gets a rubber cushion not shown in this picture. It's fitted and fastened and ready for foam and vinyl. It gets a 2 inch layer of neoprene on the flat, then carved to shape, then 1/8 layer neoprene all the way to edges to smooth everything out. Then finally vinyl wrapped over the edges and under to the bottom.









 
Seat cover. Top stitching leave a bit to be desired but it looks okay from a distance.

Still lots to do but that's pretty much the mods I planned other than powder and paint.













 
Fantastic fabrication, aesthetically I was hoping you'd leave some exposed metal separating the seat from the tail making the tank flow into it. However, if you are painting the tank black, that should do the trick just as well.

Those DOT reflectors on the triple clamp also keep catching my eye when I look at the photos...
 
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