Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Custom Corner Sould I?

Well I finally have all the new tins for my America. I scored them all off ebay. The rear fender and tank are at the powder coater to get burned cleaned and coated for a good solid base.. My question is should I plug the tank badge holes remove the lower seam?

The color will be Lambo orange mica and sebring silver. I am going to put a little coper pearl over the orange and some micro flake in the silver. I was thinking of just putting "America by Triumph" on the tank, with the airbrush.

Nah on the label . Triumph will be proclaimed enough by the twin . If you go to all that paint effort , leave it just paint .

My personal choice would be to remove the seam (and that will be a major undertaking) and use "eyebrow" badges for a truly retro look. The custom paint will speak for itself.

I say if youre doing work on the tank, then you should get rid of the dash bezel, and smooth out all the brackets and that huge dent at the top of the tank. That would have more of an overall impact than messing with the tank seem.

And I say leave the badges on the side...its the only way people who know nothing about motorcycles will know youre not riding a harley.

If you are going to have custom airbrshing done, then definitley fill the holes.

I agree do not attempt to rempve the seam, but fill it in or smooth it out.

The absolute most important part is that you do something that you like. Forget what everyone else has to say about it (except with the technical stuff - like removing the seam)

Soren

It depends on the design, IMHO. When I had my first tank painted I designed around the stock emblem. My second tank is going to lose the holes and the emblem. People are just gonna have to guess what kind of bike it is.

Oh, that's gonna happen, guaranteed. Heck, it already has with the emblem still on there!

haha

If it was a new style tank, emblems are an absolute must.

Soren

Yeah I never thought about that...most definately...but its probably not

Hey FJ
i cop it myself from time to time with the speedy now i just point to the tank badge and ask them to have a read

I'll probably just say something obtuse like, "It's a secret."

Make the tank bigger.Add a gallon or gallon and a half capacity.For those long trips.If your doing mods,why not? Put the Triumph name on there.No it is NOT a Harley.Put it on there for those people who think Harleys are the only bike out there.There are those,you have ran into them.

No seam and the airbrush work. No doubt. That screams custom. Granted, you'll have $600 in a $100 tank, and only the true Triumph devotees will know, but that, my friend, is class.

The only person you have to make happy is yourself.

Thanks for the input.

The tank seam won't be too bad to remove just alot of welding and finishing. The bondo idea won't hold up it has to be metal, thanks though. The seam will most likely end up just being blended in and the bottom of the tank and slightly reshaped. I was trying to figure out how to get and extra gallon of gas in her but so far no good way has come to mind, there is always something to be lost by trying for that extra gas. I don't want to take away from the rocker cover or have to reshape the tank width wise because the trees will be mighty close, not to mention the tank will have to be split into 3 pieces and then reassembled, that alone will make the top of the bike look too heavy because the tank will stick out another inch on each side.

The not knowing what bike it is so far hasn't been a problem. So far if I am out with my friends the Harley's gets left for my America anyway.. Everyone has a Harley, those of us with a little more taste have Triumph's....HAHA

Hope to have parts back from powder coat by the weekend.. I already have a new roll of flux core, just burning a hole in my welder....Not to mention my spray guns are getting pretty lonely lately too...

Thought about making the tank bigger again.I have not drawn it out or anything. How about removing the indentation below the plastic tank cover that would gain alittle space.Also how about rasing the top rear of the tank.Just a thought.Makes me want to start hacking up the old Yamaha tank I have out back and working with that. I know either way would mean relocating the tach and idiot lights,but hey your are already making it different.I did a tank years ago for a Honda I had.I kinda wrecked the Honda so I quit on the tank project then and trashed that one. I still think a little more fuel on a long trip would be nice for those long stretches.I also think we have all taken off and forgot to fuel up way out and had to turn around or hope you make it to the next pump.Good luck on your project.I think I am going to cut open that old fuel tank this winter and experament a tad.

Yeah man go nuts and hack off that gas cap section, and drop a flush mounted pop-up cap on..get rid of the dash tabs and dent in the top and you got a nice tank. I ride without my dash every once in a while when i dont feel like putting it back on...I love the look. And idiot lights are for idiots, keep oil in it, an eye out for you blinkers, and learn where neutral is.