XBR replacement tank

[mthee]

I wanted to put a CB350 tank on my XBR and got one cheap off eBay because one of the balance pipes had come away. Perfect, as they need to be removed and rotated to clear the frame rails. The tank came without a latch for the cap, so I bought a CB200 tank for the latch and to practice shaping the underside with. All went well and in fact, I really prefer the super-slim CB200 tank.
It needs a pet******* bung welding/brazing in, but I can only find 22mm Harley ones, rather than the 16 X 1.5mm used by Honda.

Which is best, design-wise, the male one with the extra step or the female without?




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[Moto63]

Good evening Matt, have you thought about a flush fitting fuel cap, that's what I've popped into the "tracker" tank. Looks the bizz. I'll send you some photos later. If you type in "weld in petrol cap" on fleabay I think it's the first pic that comes up .... cheers, Michael

[mthee]

Got your pics for posting. Nice. The fact that you're a plumber fitting a flush fuel filler made me chuckle! Saw your welds Wish I had your skills! I'm happy with the nice Monza(?) style cap that came with the CB200 tank, ta.

[Moto63]

Evening Matt I use an Electric tig welder....and yes , the FLUSH fitting filler thing went right over my head.🤣🤣  We did do a fair bit of oxy/acetylene brazing during my apprenticeship days, I absolutely loved doing it and got very high marks in my exams for my work but haven't really done any since. Don't know why really, I need to buy a small oxy kit me thinks. Try and get my hand back in to it. Big bro (propeller) used to have a CB200 waaay back in the day, I never really liked the fake leather squares down the tank, although I think the shape is lovely. Best of luck with whichever route you decide to take. I look forward to seeing the result👍👍.... cheers, Michael

[mthee]

Some pics of my somewhat neanderthal reshaping of the undersides using a 40oz ballpein.

XBR tank added for comparison.

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[Moto63]

A smear of that there body filler and a licko paint and nobody will be non the wiser Matt 👍

[mthee]

A couple of other angles. My fave, the CB200 has got rust aplenty, so removing that will be a first for me. Electrolysis followed by oxalic acid and 2T oil. Welding in a new bung first and not having a local Michael, I found there is a local guy who advertises himself as Bob the Welder!
Let's hope we get another roasting spring - great for painting.

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[Moto63]

Yes I too prefer the look of the CB200 tank Matt. Just a bit of advice if I may. Make sure the bloke who is going to weld your new filler in is happy doing TIG welding and don't let him do it with a MIG welder. To much heat maaaan, will most likely badly distort the tank. Also if the tank is bad with rust and if he's a decent TIG welder, I'd seriously consider cutting the bottom of the tank out, that way you can get in with some course wet n dry and sand it down inside. Then just get him to weld the underside back on. Probably only cost you an extra £20 to £30. .... keep me posted and best o luck 👍
Cheers, Michael

[mthee]

Thanks for the inside info. He was recommended by the local sheet metalworks who were too chocca for the next 6 months. He's retired, so hopefully years of experience, but although he offered a derust service (it'll have to be DIY for me, as money's tighter than a Brexit deadline!) he didn't offer your proposal.

[Moto63]

"Tighter than a brexit deadline" I like that one 🤣🤣...... just thought that if he's happy to do actual welding bit you could cut the underside out yourself and rub it down then pass it on to him to do the "technical " bit.... the welding 😁😁👍

[mthee]

Me cut the bottom out?! Ooh, err, what tool for that then?

[Moto63]

Just use a small grinder with a thin metal cutting disc in it, you may possibly need to revert to a dremel up inside the tunnel at the front of the tank looking at the photo you posted. Please make sure he's happy welding it all back together before you do any cutting 😁😁👍..... personally that's the route I'd take if there's a lot of rust inside the tank. Peace of mind that way and you're beating the underside to fit anyway. ....

[mthee]

Testicular fortitude (or lack of) notwithstanding, I'll probably go cheap and run an inline filter after electrolysis and acid. If I like the tank on the bike and decide it's a keeper, I'll probably keep an eye out for a cleaner one. Thanks for the tip though and may I just say, damn, you really produced some good looking welds on your flush filler. Rispeck, innit!!! 

[mthee]

Well, looky here;

https://www.instructables.com/id/Cafe-Racer-Gas-Tank/

A detailed description of mounting an old CB tank on a 650 Nighthawk. Plus the guy has put in a flush filler cap!

I think I'll try copying his rear mounting plate.

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[Rossco500]

Interesting thread this - I'd often thought about what alternative tanks could be made to fit the xbr. The company Caferacerseats supplies a range of universal fit tanks (and many other parts) some of which might work with the xbr - reasonably priced too as they include fuel tap and cap. Would have been interesting to see a side view of them sitting on something like a CB500 to get an ideal of scale and how they look.

   https://caferacerseats.co.uk/product-category/tank-covers/

Regards

Tony