COVID-19 Fuel Tank

[Monkeypants]

The new TomTom 550 finds fuel while riding, no need to stop and search for it like I had to with the old Rider 2 unit.
There's a setting for "distance to" for the display. A fuel pump icon shows up at the top right corner once a fuel station comes within the range selected. The icon moves down toward a centre line as you ride toward the station. When it reaches the centreline you are there.
That GPS should solve most, if not all of the fuel problems we had before.

 

[Peter Holmes]

Thats a great feature, unless like me you are searching for a filling station around Toulouse before returning your hire car, and you have left it a bit tight on time to catch your flight, but never mind, your satnav is pointing you in the direction of one that is fairly close, but also the clock is ticking and the traffic is heavy, but when you finally arrive in a few minutes, the filling station is now a used parking lot, with all the tell tale signs of what it once was. Oh well, undaunted, paid the hire car extortionate fuel charge and caught my flight, bloody satnav!

 

[Monkeypants]

I used a Garmin on one trip, it's info was pretty sketchy like that.
The TomTom isn't perfect either, but it seems to be correct about 99.8 % of the time.
Unless the operator hurredly punches in Buffalo, Montana when the Norton Rally we are headed for is in Buffalo, Wyoming.
That can be a problem.
Did you know that almost every US state has a town named Buffalo? I didn't either, but do now

 

[Michael Vane-Hunt]

Back when we were free.

 

[Black Flash]

Hi Glen,
You are doing a great job!
The picture of the enots cap underside shows a little hole. Is this the ventilation hole?
I am just asking as I had a five gallon Manx tank with a breather pipe on top and a clear pipe fitted to it to run behind the steering head. I never liked it by the way.

Bernd

 

[Monkeypants]

Hi Bernd
Yes, that's a breather hole.
The vent tube seems to be a race bike/competition bike thing.
My MXer bikes have all had that as do the trials bikes.
I guess the intent is safety in a crash. It occurs that the vent tube is quite capable of flowing fuel onto a fire in a crash, just as the vent hole in the cap will.
It seems the vent tube could possibly flow more fuel than the tiny vent hole, especially if the vent tube is yanked off.

Glen

 

[Monkeypants]

With the fairing propped into place. The curvature on the join up is a match. It should be, I spent a silly amount of hours patterning and lots of additional time making sure the tank fit the pattern. But you never know for sure until the end. Kind of like building curved staircases.

 

[Michael Vane-Hunt]

Glen, are you using Thruxton fairing and seat?

 

[Monkeypants]

Yes, I had that plan from the start, thats why the tank was made to the Thruxton shape. Does seem a lot of work just to stick that pretty little fairing on there.
Then again, I had to build or purchase some type of alloy tank for the lightweight build.
I quite like the shape of this one , plus the capacity.
Usually big tanks look like big tanks.
BTW, 1" added to the height of a standard Vincent fuel tank should add roughly 3.5 litres.
And require a taller oil filler neck or special cap, plus there might be handlebar interference.
I guess the well for the oil cap could be made larger and cap recessed.
I might be inclined to just make a tall oil cap.
It might look OK or it could be very ugly.
Might tape some 1" black foam on and have a look.

Glen

 

[Comet Rider]

Glen
WRT larger Vincent tanks there are 2 ways of doing it. Brian Chapmans way, which is to make a cut from the back towards the front, open up the top, and put in a wedge shaped piece.
Or if they are still available get on of the alloy tanks that Paul Adams used to supply. They are about an inch taller and give you approx 19l capacity.

Have a look through the old pic's and see if there is one of Peter & Tiny Volkers bike, as this had an earlier version. If not I can take a pic of the one for my Rapide tomorrow.

Neil