Tank

Gas tanks: Fuel bunkers for combustion engines

From the first sheet metal tanks, which were soldered as was customary in the old days, to the welded sheet steel petrol barrels of today's Harleys, the petrol tank makes up a significant part of the appearance of the two-wheeled favourite. Long, short, with edges, round, narrow, wide, pleasing, clumsy: Gas tanks are subject to the manufacturing possibilities of their time.

Just as an example: without modern deep-drawn sheet metal and with the only possibility for roundings to drive these forms elaborately with the hammer, the tank will be quite edgy and with wide sheet metal overlaps of the individual parts in a reasonably rational production. The individual parts can be soldered softly. When soldering thin sheet metal at high temperatures, distortion is unavoidable.

The much rounder shapes of the late 1940s and 1950s can be explained not only by changing fashion, but also by the fact that they could now be realized more efficiently.

Materials for tanks

Speaking of sheet metal and manufacturing techniques, what materials are Harley tanks made of? With a few exceptions, they are made of steel. The V-Rod models and tube frame Buells had a plastic blown one, and the alloy frames of the second generation Buell models were hollow on the inside and made of aluminum and served as a gas tank. Sheet steel is totally practical in many ways. It is easy to form, can be welded, and you can dent it out in the event of an accident. You can also get a steel tank repaired in Panama or Patagonia. In most cases, a plastic tank can only be thrown away if damaged.