VW trikes differ from other 3-wheeled motorcycles by the fact that VW engines are in the back. This means that these vehicles have a tendency to be heavier in the rear and easily pop wheelies. Traditionally in the past VW trikes have had a gas tank mounted in the back near the engine. One classic design is using a Moon-Eye tank.
This is often used by sitting on top of the VW motor.
As a means to prevent wheelies we are trying to add additional weight to the front of the trike. One of the ways to do this is by having the gas tank up front. The down side of this is that many motorcycle gas tanks only hold 2-5 gallons of gas. I wanted to purchase as big a gas tank as possible to add more weight to the front end. Plus with a bigger tank I can go further without fueling up.
Keeping with the classic vintage look of the frame I went with a tank that is designed on airplane fuel tanks. I also decided to use tanks that were split and designed to rest on either side of the frame.
However, these tanks required some modification because of the design of the frame. We already re-enforced the junction of the frame with the neck. Now we attached the tanks to the frame itself.
First we welded just a couple of places on one tank.
Then we lined up the second side with the first and added a couple of tacks to hold the other one in place
Then the edges of the tanks (now that they were positioned evenly) were welded to the frame.
Finished welds
The next step would be to grind down the welds so they look smooth. Then to add Bondo to blend the parts together seamlessly and paint it with primer.
First you add the Bondo to fill in the gaps and crevices.
First you add the Bondo to fill in the gaps and crevices.
The Bondo is sanded down and additional layers are added to fill in any imperfections.
The Bondo is used to level out the parts to make the tank and the frame seem like one seamless piece.
Ultimately, the tanks and fenders will be painted midnight blue metal flake and the body of the trike will be silver.
