Carbon fiber dirt bike tank

Well before you get too excited, it came up ever so briefly towards the end of the video. I found it interesting to be used on a factory race motocross bike.

http://www.allisports.com/sites/all/themes/lucasmoto2013/ooyala.php?embedCode=NodTQ4ZDqJl-mGlaUBzoMk9FVisHy5Nc#ooid=NodTQ4ZDqJl-mGlaUBzoMk9FVisHy5Nc

he seem excited about the offset/rake change bearing races for the front fork assembly thou. I had 1 degree steering rake races made for my cbr/fireblade back in 1997:p. tilted one degree and .058 rearward on the top and forward .058 on the lower one.:smiley:

This website (crm compositi is another) make carbon fuel tanks for motocross bikes - http://www.cmtcompositi.com/prodotto.php?id_prod=28&id_mod=13
Wouldn’t mind seeing their molds and lay up process for making them!

I’d like to know if they coat the inside with something to stop the resin from getting destroyed from any ethanol in the fuel. Unless the race fuels the teams use don’t contain any ethanol?

Tanks are not to hard to make… You need to coat them with a Phenol Novolac Epoxy to stop Ethanol attacking the pre-preg… That is what I use for mine…

Race gas does not have ethanol. Most run a 100-105 octane. AMA rules also allow for up to 4% oxygenation.

Neither is writing a multi-tiered piece of software…says the software architect ;-).

I am a hobbyist, so this stuff is a all about learning. Curious, what do you do for the gas cap?

I had never made a single part from any composites until about 18 months ago… So I am still learning but I have had to make a fuel tank for my own personal project. You have to create the tank apart from the base section as this will be bonded in afterwards. The fuel cap can either be an insert which is put in during lay up or like the MX tank the mould has the threaded section as an actual part of the mould and put any threaded bodywork inserts into the part while it is being laid up too. Once the main body is laid up you make a separate tank base with threaded inserts for the fuel tap. To make sure the inserts do not leak fuel you cover them with multiple layers of carbon to fully enclose them. Once the base is made you trim it and make sure there is an edge for an adhesive to bond both parts together…

Here is one of my tank bases… This one was my first test part I made in glass… For when we did a dummy run to check how we needed to bond it together.



AS for the fuel… I would guess if they use a company that sell the tanks then they would have to allow for ethanol… Most units sold will go to consumers who do not use race gas and here in the UK most will still race on pump fuels…

Wow… never knew that there were any dirt bikes with additional air intakes!

If you like your dirt bikes with a carbon fibre tank, why not add a monocoque subframe/airbox!

http://www.twinair.com/usa/twin-air-accessoires

That Twinair carbon subframe/aibox is about £1500 (about $2300US and $2500 AUS). It does look damn good though!!

Can’t say I’d want to have a big crash with one of those fitted. You’d be a bit upset having shelled out all that money.

The purchaser would indeed be unhappy but both the manufacturer and supplier would be indifferent as long as nobody was hurt! :wink:

These carbon parts go on the factory bikes where the price of stuff seems to be no issue. Of course, most of the pro riders have the skill to feel the difference when the bikes weighs a few pounds less…me, no way.