Who Wants a Large Carbon Fiber Gas Tank?
Member
1st Gear Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 45
From: Bangkok
How much carbon experience do you have?
I hate to rain on your parade but I think there are a few things that may make this unviable unless it is a labor of love.
Do you have access to bulk carbon fiber because the stuff isn't cheap, especially UV stable prepreg.
If you don't have an autoclave it will have tons of surface imperfections requiring tons of finishing clearcoat (time consuming) making it very heavy.
It often takes a few pulls to get a nice looking piece of carbon depending on how good you are at laying it up and laying in the resin.
You should get UV proof resin or UV prepreg (expensive) of it will yellow in the sun.
If its painted it won't matter how sloppy you are, but then you might as well go with fiberglass.
How do you plan to seal the carbon from the gasoline?
If it takes a hit in a fall as any KLX should, it will shatter/crack and leak unless you have a thick liner and the carbon is thick.
Just a few things to consider.
I'd love to see it done, it will be ballsy to have a carbon tank.
I hate to rain on your parade but I think there are a few things that may make this unviable unless it is a labor of love.
Do you have access to bulk carbon fiber because the stuff isn't cheap, especially UV stable prepreg.
If you don't have an autoclave it will have tons of surface imperfections requiring tons of finishing clearcoat (time consuming) making it very heavy.
It often takes a few pulls to get a nice looking piece of carbon depending on how good you are at laying it up and laying in the resin.
You should get UV proof resin or UV prepreg (expensive) of it will yellow in the sun.
If its painted it won't matter how sloppy you are, but then you might as well go with fiberglass.
How do you plan to seal the carbon from the gasoline?
If it takes a hit in a fall as any KLX should, it will shatter/crack and leak unless you have a thick liner and the carbon is thick.
Just a few things to consider.
I'd love to see it done, it will be ballsy to have a carbon tank.
Senior Member
1st Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 579
From: CT
How much carbon experience do you have?
I hate to rain on your parade but I think there are a few things that may make this unviable unless it is a labor of love.
Do you have access to bulk carbon fiber because the stuff isn't cheap, especially UV stable prepreg.
If you don't have an autoclave it will have tons of surface imperfections requiring tons of finishing clearcoat (time consuming) making it very heavy.
It often takes a few pulls to get a nice looking piece of carbon depending on how good you are at laying it up and laying in the resin.
You should get UV proof resin or UV prepreg (expensive) of it will yellow in the sun.
If its painted it won't matter how sloppy you are, but then you might as well go with fiberglass.
How do you plan to seal the carbon from the gasoline?
If it takes a hit in a fall as any KLX should, it will shatter/crack and leak unless you have a thick liner and the carbon is thick.
Just a few things to consider.
I'd love to see it done, it will be ballsy to have a carbon tank.
I hate to rain on your parade but I think there are a few things that may make this unviable unless it is a labor of love.
Do you have access to bulk carbon fiber because the stuff isn't cheap, especially UV stable prepreg.
If you don't have an autoclave it will have tons of surface imperfections requiring tons of finishing clearcoat (time consuming) making it very heavy.
It often takes a few pulls to get a nice looking piece of carbon depending on how good you are at laying it up and laying in the resin.
You should get UV proof resin or UV prepreg (expensive) of it will yellow in the sun.
If its painted it won't matter how sloppy you are, but then you might as well go with fiberglass.
How do you plan to seal the carbon from the gasoline?
If it takes a hit in a fall as any KLX should, it will shatter/crack and leak unless you have a thick liner and the carbon is thick.
Just a few things to consider.
I'd love to see it done, it will be ballsy to have a carbon tank.
You know what happens at the end of 9 months? - Band Of Riders
Senior Member
1st Gear Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 103
kinda scary thing... I have some experience with carbon and wouldnt use it for such thing as a tank. First because carbon is extremely fragile. It is good for tension/compression but hit would brake it. People who have carbon windsurfing masts can tell you many stories about it. Could be tempting for street but not for offroad use... sorry for critics...
Senior Member
1st Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 579
From: CT
Senior Member
1st Gear Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 358
I'd be interested in one made from fiberglass unless it weighs a ton. The carbon is going to be heavy anyway because you have to wet the fabric through with epoxy anyway. I don't like carbon fiber. It's good in fishing rods and that's about all I like it in. I don't even like it in arrows.
I had a brand new '95 Buell.
Yes, I was young and dumb. After the first summer all the carbon stuff was peeling apart like mad. I shoot traditional archery equipment and carbon fiber is in vogue right now. Since it doesn't have a little compression spring to it like fiberglass, the compression gets isolated in the outer layer of the wood core, just under the carbon. Then the wood fibers eventually fail when you have the bow at full draw and "bang" you're poked full of nasty slivers and your bow is junk. Carbon isn't all that everyone thinks it is. When you think of the carbon fiber with the glossy outside and the cross weave, that's just a sheet of heavy plastic that's reinforced with some carbon fabric inside. That'll help keep it from tearing but doesn't do anything at all for rigidity. It looks cool and that's about it. Real structural carbon fiber is black. It's got mostly carbon and very little epoxy.
I had a brand new '95 Buell.
Yes, I was young and dumb. After the first summer all the carbon stuff was peeling apart like mad. I shoot traditional archery equipment and carbon fiber is in vogue right now. Since it doesn't have a little compression spring to it like fiberglass, the compression gets isolated in the outer layer of the wood core, just under the carbon. Then the wood fibers eventually fail when you have the bow at full draw and "bang" you're poked full of nasty slivers and your bow is junk. Carbon isn't all that everyone thinks it is. When you think of the carbon fiber with the glossy outside and the cross weave, that's just a sheet of heavy plastic that's reinforced with some carbon fabric inside. That'll help keep it from tearing but doesn't do anything at all for rigidity. It looks cool and that's about it. Real structural carbon fiber is black. It's got mostly carbon and very little epoxy.
