The Cyril Huze Project Part III
Geometry and Body Work
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Hiding the Oil Tank
The Kool Kat frame is sold with a custom stainless steel oil tank, small in size but big in capacity (4 quarts because it doesn’t contain the battery).
Four steel plates are also provided. They have to be welded inside the two openings on each side of the frame, making the oil tank disappear from view when the bike is looked at from profile. These side plates are not identical for each side because of the left kick-out of the frame to accept a 250 mm tire on an 18-by-9 rear wheel.
There are three ways to position these side plates: flush inside, outside or between. My preference is flush inside because it doesn’t kill the architecture of the frame. My preference is also to always mix sharp lines (swingarm/fenders) with round lines.
Sean is careful to position the plates so that they all appear to be at the same depth inside the frame tubes. It can’t be perfect right away. Welds need to be grinded. Then, at the time of paint preparation, molding will correct all imperfections and make the plates look like they always belonged to the frame. A good MIG welder, good skills and half-day of work are what it takes to make the oil tank disappear inside the frame.
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