An Ode to Gas Tanks
Often looked over, but ever important.
You may not be able to stare at it while riding, but that’s no excuse for a boring tank.
(Photo Credit - Cody Carette, codiak_photography on Instagram)
One of the beautiful things about bike culture is the wide breadth of people it draws in, and with them, diverse tastes. Walk around a motorcycle show and look at the spread of people present. Machines from different decades, all reflecting some aspect of their owners preferences, brimming with history and stories from the road. You might find high-budget custom builds sporting a full repaint and performance parts galore. Or perhaps a family heirloom bike, passed down through generations. Whatever you stumble across, one of the things that makes a bike look complete is the gas tank. It simply looks wrong without that lump of metal in front of the seat. It is easy to think of the gas tank simply as a container with a singular purpose, but it also serves as a canvas. Tank art and the designs brands use provide a colorful journey through history and culture.
Harkening back to 1977, this newer Harley sports the same typeface used on the original Low Rider model.
The original Low Rider from 1977.
Certain brands can lean into nostalgia and their back catalogs to revive models and aesthetics of yesteryear. Harley Davidson has more heritage to pull from than other motorcycle brands, which is something they know their customers respond well to. Back when the first Sportsters were hitting US roadways, it was a fast, sporty motorcycle by standards of the day. Decades later, the Sportster name is still the best selling Harley model.
This graphic has been updated slightly, but leans heavily on the tank decals from a 1976 XL/XLH. While the AMF era may be remembered for some dodgy quality, they nailed the graphics.
Every show, I inevitably have the same thought, “I love all the different bikes that showed up today.” It’s colorful, vibrant, and rarely duplicated. For me, there is an equal gravitational pull to bikes that are elegant and calmly stated, like this Electra Glide (pictured below), and the bikes that sparkle like a Christmas tree in December.
A very classy 2-tone paint job on this Shovelhead (above).
This bike was hard to miss while sparkling in that August sun.
Hand painted tanks and pinstriping are becoming a lost art. All the more reason to slow down a little more, take a close look at the details on bikes.
One of my favorite bikes in show from the August event held at Renaissance Firearms. A.S. Customs and Bloodline Cycles were judging the event and turnout was quite good. A full album of photos from that event can be found on the Green Action Sports Facebook page.
A 2023 Fast Johnnie Street Glide ST paying homage to the board track racing era of Harley Davidson and their Wrecking Crew. After a Wrecking Crew win, team member Ray Weishaar would position his piglet Johnnie on the tank of his motorcycle and take a few victory laps.
To say that gas tanks are simply places to hold fuel detracts from the history, tradition, and personal expression they embody.
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