Interstate tank pin striping

lazyeye6

lazyeye6

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My recently acquired ‘74 Interstate had been in storage for over 20 years. Tank paint had been damaged by leaky master cylinder and the previous owner (flipper) had it and the side covers repainted but not pin striped. I intend to have that done and all clear coated. I think I’ve looked at hundreds of pictures of Interstate pin striping, finding innumerable variations of how many, how thick and placement. It appears and I have read that there were 2 stripes of 1/8” with a 1/8” space between. It also appears that placement follows just inside of the natural pressed crease on each side. Can someone confirm this and perhaps provide a photo with enough detail to aid my painter?
 

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Original 850 Roadster tank with factory hand painted stripes, likely a MK3.

Interstate tank pin striping


Interstate tank pin striping


The Interstate had the same stripes which are close to your suggestion but following the outer panel fold as its marker but a set distance away {could also be 1/8")

Yours will end up neater than the handlined factory effort.
 
Pix attached of genuine Inter tank. Factory paint and pins. The pin is about 1/8" away from
the edge line of the tank. This is not exact, it changes as you follow the pin around. The thickness
of the pin also changes, never being wider than an eighth but often being less.
Since the petrol cap opens backwards, it would seem to me to be a pre-MkIII.
 

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Ah, didnt know that. Hard to understand why they hinged at the rear seems to me more likely to dump fuel aft if the latch fails.
Thought I had read that it was moved to latch forward on the later tanks for safety reasons.
 
Pivot back latch forward.
Duh.
Still rather have that the other way round.
 
L.A.B. said:
Backwards?
Glass fibre Commando tanks had the front-hinged filler cap (so '68 - '72/'73).
850 Roadster and Interstate tanks (and late 750 steel?) had filler caps hinged at the rear.
Click to expand...
My 1972 750 Interstate tank has latch forward, hinge rear. It was said to be and appears to be original.
 
NickZ said:
My 1972 750 Interstate tank has latch forward, hinge rear. It was said to be and appears to be original.
Click to expand...
The 72 Interstate's I have seen locally have had Fibre glass tanks, is yours Fibre or steel. My 74 steel Interstate bought in early 80's has hinge at front, my 72 Roadster has a steel MK3 tank which was a replacement at some time.
 
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My ‘74 850 Mk ll Roadster came to me with a repainted grp tank and front hinged rear catch cap. The new steel Emgo tank, currently still at the paint shop, is fabbed for rear hinge/front catch.
Paint shop say they can’t get pin tape to lay flat where it should sweep around and back at the front of the tank. They’ve got the color on, so I said just apply the Norton transfers I gave them, sourced from Classic Transfers in UK by me after recommendations here, thanks, and clear coat it. Maybe pins will come later.
 
NickZ said:
My 1972 750 Interstate tank has latch forward, hinge rear. It was said to be and appears to be original.
Click to expand...

If it is steel then if original it should at least be late '72 production?
The early Interstate tanks were glass fibre with caps hinged at the front the same as the previous Fastback, Roadster, etc, tanks
Edit: Later fibre glass Interstate might have had the caps reversed...

Interstate tank pin striping

According to the parts book, the only 850 to have a glass fibre tank was the Hi-Rider.

Interstate tank pin striping

Glass fibre fuel tanks became illegal to use on new motorcycles from 1st July 1973 at least in the UK.
 
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The Real reason for the hinge being moved to the rear co-incided with the time frame of banning stoopid fiberglass petrol tanks .
There are documented cases of collisions where the fiberglass tank would shatter , releasing petrol over hot exhaust pipes and the still firing spark plugs .
Toasty . At the same time of collision , the gas cap might / would open up from the shock and slop fuel TOWARDS the driver . More fun and games .
The move to steel tanks meant a collision would likely / hopefully result in a crumple , instead of a shatter . The cap may pop open too , but it would pop open away from spraying the motorcyclist , who already had enough things to worry about .
Ride safe , enjoy .
 
Well the old reason for changing from front hinge to rear hinge had to do with preserving male reproductivity in the event the lid opened during a sudden deceleration.
 
L.A.B. said:
Glass fibre fuel tanks became illegal to use on new motorcycles from 1st July 1973 at least in the UK.
Click to expand...
Unless it was a Ducati.....
That said, the fibreglass tanks were only fitted to the Production Racer SS models after '73

Back on-topic (sort of)... as I understand it, all 750s had fibreglass tanks up until the last batch of Roadsters (Mk V?). Not counting Police bikes, of course.
 
B+Bogus said:
Back on-topic (sort of)... as I understand it, all 750s had fibreglass tanks up until the last batch of Roadsters (Mk V?). Not counting Police bikes, of course.
Click to expand...

Steel Roadster fuel tanks "In black paint finish" were supposedly introduced during 1972 from serial 203200 so relatively early '72 and "All remaining colours" from 205959. There's no information for when steel Interstate tanks were introduced.

Steel Roadster and Interstate tanks were listed for '1972' although that could be a later revised copy.
http://www.tioc.org/partsbooksnorton/pb-nort-750 1972 06-3402.pdf
Group 24.
 
I bought my Blue 750 Interstate in Sept' 72 and it had a fibreglass tank. It had been in the dealers for a month or so. A friend bought his Black 750 Interstate a few weeks later and it had a steel tank.
 
kommando said:
The 72 Interstate's I have seen locally have had Fibre glass tanks, is yours Fibre or steel. My 74 steel Interstate bought in early 80's has hinge at front, my 72 Roadster has a steel MK3 tank which was a replacement at some time.
Click to expand...
Sorry I didn't mention in my earlier post... my '72 interstate has fiberglass tank with latch forward. 204xxx built in June 1972 .
Interstate tank pin striping
Pretty sure it has original finish (tank, not side cover).
 
L.A.B. said:
Steel Roadster fuel tanks "In black paint finish" were supposedly introduced during 1972 from serial 203200 so relatively early '72 and "All remaining colours" from 205959. There's no information for when steel Interstate tanks were introduced.

Steel Roadster and Interstate tanks were listed for '1972' although that could be a later revised copy.
http://www.tioc.org/partsbooksnorton/pb-nort-750 1972 06-3402.pdf
Group 24.
Click to expand...
My July '72 Combat Interstate 2095XX had a fibreglass tank - with a forward latching filler cap
 
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