Progress...

[iansoady]

Moving slowly on. I've completed the engine build after fitting the bottom end in the engine plates kindly supplied by Phil. I have the gearbox internals ready to fit as soon as some case screws arrive from Nooky's Nuts. The picture shows tanks, seat (from Terry Weedy) etc loosely fitted to get an idea of clearances etc - the tank is a bit snug on top of the engine so will need to make mountings to raise it.

Slow but progress nonetheless.

[John Wakefield]

No pics!!!!!!!!!!!!

[iansoady]

I try to link the pics to my own web pages - apparently some people can see them. Try this.

[Geoff]

Is that a Greeves tank or something you modified? I am planning out mine in my head and acquiring the bits and the tank (to me) is one of the most difficult parts. I would like one that has some capacity, but finding a large Greeves tank economically doesn't seem like a likely occurrence here in the US.

[iansoady]

It's a Greeves Hawkstone tank as far as I know Geoff. I'm going to have to raise it about 3/4" to clear the rocker covers but a couple of simple brackets should do the trick. I don't know the capacity but it isn't huge.

[IanCordes]

I think a Hawkstone tank holds 1 3/4 Imperial gallons; 2.1 US gallons. A roadster tanks holds 3 Imperial gallons, 3.6 US, so that could be the one to look for, Geoff, As for price, what's cheap these days?

[John Wakefield]

Ian The steel 25DB / DC roadster tank only holds 2 imp gallons. The tank pictured on Ian S's bike would be
1 3/4 gallons

[IanCordes]

I looked up an old brochure, and it said 3 gallons for the roadster tanks, John. Other brochures say 2 1/2 gallons, but the only 2 gallon tank I can think of was fitted on some trials models, including the TAS, but had certainly reverted to 1 3/4 by the time the TE came around. Maybe the reference to 3 gallons was in a US brochure, which would equate to 2 1/2 Imperial gallons. I suspect that is the case. Either way, not 2 gallons for a roadster.

[John Wakefield]

The earlier Fleetwing had a larger tank possibly 3 gallons, There seems to be various capacities stated in different publications. My tank on the East Coaster which is the same as the DB & DC only holds around 2 gallons as I drained it out recently. Having said that this Greeves brochure gives capacities as 2.5 gallon for roadsters, 2 for Scottish and 1.75 for Hawkstone. But does not state if that's imperial or US measurement. Interesting that the 1965 East Coaster Road Test lists capacity as 2 1/3 gallons.

[Stuart Baskill]

The earlier Fleetwing had a larger tank possibly 3 gallons, There seems to be various capacities stated in different publications. My tank on the East Coaster which is the same as the DB & DC only holds around 2 gallons as I drained it out recently. Having said that this Greeves brochure gives capacities as 2.5 gallon for roadsters, 2 for Scottish and 1.75 for Hawkstone. But does not state if that's imperial or US measurement. Interesting that the 1965 East Coaster Road Test lists capacity as 2 1/3 gallons.

The earlier 1956 20D,25D had 3.6 gallon imperial tanks. I,ve had at least 3 and have measured them myself.

[Brian Thompson]

For any GRA members that wish to check O.E.M. specifications from factory Greeves brochures for a wide variety of models, many examples can be found in this thread, including the first image that JW copied and posted in post 9 above. It's a 'sticky' thread located in the Members Only 'Help and Advice' area of the forum so you will need to be a GRA Member on here in order to view it.

Greeves Factory Brochures. - Greeves Riders Association Forums (greeves-riders.org.uk)

Brian.

[IanCordes]

Thanks for the link Brian.

Back to Geoff's enquiry, it still comes back to a roadster tank being the one for him to look out for, the most common of which would be a DB or DC of 3 US gallons.

We have high-jacked Ian's thread long enough!

[John Wakefield]

One reason for discrepancy in capacity of roadster tanks is that Greeves increased the top tube diameter on the later DC frames from 1 3/16" to 1 5/16" so this meant that the tanks had to have a wider tunnel to clear the tube, thus reducing the capacity of the tanks.

[IanCordes]

I'm not buying that one, John. The DB and DC tanks are the same, same part number, M11/J101, 2 1/2 gallons. That part number is for the Moorland Blue with Essex Grey (light blue) panel. Even the latest roadsters, the 25DC mk2, had the tank # M11/J101. The only change to make it a mk2 was the fitting of a 4T motor instead of the 2T. They all had the same tank!

[John Wakefield]

I'm not buying that one, John. The DB and DC tanks are the same, same part number, M11/J101, 2 1/2 gallons. That part number is for the Moorland Blue with Essex Grey (light blue) panel. Even the latest roadsters, the 25DC mk2, had the tank # M11/J101. The only change to make it a mk2 was the fitting of a 4T motor instead of the 2T. They all had the same tank!

Just what I was told by a knowledgeable Greeves owner ! The top tube was definitely increased in dia, so if same tank as you say it must have had excess clearance on the DB frame