Yamaha V Star Bobber Custom Gas Tank and Fender Fabrication

After taking about a year off from doing any motorcycle customization, I finally decided I wanted to do another bobber build.  The Honda Shadow Bobber I built was an awesome bike, but with one drawback; it lacked the power I wanted in order to be able to ride on the highway with my buddies.  I also knew I wanted to get back into Yamaha as they are the only bikes that have never given me any issues.  With that, I decided a Yamaha V Star would be an ideal new platform. 

After a bit of searching on facebook marketplace, I was able to find a 2004 Yamaha V Star 1100 Custom from a guy down in Apple Valley, Minnesota. It was in great condition, but it was not running “right” according to the owner.  I typically try to find motorcycles that run well, but may need some cosmetic work.  So this time, it was a bit of the opposite. Even though the bike would not start, it did turn over and I could also cycle through the gears to make sure nothing was frozen up. It all seemed good enough to take the risk that I could solve whatever running issues it was having so I loaded it in the back of the truck and took it home!

The way I go about building a bike is probably a bit different than most people.  I typically have a rough idea in my head for what I want the completed project to look like, but rather than tear it all down, I usually go a section at a time.  I started by making a mockup in Photoshop and added the pieces I thought I might want.  I really like the Harley Sportster style tanks and that became my first main focus.

Tanks for V Stars seem to be very limited and hard to find.  I was able to get THIS tank that was designed for a 650 Yamaha V Star that I thought would be perfect!  These bikes have a big airbox between the double backbone so a regular sportster tank would not work.  It needed to have a center channel to account for that airbox.

When the tank arrived, it was pretty much exactly what I wanted.  It had the channel for the airbox and had a cool look to it.  There was just one problem.  The mounts for the tank did not fit.  Apparently, the Yamaha V Star 1100s have a wider frame than that of the 650s.  Due to this, I ended up having to cut off the tabs and reweld them a bit wider.  This made me a little nervous as my welding skills kind of suck and I really didn’t want to accidentally put a bunch of tiny pinholes in the tank that would lead to leaks.  

Luckily, there was enough extra material at the mounting plates to be able to weld them solid without having to risk penetration into the inner tank.  Once those were fixed, I then realized the rear mount also needed to be moved out.  I followed the same process as on the front and was able to get them wide enough to fit the frame.  

Once I had the tank mostly sorted out, I moved onto the rear fender.  For this one, I basically copied the exact same process from Jackpot: 1996 Honda Shadow Bobber with the exception that I did not end up cutting the fender at all. Instead, I was JUST barely able to fit it between the swing arm and the tire and allow for more coverage on the electronics.  The mounting plate was done the same way.  A bracket was welded to the swing arms and struts attached near the axle. I had some leftover bracket type pieces from either an old bike project or snowmobile. I honestly can’t remember, but it saved me having to fabricate one out of steel.  I just needed to bend it and weld it into place.  For the struts, I used 1” steel bar instead of ½” steel bar this time around for aesthetic reasons. 

With the gas tank and rear fender in place, I could tackle what would end up being the bulk of my fabrication work; the seat plate and the seat itself. Check back for that writeup!