Did you know that the Wild West Motorcycle Company “Gunfire” model had a plastic gas tank!?! Wild West has closed and left a lot of customers without a way to update their bikes. Fortunately, Fat Katz has in stock replacement steel tanks and, as a bonus, they come with an installed/welded pop up gas cap. Rush to get one by calling Don at Fat Katz 530-273-2212
Fat Katz Replacement Gas Tank For Wild West Motorcycles
Published by December 18th, 2008 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.24 Responses to “Fat Katz Replacement Gas Tank For Wild West Motorcycles”
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There area code is 530, not 503. I live near them and they ROCK!! Don and the guys are vey helpful. Thanks for the threaded bungs a few weeks back
Don and his group at Fat Katz have been building gas tanks for me for a long, long, long time now! I have never experienced a problem with quality, performance, fit or company support with a Fat Katz product. One more point of interest …… Fat Katz products are built in the USA by Americans!
Fat Katz Rocks!
Over & Out,
Jeff
FAT KATZ ROCKS.
Does the “Gunfire” model match up to a 2004 “Vigilante”.
Yes, the gunfire model does match up to a 2004 Vigilante.
Before Wild West closed their doors and started looking into building the Tri-rod (www.trirodmotorcycles.com) which never took off of the ground, they were buiding steel tanks for the Gunfire that were backwards compatible to the Vigilante. There wasn’t much difference between the two cycles except for the width of the back tire and the upgrades to the engine size and offering a 6 speed transmission.
I know this because I used to work for them as their I/T and Sales Manager during the release of the Gunfire.
i have a wild west vigilante 2004 and the paint is bubbling, i see that i can buy a steel tank, but who can duplicate the maltese cross paint job?
You will have to try and find someone local who can do the paint job for you. Whe your cycle was built, the paint was either done in-house or contracted out to a paint house in Los Angeles. With-out having access to the database to look up your vin number, there is no way to tell which shop did the paint for your tank. Sorry.
I bought the bike from Gary as above, 2004 Wild West Vigilante with the paint bubbling on the gas tank. Does anyone know why the tank isn’t vented and wouldn’t this be a leading cause of why the paint starts to bubble. No ventilation and a lot of pressure that has to go somewhere. It seems to me that if it were modified to vent, sealed from the inside and re-painted this would solve the issue. Has anyone tried this or know of a sealant system that works for the inside of the tank?
Terry
Terry,
In last part of the production of the Vigilante, Wild West began manufacturing a Steel take for the cycles because of the issues with the bubbling paint. The tanks were made of a composite material that the manufacturer guaranteed Wild West that the paint would adhere and function the same as it would on a steel tank. It wasn’t until the tanks were out on the market for a couple of years that the paint began to bubble. I took many calls, while employed at Wild West, addressing the concerns of owners such as you. During that time, Wild West was working on the Deep Draw dies to have the tanks manufactured out of steel for the Vigilante, the Vigilante Gunfire and the Dragoon. Unfortunately, they were not able to get the turn around done fast enough.
I don’t know if you were aware of the history of Wild West but after closing their doors as far as motorcycle manufacturing is concerned, they tried to start a new venture creating Trikes (www.trirodmotorcycles.com). They were never able to gather the funding to kick this venture off of the ground and thus as fallen by the wayside as well.
I know that this doesn’t solve your current situation. About the best thing I can tell you is to look at an aftermarket tank and try to have it painted to match.
Sorry,
Shane
I have a 2000 Peacemaker the first tank had a paint problem cracking back in 2001 sent me a new tank with the same paint job. I used the first tank untill the paint started to bubble up in 2008. I then installed the 2nd tank they sent me back in 2001. Question is how long will this paint last before i have the same problem with this plastic tank ? Do you make a steel tank for the 2000 Peacemaker ? Do you also know where i can get parts for this bike ? thanks.
RE Gas tank Venting
Terry
The tanks are vented. The vent line is inside the tank and comes out the bottom. If you remove the tank from the bike you will see how it is routed. Problem is the composite tank material…
Marty
All
No more tanks available from Fat Katz at this time. Note that the wildwestmc.com website is being updated. Somebody is trying to restart the brand. Lets hope some more tanks become available..
Good luck to all.
If anyone comes up with a supply of tanks please call me at 408-425-2293 and let me know.
Thanks
Marty
I read through the string. I too have a WW 2004 Vigilante and have had a devil of a time finding a replacement tank. The “new” WW website NEVER replies to emails or return calls. Any help would be appreciated. I just spent $1600 on new paint and the bubbling returned in 1 month.
im working on getting the replacement gas tanks for all the wild west bikes as we speak
Do you have any estimate on the timing for the new tanks? I have a 2004 Vigilante with the bubbling and will take one as soon as its available. Thanks.
i should have parts by nov10th so you can reach me at 530-559-4631 thanks
2001 Wild West Peacemaker needs a new tank any help would be appreciated
Fat Katz Team,
We are in need of four replacement WildWest tanks in Memphis (3 Peacemakers and 1 Vigilante / I think they are universal tanks).. After 2 -3 paint jobs on each, a steel replacement is the only answer.. Any help is appreciated.. 901.508.1099…
I am in need of a gas tank for my Wild West Vigillante. The tank has bubbled. Anyone out there that can help? debcordeiro@cox.net
I have another problem with my 2002 Peacemaker. I moved back to Switzerland and have to get it thru vehicle registration. And these guys want some formal, official top speed number of the bike. Unfortunately I cannot tell the to try out themselves so I’d appreciate any help on that.
2004 vigilante
I too have been in search of a quality steel tank. I spent $2000 on new paint for the tank with no luck. Paint bubbled again in 6 months. Very strange. Let me know if there is one out there. tlancaster07@comcast.net
I talked with Brendon he’s got some wild west metal tanks….but leave me one….dont buy em all…..thanks……..check them out at ……………http://www.elitemetaldesigns.com/
To all Wild West bike owners, my name is Ramon Ramos. I had a small custom paint shop in Riverside, Calif. In 2001 I started doing paint for Wild West and continued to do so until they closed their doors. I would say that I painted 80% of their bikes over the years. The tanks were formed from a plastic known as Nylon 10. This material was used to make fuel tanks for jets (this is what I was told) I don’t think very many jet fuel tanks recieved candy or flamed paint jobs.
The problem wasn’t the prep work to the motorcycle tank, because that was a very time consuming process. The problem was that the material expanded in extreme pressures releasing gases into the bondo then under the paint forming the bubbles. I repaired a lot of these tanks and also duplicated the paint jobs onto the new steel tanks.
AQMD has since changed the air quality laws in parts of California now outlawing the use of solvant based paints. This good old paint is what we used to paint your bikes back then. House of Kolors and PPG base coat clear coat systems, candies, pearls, you name it. I still have some of the old stuff and had found stores in San Diego where these materials are still legal.
If you are looking for someone to match the paint from your old tank to your new steel tank…well I am that guy. I can match just about anybodys paint. I now work under the name Dream Weavers Kustom Kolors in Riverside Ca. You can get ahold of me at socalramon47@aol.com and you can see some of my paint jobs at http://www.myspace.com/dreamweaverskustomkolors. You might even see your paint job in the photo album.
Hit me up if you have any questions.
Thanks, Ramon
Hello Ramon, I am the owner of a2001 Peacemaker Wild West, color red. I’m having a new tank made and wonder if you are still in the painting business. Approximately what would the cost be of a solid color paint job? I would appreciate your response. Thank you.