I have taken many templates from many different bikes. Below are some basic instructions to help both of us out in the event that bike’s template is not on hand.
- In some cases, template that might be close to what you want can be mailed to you which will give you an easy starting point but other times I have to start from scratch.
- You will need a paper bag, a marker pen (not a pen or pencil!), a piece of vinyl upholstery fabric and scissors. Cut the bag down the seam and cut the bottom out so you’ll have a big piece. The paper bag opened up and flat will allow you to get a ruff idea of the shape and you can easily imprint bolt holes into the paper.
- If you have a console, remove it so that you know just where any bolt holes are which will be used to hold the bib in place. You may have to disconnect any electrical connections in order to take the console completely off.
- Make sure that you cut out the area where the console, gas filler hole or both will be located. You can easily imprint these locations on your paper with your finger nail. Check to make sure that you give your gas filler hole enough width so that the cap will be able to be locked down once the leather bib is in place.
- The bib should run the length of the tank unless it is a half bib such as one for a Road King and guess what? I have those on hand! The best way that I have found to secure the bib at the top (handlebar area) and the bottom (the seat area) is with leather thongs which run just under the tank and are easily hidden.
- Play around with different shapes and take in consideration whether you want pockets, bling, conchos, tooling and carvings, inlay, etc on the bib. You can always snap a photo and send it to me for an opinion.
- Once you have the basic shape for your tank bib, you can now create a soft template. The best material to make a soft template out of is nagahyde. Now that you have arrived at the desired shape, transfer your paper template to the vinyl piece. The template will now lie nicely on the tank and give you a pretty good idea of where you are heading. Draw in pockets to scale if requested. This will also be the template that you can send to me to create your bib. Feel free to write notes on the template.
Please note: There is a $25 charge for any template that I send to you for customization. Should you choose to not proceed with the project, this amount is non-refundable. However, once the project details have been established this amount will be credited towards the total balance due.
