Learning by doing [wrong].

A few weeks ago, I wrote the following: "I know the slope of the top tube looks weird, but in order to get the tank to sit correctly it has to look like that." Well, that turned out to be wrong. I don't really know why, but when we had tacked the top tube and the vertical tubes emanating from behind the engine in place, the tank refused to sit anything like what I had planned. It sloped horribly backwards and looked more chopper than tracker. Bollocks.

Now, I strongly feel that in order to look right, the whole profile of the bike has to lean a little bit forwards. Not exaggerated like a German streetfighter, but subtly, to suggest movement. This of course meant we had to detach almost all of the tubing, since raising the top tube had knock-on effects on the the whole frame. Oh, well, now it's back together and the tank sits EXACTLY like I want it to with the bottom of the tank sloping ever so slightly FORWARDS. About 50 mm of top tube (the bit protruding out behind the tank) will be cut once we have attached the sub frame. Which I don't want to do before the swingarm is done and the bike stands on its own two wheels – in order to get the slope of the seat exactly right. I'll be damned if I'm going to make the same mistake twice.