Fairy Petrol Tank

[TonyC]

Hi all,

I need to produce a petrol tank for my Fairy motorcycle, so i am hoping someone can help with some advice, on some details on it.
So looking at the fuel tank on the images attached there would be an oil tank at the front, fuel tank at the back. Can i assume that the oil tank would end behind the first filler port.
Why is there, what looks like 3 filler ports, and if correct what would the third one be for?
What would the filler ports have looked like?
Any help would be greatly appreciated before i start making the tank.

Regards
Tony

[EW-Ron]

Can't help too much, since not even sighted a Fairy in the metal.
Esp such an early one. What year is this ?

But those brochure ? pics don't seem to show much in the way of oil or petrol line(s),
or they are very indistinct
This is not a case of pics being 'tidied up' from the photoshoot is it. ?
Might make getting things accurate a little more difficult....

So are these all fillercaps, or taps-needle valves as well
Have fun, nice project.

P.S. Fairies have been well discussed here previously, it would seem.
This a cover photo even.
https://www.douglasmotorcycles.net/index.php?topic=2163

[Hutch]

Hi Tony,

I cannot help you with any details on the tank of the Fée (Fairy), but Doug Frost recreated one for his replica. He may have more information on some of the details which are hard to pick out in the pictures??

https://www.icenicam.org.uk/articles3/art0055.html

For other forum members, some additional information (as Suggested by EW-Ron) on  Fée/Fairy's here;

https://www.douglasmotorcycles.net/index.php?topic=6560.0

Doug Kephart's picture appears to be the clearest one of the tank I have seen, but maybe better ones exist (in the registered design archives)?

From Doug Frost's article;
"....With one very good sharp photo of the near side I was mystified for a time by the existence of two cylindrical objects fixed somehow to the frame under the saddle, on the off side.  I could only deduce that the front one, being one inch in diameter, was the oil pump, and the other. which was larger and seemed to have a cap, could be an oil reservoir.  This proved to be true as the handle on the oil tap at the bottom of the pump was just visible past the coil.

Another mystery was the three possible filler caps on the fuel tank which we had assumed held petrol in the front and oil in the back.  Eddie Turner came up with the observation that the fuel system was a surface carburetion tank, which was a system new to me, and all the odd control items on the tank, including the drain tap, turned out to fit diagrams found on the Internet."

so two caps - one for the oil and the other for the fuel and the 3rd item is an oil pump?

And,

"....Studying the photo on one occasion, I realised that there was a reflection on the tank which showed that the picture was taken outdoors and there where small trees in the background with no leaves and a bleak sky in early or late 1905, making Bedminster the likely place that the Fée was constructed and photographed. ..."

So it appears Doug had access to a very clear photograph?

Cheers

Hutch

[graeme]

Hi Tony

I made a petrol tank for my Fairy just like this, and am happy to help out with details. You are right with your summation about the oil compartment.
Incidentally, the Fairy that actually went into production didn't have a tank this shape, but flat sided with the battery and trembler coil also contained in the tank.

Cheers, Graeme

[TonyC]

Thank you Hutch & Graeme for your reply.
Will be posting some photos of my bike soon, with some more questions!

Cheers Tony