7 Ways to Re-Purpose a Harley-Davidson Gas Tank

1. Wall Planter

Do you want some green in your garage? Or maybe you want some bike in your office? This clever design recycles a bunch of bike parts and some old barn wood to make a planter for succulents that can be hung on the wall anywhere. Painting the inside of the tank with oil-based paint like Rustoleum, once you clean it and cut it open, should prevent it from rusting for years.

2. Cremation Urn

Nobody likes to think about it, but we all will have to go at some point. You might not be able to afford to be buried with your bike, but you can certainly have yourself cremated and use the tank as an urn. Have your favorite painter lay out a tribute on the side and mount it on a nice piece of wood. You can be remembered in a much more appropriate manner than if you were in a fancy brass pot.

3. Clock Tank

If you have a tank, and a few other parts, you can make a wall clock like the blue one pictured, with the clock face replacing the speedo in the tank console. If all you have is a tank, you can still make a kickass way to tell time with just a drill and some numbers. The clock mechanism is readily available at most craft or woodworking stores.

4. Birdhouse

Are you a fan of our fine feathered friends? Do you just want to hang an old tank on the side of your house without the neighbors complaining? Add a perch just below the fuel filler opening and you instantly have a birdhouse!

5. Lamp

The industrial, machine age look is all the rage these days in interior decor. With some motorcycle parts, and some plumbing parts and lamp parts from the hardware store, you can craft a pretty cool desk or table lamp. Use some spotlights with 120v reflector bulbs in them and a headlight nacelle for a cool reading lamp.

6. Mailbox

If your last name Harley? Or posible Davidson? It would be cooler if it was, because then the emblems on your tank would already be correct when you make it into a mailbox. As you can see, some people just mount the tank to a hardware store mailbox, and others do a little welding and make the whole tank open. It is all up to you on how you want to do it (though you may want to check with your letter carrier).

7. Vase

I started with succulents, and ending with flowers. If you have a lady coming over to your man lair, and you want to make it smell better, buy a bouquet of flowers and shove them in an old gas tank. Sure, this one is an old Honda dirt bike, but any old tank will do. Plug holes in the bottom, add a few inches of water, and insert flowers. Instant decor.