Original Lyta Fuel tank maker

I did some googling and he is referred to as a Mr Hichison in a posting on Britbike forum.

http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/679274/1

Just posting in case it helps to jog any memories.

Andy

Tried to find out on a Web search but did come across two images of a genuine  Lyta  short-circuit petrol tank and a BSA Gold Star job!.

One of the more Interesting

 pages on petrol tanks.http://www.bsaotter.com/alloy_fuel_tanks_methods_of_construction.html

But when searching loads of adverts but no proper information!

http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=679274

Found it Mr Hichison according to this Brit bike forum,

John

Hi Mark

His name was B.G.Hichisson and he had a workshop in Dartford Kent.

He made my tank, a short circuit manx tank which was based on templates marked with the name of John Surtees. That was back in 1993 and I still have it sitting on top of my domi 99 café racer I built at that time. It cost £175.

He allowed me to collect it from his workshop which amounted to a large garage with hardly any room inside. He was kind enough to give me a 'tour' which didn't take long but I distinctly remember the English wheel used for forming the tanks and sheets of aluminium. A couple of completed tanks where being packaged ready for sending to Australia.

Even then I remember him as an elderly man.

I can confirm that the painting by Ian Cater on the front page of this web site is based on my bike identified mainly by the fitting of a commando primary chain case and front engine mounting plates.

Regards

Mike

Just noticed the image didn't come through

Lyta petrol tanks were made in Lowfield Street in Dartford, and I went there in the 1970's and bought one of his Manx short circuit 3 gallon petrol tanks, for my café racer I was building. He had a girl working with him, which may have been his granddaughter at the time. His petrol tanks were a work of art, as my friend who came with me bought the 5 gallon Manx tank for his café racer. There was a company in Kent, that I think took over from him, and they made the petrol tanks for Colin Seeley.

Now the order of posting gets mixed up too, what is going on , it makes people, Me, look an idiot as Andrew's post wasn't present to see when I posted! Suddenly posts which were not there originally creep up in the order of response, thi shas been commented on before in other responses!?

Makes the thread  hard to follow and read and nonsensical!

John

I bought several lyta tanks a long time ago, trials bsa b34 and amc g3lc - he said he never made tanks for the amc factory that was just up the road - he suggested whenever anything was screwed Into the tanks including taps always use gasket cement, nothing to do with leaking but to make it easier to remove them when required, I still have a couple that have never been used. Always well worth a trip to see him, he was  a font of information.

 Had one made for a Mk3 Seeley Peter Brown.

 Must've been 25 years ago or so and certainly he was getting on a bit then. Went back and had another made for a Petty Manx frame (With Weslake engine.) and a couple of real "Geezers" seemed to have taken over. Same top quality work though.

 Had a look on Google and from memory the building I THINK (It was 20 years ago.) they were in has been part demolished by the look of it, so maybe they are back in Dartford now.