Check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUKK_O5Jtf8

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Apparently, the gasoline leak was caused by a fuel line solder failure.

Why Indian used solder on its tanks instead of welds, I don't know. Even though a split seam was not what caused this problem, it has caused many Indians to be engulfed in flames. My '48 Chief burnt under me in 1970 because a petcock turned due to vibration.

I was in such a hurry to put the bike together and ride it that I did not hook up both tanks. Also, I left the exhaust pipe/muffler off. When I backed off the throttle, 6+ inches of flame shot from the header pipe. The unconnected petcock was on the right (exhaust) side of the bike. When the petcock opened, raw gasoline spilled down onto the exhaust and met 6 inches of flame. Fortunately, I stepped off the bike near a fast food shop whose manager was better prepared than the racetrack folks in the video. It took me years to get the bike back on the road -- primarily because it was not easy to scrape up cash to buy the parts needed.

A few years ago, a tank seam split when I was on a 2 day trip on the Chief. The bike got wet from the fuel, but it did not burn. The seam failed whilst on the road; so, no amount of pre-trip inspection would have detected the problem. The problem was that I had let someone else mount the tanks. With delicate items like soldered tanks, you cannot just slap them on. You have to make sure they are not stressed by poor clearances.

BTW, the 1970 firestorm was far from the stupidest think I have ever done on a bike!

Hi,
    Years ago I was breaking in my fresh motor and put just a little gas in the tanks.  I went on a short ride and when I got to a place where I could stop and rest a few minutes, I heard a strange whistle.  The whistle was coming from the gas cap vents.  Luckily my caps vented in both directions.   My motor was so hot that when I took off the cap and looked inside, the gasoline was boiling!!!  Since then I never let my tanks become really low on gasoline.  Tanks should probably be at least 1/4 full to help absorb excess engine heat before the gasoline boils.  Boiling gasoline will vapor lock the fuel line and cause the engine to run poorly if at all.  Excess vapor pressure inside the tank will or least can rupture tank seams and fuel line joints.  Make sure that your gas caps are vented adequately.  There are caps on the market that are not designed to be vented and when installed on an Indian can cause not only fuel delivery problems but over-pressurization of the tank should things get overheated.  I know of at least one person that had his tank 'pop' open and dump fuel, luckily without a fire.  He attributed the opened seam to excess vapor pressure rather than poor tank installation, though poor tank installation and vibration can stress the seams.  His fix was to actually drill a hole inconspicuously in the cap to allow for venting in both directions.  Sincerely, Steven Bailey baiste@sgu.edu