I hear ya. I have a JD squared manual bender but have known people to pack sand in tubing, weld the ends shut(although I would leave a tiny relief hole(especially if you apply any heat), and bend it around Olympic style bench weights placed flat on a layout table. If you were closer, I'd love to help!
I was thinking of welding the ends and filling with sand, but I couldn't think of anything at home to bend it around... Until I read this. I have a gym room full of olympic weights next to the garage, but never managed to think that far. Thank you! :)
Started to put together the frame last night. I'm reusing the parts where the tank mounts where, lengthened with a couple of inches of tube from the rear part of the frame. I'm putting 25mm tubes inside to strengthen the welds.
Also started to make a linkage for the gear lever. Need to paint it and find some better hardware, and adjust a little so it stays clear of the swing arm adjustment screw.