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Are you having problems with your tank?

  • Yes, I am having problems with my tank.

    Votes: 368 66.7%
  • No, I am not having problems with my tank.

    Votes: 184 33.3%
41 - 60 of 1,138 Posts
Our bikes are already out of warranty. :(

As for our dealer... Well, that's a whole other story I won't get into...
Don't you think Ducati should cover it, warranty or not? Sure, a lot of dealers can be real pin heads, but they are still expected to do their job in supporting Ducati customers. Until Ducati does something with the tank design, we can expect nothing different to happen. Maybe we can get some help. My bike is out of warranty too. I just would like to get either a better tank. We need to try.
Also, trying to get numbers on the sales of Sport Classics in the US/North America is difficult. It seems that the line is the most popular seller here in the States. If anybody can come up with hard numbers, please let me know.
 
Discussion starter · #42 ·
Don't you think Ducati should cover it, warranty or not?
I am sure someone has mentioned this before but it is worth repeating. In some states the fuel tank falls under emission laws/regulations and the warranty period for emissions related parts is extended past the normal Ducati 2-year warranty.
 
Had a meeting near the dealer today so stopped by to check on my new tank. No tank yet.

They still had an SC and a GT on the floor. Both bikes are spreading on the throttle side. You can only lift up the one side on the SC, GT has spread so much tank lifts of the frame.
 
Discussion starter · #44 ·
I took a cursory look at the home states of those who have submitted a written post. It looks like most problems are in:

1. California
2. Oregon

3. Colorado
4. Arizona

5. Illinois
6. Indiana
7. Kentucky

8. New Jersey
9. New York

10. Virginia

It appears that the problem is in four general areas with Virginia being an anomaly.

I don’t see anything in the South or South East. (NC, SC, Georgia, Florida, etc.)

What do you all think? Is there anything special about the fuel in those regions?? Chime in if I missed your state/region.
 
Discussion starter · #46 · (Edited)
The amount of ethanol in gas not only varies seasonally and regionally, you may not be able to tell when you are buying it.

http://www.fuel-testers.com/state_guide_ethanol_laws.html
Very interesting! Thanks.

I found this most interesting . . .

Caution - Warning:​
The percent of ethanol may be incorrectly added by the local fuel distributor. In most areas ethanol is added to the tanks by the delivery truck drivers, (local distributor); And, very few gas stations monitor or check ethanol content (% added) of fuel delivered and contained in the gas pump.


My nephew drives a fuel delivery truck in Indiana. He says that they add about 10% ethanol when they load.
 
I'm up in Washington state north of Seattle. I stopped to ask the truck driver that was delivering his load of fuel and he and the gas station owner who happened to be there said his Texaco still doesn't ever use ethanol but that in about a month it will be mandatory by federal law to have ethanol in the gas!

I'm just starting to spread a little. Not as tight as it used to be. Has anyone looked into any products similar to the POR-15 kit that we use to coat the inside of metal takes to seal it so none of this fuel gets to the plastic?

If and when I get a new tank I want to do something like that before any fuel ever touches the tank!


.
 
some of these tank sealing products are said to have
problems with nowadays fuel also, as if has changed
through the years over here too.
but it is a very good idea to do something like this
after all, since i don't know, how Ducati could solve
this problem otherwise, but having tanks out of a
different plastic made.

cheers.
 
Triumph went to metal to get rid of the problem with the Sprint. I am told Guzzi and Aprillia have similar issues with plastic tanks. Why are plastic tanks used on bikes that are really not designed for ultra-high performance? Other than being able to shape them easier, maybe? The weight difference can't make that big a deal for most street riders. I think if manufacturers stuck to metal tanks and lighter wheels we'd be better off.
 
It looks as if you forgot about me. I have posted my thoughts and tribulations o this issue. It is still at the dealer as I refuse to accept it until it is fixed.

I took a cursory look at the home states of those who have submitted a written post. It looks like most problems are in:

1. California
2. Oregon

3. Colorado
4. Arizona

5. Illinois
6. Indiana
7. Kentucky

8. New Jersey
9. New York

10. Virginia

It appears that the problem is in four general areas with Virginia being an anomaly.

I don’t see anything in the South or South East. (NC, SC, Georgia, Florida, etc.)

What do you all think? Is there anything special about the fuel in those regions?? Chime in if I missed your state/region.
 
Discussion starter · #52 ·
It looks as if you forgot about me. I have posted my thoughts and tribulations o this issue. It is still at the dealer as I refuse to accept it until it is fixed.
Sorry, 3-D. I missed your post. You must be one of the first cases in NC/SC. What dealer are you using?? :confused:
 
I was away for awhile and didn't get to vote.
I bought my 2006 Sport Classic from a person in PA. It had less than 1000 miles on it.
I live in MD.
I am experiencing some 'bubbling' in the tank. I haven't made any claim yet - out of warrantee.
 
I'm taking my PS1000 into the dealer this weekend for tank inspection. I was just going to wait it out for Ducati NA to sort out this problem but after attempting to install an NCR gas cap and finding it didn't fit very well due to the fact the progressing tank deformations, I just figured something had to be done now.


Hopefully getting a 3rd tank from Ducati NA will kick them into finding a better solution for this issue.
 
Ducati Seattle is taking care of me. i got a call from them telling me that if i bring it in they have me covered and will order a tank ahead of time so my bike isnt sitting for more than a day.

yay Dave R and friends!
 
Tank problem because of gas additives

07' Multistrada 620 in for 12k service and technician discovers my tank is deformed, blistering due to expansion. I never noticed because I have a tank cover on it. Luckily I have a very good relationship with my dealer. They didn't even call to tell me what they found, they went to bat on my behalf and got the factory to agree to ship me a tank at no charge. I'll probably pay for the labor but so what, I'm lucky to get the tank since I'm out of warranty. I guess it pays to have purchased four Ducatis from this dealer.

My question is what is going to keep the new tank from getting all bent out of shape like the original one? What do I do to defend against chemistry.
 
Okay. So I've read all six pages thus far on the gas tank issues. Just inspected my bike and everything is fine (yes I have already voted). After reading the various theories as to why this is happening I thought I'd post my two cents worth.

1. Ethanol in fuel could be the issue... I don't know what the Australian regulations are on this, however, I am confident that our fuel contains less ethanol than the U.S. does - could be one explanation for it???

2. Riding / garaging habits.

Personally, my bike gets ridden very selectively on really good roads - i.e. I don't commute on the bike, and I don't get stuck in heavy traffic etc with it, and I don't leave it lying around for long periods in the sun. Basically my bike is getting ridden always over 60 - 70km/h (and thus cooled by the air), or it is parked in the shade or in the garage - except for a few rare exceptions.

I wonder???? some of you guys who are experiencing problems, do you commute on the bike regularly (possibly leading to the tank being hotter than during a rec. ride) - and also maybe leave the bike parked in the sun for extended periods of time. Maybe leaving the bike parked with more than half a tank of gas in the sun???? Some of this might be exacerbated by the ethanol aspect???

3. You guys in the states seem to have all the bad luck. Remember the dreaded fuel clamp issue - well us guys in Oz didn't experience any of that - my dealer looked at me bemused when I said just about every bike in the states suffered from this defect.

So far (fortunately for us) tank deformation seems to be unheard of down here.:confused:
 
Geo, it is Charleston. Shad seems to be a pretty good tech.

Martin, I have thought for quite a while the tank and fuel line issue is related to the tank not being ethanol compatible at the elevated levels we are seeing here in the US. Maybe fine at 5% or so but 10% is too much.
 
I think the ethanol is the most likely culprit, due to the apparent geographic correlation.

My wife's and my bikes live in a climate-controlled garage when we're not riding them. There's no way our bikes are subject to any adverse conditions, yet our tanks are blown up just like everyone else's.

I'm curious: Of the US residents who haven't (yet) had tank problems, what percentage of those bikes are less than a year old? Hmmm...
 
Hello everyone,

I just found this page by mistake, and indeed, i did have problems with my tank.
Bike model is a SportClassic Biposto 2007, but purchased in April 2008. I never heard of a tank disformation by itself... I was at the dealership (Ducati NY) a month ago, and showed them the disformation. luckily, there was a technician from DNA there that day, and said that it's common for these tanks to get deformed due to misplacement on the chassis... the dealership is going to replace the tank! to me, this seems just a band-aid on the injury, which will of course occur again on the new tank!
haven't had a chance to read all the posts on this thread, but will surely go back through all of them, and make sure to keep stay posted...
thanks for everyone's input, and hope this issue will be fixed for good
~k
 
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