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... ~k
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...
Nope. You can find upwards of 10% ethanol in all grades of fuel. On the other hand, I just got back from riding in Louisiana and Mississippi and found that some stations I stopped at claimed no ethanol in the lowest grade of fuel, and charged more for the 87 octane than the mid-grade 89 octane.
Oh, and in reference to the post wondering about how bikes are treated, when not being ridden mine is in a temperature controlled garage, and I don't use if for commuting.
I never had issues with other poly tanks I had in the past from storing in my garage with no climate control. Of course, this is my first Ducati. Maybe there's an excuse built in.
I never had issues with other poly tanks I had in the past from storing in my garage with no climate control. Of course, this is my first Ducati. Maybe there's an excuse built in.
Actually, you can find even more than 10% in fuel. Most companies use what is called "splash blending". A tanker truck pulls into a terminal and fills up with fuel. Then ethanol is then added to the tank. (Or it could be ethanol first and then fuel.) The gasoline and ethanol are supposed to mix as the tanker rolls down the road. It isn't a very scientific/accurate method. There have been checks at various service stations and fuel has been found with as much as 20% ethanol!
And that's the truth. I live about 3 miles from a blending station that supplies the service stations in my area. I have been told that there is more ethanol in the fuel than advertised at most pumps.
I ride a Honda TransAlp for a daily commuter. These things were designed to run on the crap in a 3rd world country that passes for petrol. It has even had issues (running wise) with some of the extra alcohol!
When I first purchased my SC in July '07, I noticed a very slight imperfection in the tank when the light hit it right. It's steadily grown and is now a dime sized pimple (you can see it in the picture directly over the gold stripe). Five other very slight imperfections have also recently appeared in close proximity to the first one. I spoke to my dealer about this problem (I also have a spreading tank) and they indicated DNA has been getting difficult lately about covering tanks under warranty. They also said that since I have a special edition SC, DNA might be even more disinclined to cover it as the tank may not be readily available. So far, I've been asked to send an email detailing my problem along with a picture. A follow-up question was also asked about my bike's mileage (which is relatively low). It's been about a week, so I suspect I should be hearing back on it, soon. Given the eruption of these other small "growths", anything less than a tank replacement is unacceptable. More to follow.
When I first purchased my SC in July '07, I noticed a very slight imperfection in the tank when the light hit it right. It's steadily grown and is now a dime sized pimple (you can see it in the picture directly over the gold stripe). Five other very slight imperfections have also recently appeared in close proximity to the first one.
Is that the same imperfection that the rest of you who have tank problems are seeing?
I looked at my tank last night and it appears fine. I don't see any pimples or bubbles and the tank fits tight. There is no spreading.
I think Ducati might be trouble if they refuse to swap tanks. In many states the tank and the rest of the fuel system is covered a lot longer than two years.
By the way, didn't the marine industry faced the same kind of problems with plastic tanks?
I have an '06 S1000, bought two years ago, with embarrassingly low miles on it. The bike has always been stored indoors, in an unheated space, and was never left outside to bake in the sun.
A few months ago, I discovered a blister about 1.25" across. Took it to the dealer, who took pictures of it to send to DNA, so they could get a replacement approved. Other than the blister, I didn't see any deforming of the tank, and the tank was tight on the chasis.
DNA approved replacement of the tank pretty quickly, and I returned to the dealer once the new tank got in, maybe three weeks later. But in that short time, only a few weeks later, the tank had gotten extremely loose on the chasis. But I still didn't notice any deforming of the tank itself. Anyway, the tank was replaced, and so far, all is good.
Does anyone know if the replacement tanks are any different than the original ones? I'm sort of curious if through time, we can expect to go through this all over again.
I probably should mention my bike has also been stored in a heated garage with no direct sunlight since the day I bought it. I've never even washed it with water, so I doubt the problem is moisture related. I should add that on the few occasions that it's sat outside in the sun, such as having lunch while out riding, the growth I've referenced grows to about an inch in size. Once the tank cools down, the growth shrinks back down to its original size.
I was really, really hoping my bike was not affected.........but tonight we went for a ride and my tank is warping. I don't have any small bubbles like some, just both sides seem to be "popping" up. I'm really afraid of what it will look like in 6 months to a year.
For reference - my bike is in a climate controlled garage, in Dallas (not too wet, not too dry), and has less than 1,400 miles. But it is one of the first PS's produced.....so I guess I was lucky to make it this long.
Just curious, anyone have a full custom paint job (i.e. not just an added stripe or other highlight) *and* experiencing the tank spreading or other deformation(s)?
FWIW, our bike is 2 1/2 years old, has 7400 miles on it and the tank is tight on its mounts with no detectable slack or movement. The stock tank never saw use as all the painted parts were shipped off for painting prior to taking delivery of the bike.
Just a thought . . . I wonder if the bubbles are caused when fuel seeps through the plastic tank and pushes the paint out away from the tank? I was looking at the paint around the fuel opening and the paint seems to be pretty thick and pliable/elastic.
I have no idea what would cause the tank to spread.
Once upon a time, I was chief mechanic for an EBC Endurance AMA Yamaha racing team (Team Magic/Anderson Racing). The owner, and main rider was a fellow by the name of Jan Svensson. He is an engineer and has worked with a lot of materials related to motorcycles. He now races a Ducati in AHRMA's Battle of the Twins. Jan makes his own fuel tanks out of carbon fibre. I talked to him today about the possibility of ethanol causing problems with our tanks. He seems to think this is a possibility as he uses Kreem in his carbon fibre tanks due to additives in the fuel such as ethanol making his carbon fibre tanks "soft". It is his recommendation that I Kreem my new tank before I install it.
Once upon a time, I was chief mechanic for an EBC Endurance AMA Yamaha racing team (Team Magic/Anderson Racing). The owner, and main rider was a fellow by the name of Jan Svensson. He is an engineer and has worked with a lot of materials related to motorcycles. He now races a Ducati in AHRMA's Battle of the Twins. Jan makes his own fuel tanks out of carbon fibre. I talked to him today about the possibility of ethanol causing problems with our tanks. He seems to think this is a possibility as he uses Kreem in his carbon fibre tanks due to additives in the fuel such as ethanol making his carbon fibre tanks "soft". It is his recommendation that I Kreem my new tank before I install it.
After reporting my tank problem to my dealer sometime in mid-october. I called yesterday and he finally said he has the tank and can schedule an install. I asked if i could pick up the tank and just install it myself and said that i could not because this is a warranty issue. Has anyone installed their own replacement tank?
I am going to ask for the old tank back. Has everyone kept their old deformed tanks or does ducati keep it because it is a defective item or something like that?
Also, i want to coat the tank. can i apply these coatings after i add gas and then drain or does it have to be a "virgin" tank. has anyone done this on these tanks, any tips preferred products besides kreem? I have coated vintage metal tanks before, never plastic.
If it's a warranty replacement the dealer may have to keep the tank for awhile just in case Ducati wants it back to look it over. I guess I better look at my tank more closely because at this point it seems fine. Like most of the Paul Smarts mine lives a sheltered life.....they really shouldn't be doing this. I wonder if DNA will replace it as it's now out of warranty.
I heard back from my dealer yesterday regarding replacing my tank and DNA has given their OK on it. To help answer some of your questions Timdog, I was told I had to bring the bike in and have them perform the swap and Ducati also wants the tank back. I can understand why they need to do this. I had a 2004 ZX-10R at one point, and there was a recall on the front rim, which had a tendency to break . The dealer had to perform the replacement and send it back to Kawasaki because 1) they didn't want the liability of having a customer screw-up the install of the front rim and 2) they wanted to eliminate any chance that the rim would get resold as a used part to an unsuspecting buyer. I've had similar situations with a ZX-12R and a Yamaha Roadstar, where work was done under warranty/recall.
As far as coating the inside of the tank, I remember reading something as it relates to restoring plastic tanks on vintage motocross bikes. It's difficult to install new tank decals on these bikes as the gas fumes tend to seep out and cause the decals to bubble and peel (sound familiar?). Someone had come up with a cleaning/coating process that worked pretty well for them, which I was going to follow in restoring my vintage MX bike. I can't seem to find it at the moment (I know it's in my favorites somewhere), but when I do I'll report back.
When I went in to get my tank fixed for the speading thats what the dealer told me was the problem was the "corn" ( ethanol ) we put in the tanks here in the US. They just shimed out the Fwd mounts and it is ok now but just the other day I saw another problem. There is starting to get bulges on the outside of the tank so big that you can see and feel them. I am going to go back to the dealer and show them next week. The problem is that if they replace the tank and it is the same material then it will do the same thing in the future.
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