| Author | Message | ||
     Onespeedpaul |
Just wanted to explore the idea as to why no one has to my google search-knowledge pursued a plastic tank for their tube frame buell. Many OE tanks are straight plastic now (ducati and triumph to name two) I see the thread on the UK aluminum tanks and know about the US made one that costs as much as a typical used bike...just wanted to know why it would be so far fetched to have a new run of tanks made from say a high end kayak manufacturer or something? | ||
| Onespeedpaul |
HA, i'll be the first, and take it in black please! jokes aside, no need to worry about paint peeling ever again since the thing will be made in the color, no 'shrinkage' issues, and plenty durable too...seems like a win-win-win... | ||
| Greg_cifu |
Wait, WHAT? Plastic tanks like Ducati and Triumph? You mean like rotomolded nylon (which is what those are--they don't make ABS gas tanks). That's what your S1 tank is already made of. Yes, they also have problems with the Ducati tanks. A friend's 1995 BMW R1100GS has almost identical problems with bubbling under the paint and decals. Or am I completely missing something? | ||
| Onespeedpaul |
No, not missing anything. I just think the technology there has advanced quite a bit since 1996 so a new tank could be pretty awesome. | ||
| Greg_cifu |
The technology hasn't advanced at all. Brand new Ducatis are having lots of problems with fuel tanks swelling up so badly they don't fit back on the bike after you remove them. They're going through EXACTLY what Buell did back in the late 90s: http://www.ducati.ms/forums/138-streetfighter/1002 05-plastic-tank-lawsuit-filed-california.html | ||
| Mtjm2 |
I was told by a fellow Bueller and mechanic That I trust that its not the plastic, its the ethinol addative that is the problem. In a couple Years we will be at 20%. | ||
| Greg_cifu |
Agreed. The other problem that I suspect is inherent to the manufacturing method (rotomolding) is either thin areas or areas that are not entirely heat-fused. The reason I suspect this is that I have three 1998 Manta tanks. All three have different degrees of bubbling and in very different areas. I've also read over and over that the bubbling returns in the same areas after refinishing. There is no good reason for that to happen unless the flaws are permanently embedded in the manufacturing process. | ||
| Mtjm2 |
The young man I bought my Buell from, got himself an XR1200. The gas tank is plastic, and has a plastic cover. Hes had the cover replaced because of gaps that shouldn't be there. I told him about the ethinol issue. He's gunna buy a new tank and have it lined. There's a radiator shop close buy that does it for about 40 bucks. |
