Caswell Coating Ducati Plastic Tanks

[HRCfan1]

Why wouldn't Ducati replace a tank under warranty? Law suit or not. Current bikes will still be affected. I don't understand how they get away with that.

[NPDCPA]

Terms:
"For expansion problems that are not purely cosmetic, the extended warranty will cover repairs for the longer of 6 years from the original sale date or until 18 months after February 14, 2012, whichever provides longer coverage for a particular motorcycle. For purely cosmetic expansion problems, the extended warranty will cover repairs for the longer of 5 years from the original sale date or until 18 months after February 14, 2012."

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Why wouldn't Ducati replace a tank under warranty? Law suit or not. Current bikes will still be affected. I don't understand how they get away with that.

Because lawyers

[The Snowman]

How much do these tanks expand? I have 3 tanks for my RSV and the two I've worked with still fit the stock fittings and bolt on properly.

[cdovego]

When was the last time you did that?

The class action suit closed the warranty period. The only winners of that action were (as usual) the attorneys.

Last new tank I got through warranty was in October of '09 (ish). I had no idea a class action took place...

[Kurlon]

They can swell quite a bit, but will return back to normal if left dry and open for awhile.

[cdovego]

How much do these tanks expand? I have 3 tanks for my RSV and the two I've worked with still fit the stock fittings and bolt on properly.

I didn't care until my bars hit the tank before lock. Each time they replaced immediately due to "safety" concerns.

[HRCfan1]

I feel bad for Ducati owners.

[Tricky Mike]

I feel bad for orcas

[R7]

I feel bad for Ducati owners.

Don't get yourself to down about another brand...you'll soon be dealing with the same thing with your Aprilia

[R7]

How much do these tanks expand? I have 3 tanks for my RSV and the two I've worked with still fit the stock fittings and bolt on properly.

Mine took 8 months before I noticed anything. I was at a trackday and pulled out the front bolt on the fuel tank and knew there was an issue when it came out very hard. Once the bolt was out, the tank sprung forward and the hole wasn't even in sight. Later the same day is when I noticed the tumors growing on the side of the tank..was sitting there between sessions and the change in light showed it quite well. Before finally getting it changed, it was to the point where the sides had ripples in it.
One can argue it's cosmetic, but you can only bend plastic so many times before it cracks. And the plastic does bend a lot because if it sits with more than half tank, the tank swells..if it sits with low fuel, it shrinks back

[Rosco61]

Remove tank remove all hardware. Let dry over the winter.it will shrink back I have seen it. I know its the spring now. I'm talking this coming winter. Have it Caswell coated. I certainly could have done the coating myself. But sometimes it pays to pay the guy that's done it before many times. You learn a thing or 3 after the 20th time doing it. That is all.

[Ducatijocki]

Mine is a 2008. The tank swelled enough for the front of it to rub the paint off the mount for the steering dampener. Had Seacoast coat the new tank before the install. I really like my bike. No other problems with it besides this. Ducati shouldn't be doing this to their customers. Too bad they have refused to step up to the plate and handle the problem properly.

[theducman]

On our third tank for the gt 1000. The caswell did nothing to prevent ours from spreading.

[HRCfan1]

Don't get yourself to down about another brand...you'll soon be dealing with the same thing with your Aprilia

The difference is Aprilia will replace my tank under warranty.

[Kurlon]

The difference is Aprilia will replace my tank under warranty.

Only during the warranty period...

[HRCfan1]

That's what I'm saying. Apparently Ducati won't if what I've read is correct.

[Kurlon]

Ducati will under the normal warranty period. Outside of that, they agreed to an extension but said extension has expired.

[motoarch]

Should all trade in for mv's. I've had zero issues with my plastic tank

[R7]

The difference is Aprilia will replace my tank under warranty.

From what I've read on AF1, they cover the first one no problems...after that, you'll have your work cut out for you to get the second one replaced

[Tricky Mike]

That's what I'm saying. Apparently Ducati won't if what I've read is correct.

from my experience what you've read is not correct. I had a tank replaced under warranty. I paid to have the replacement coated, otherwise my cost was $0

[The Snowman]

Mine took 8 months before I noticed anything. I was at a trackday and pulled out the front bolt on the fuel tank and knew there was an issue when it came out very hard. Once the bolt was out, the tank sprung forward and the hole wasn't even in sight. Later the same day is when I noticed the tumors growing on the side of the tank..was sitting there between sessions and the change in light showed it quite well. Before finally getting it changed, it was to the point where the sides had ripples in it.
One can argue it's cosmetic, but you can only bend plastic so many times before it cracks. And the plastic does bend a lot because if it sits with more than half tank, the tank swells..if it sits with low fuel, it shrinks back

So, you're saying if you leave it on the empty side, it won't happen as much?

Since this is a track-only bike, I usually do just that anyway. Either that, or if filled, then emptied at a quick rate.

[NPDCPA]

So, you're saying if you leave it on the empty side, it won't happen as much?
Since this is a track-only bike, I usually do just that anyway. Either that, or if filled, then emptied at a quick rate.

When I had mine replaced Seacoast told me the only way to get around the tank swelling again was to leave it empty, which is a royal pain in the dick. Having to drain the tank after every ride is not any kind of solution to this problem. At the time they said I can **try** having it coated. I don't know why there always seems to be a lag between proven solutions floating around the various discussion boards and dealership awareness of them. I miss the pre-Leslie BCM, the last dealership to be in tune with it's customers.

[soofle616]

How much do these tanks expand? I have 3 tanks for my RSV and the two I've worked with still fit the stock fittings and bolt on properly.

So, you're saying if you leave it on the empty side, it won't happen as much?

Since this is a track-only bike, I usually do just that anyway. Either that, or if filled, then emptied at a quick rate.

It will swell anywhere from not at all to enough to cause it to leak around the fuel pump flange and/or to where the mounting holes are no where near lining up with the frame. I don't know if it's variances in the plastic mixes or what but tanks do not all swell the same. Some have seen a tank go from fine to pouring gas out overnight, others have gone for years without any major issues.

There are two ways to ensure you never have swelling issues:
1) use nothing but 100% ethanol free gas
2) drain the tank completely (remove fuel pump) every time you're done with it for the day

Other than that you will eventually have swelling. Caswell may or may not help as evidenced by Mike's GT but in most cases it does solve the problem when correctly applied. Once the tank swells, you can bring it back to normal size by removing the fuel cap and the pump, draining it completely, and leaving it in a warm area for several months. The amount of time it takes to shrink back down will vary so the only way to know it's done shrinking is to put it back on the bike and see if it fits correctly and seals to the pump flange completely.

[Rosco61]

but in most cases it does solve the problem when correctly applied.

Hopefully the key to success is when applied correctly. Exactly why I had it applied by the Seacoast vendor that does their tanks. They said they have not had a repeat after this coating was applied.

[The Snowman]

I read a couple of threads over on the AF1 forum. It's interesting how different the issue is with different tanks. Some say that the older tanks don't have nearly the same issues as newer tanks. I can only hope that the three that I have, will have minimal issues. I might be rotating the good black tanks that I have on a regular basis. Bummer, because taking the tank off and taking the fuel pump out was a real PITA.