Should I be scared of a plastic tank?

[nwryder]

You guys who say you only use non ethanol gas, what about when on road trips? I also attempted to use the good stuff but it’s hard as heck to find in many parts of the country. Are there certain stations who always has it?

I don’t worry about it on road trips. It’s the week in and week out time between rides that seems to cause an issue. When at home, it gets pure gas. 


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[M0T0Geezer]

Nothing to worry about "plastic" tanks in my [limited] experience.

My 2004 Breva 750 has the original, not-metal tank.  I believe this is commonly called 'plastic' but somewhere (?) I read that it is actually nylon or some derivative.

So far (14 years), I have had no problems with it.  No visible deforming or finish problems.

The tank has apparently "grown" slightly in length because the rear retaining bolt was hard [impossible] to get started into the captive frame nut during remounting of the tank.

The fix was easy: I simply quit using the tubular bushing that surrounds the tank mounting bolt.  That gave the extra 1/16" of space needed to align and thread the bolt into the frame.

ALERT: The bushing presumably is there to discourage over-tightening of (and resulting damage to) the tank.  Be gentle with the bolt.  Not putting on the front school bus lugnuts here...

'Geezer

[drbone641]

My Multistrada has had the tank replaced due to ethanol induced swelling. I could go about 60 miles after the reserve warning light came on. After the new tank and lining (to keep it from reoccurring)... I ran out of gas 28 miles after the warning light came on. Expansion=increased range. So no worries.

[Devildog]

Ethanol should not be an issue on road trips when gas is being used up constantly; storing the gas long term in the tank is when non ethanol is an advantage. Saying that, the plastic tanks just don't feel right.

[TimmyTheHog]

Honestly there are pro and cons of each style

Below is what I find with each style of tank.

Steel:

Pro - no issue with ethanol, a lot "shinnier", feel more solid
Con - it can rust if not careful with storage, more easily to scratched and dent comparing to plastic

Plastic:

Pro - softer as it can take "a bit" more beating (More Bouncy), lighter to handle
Con - it can deform due to heat and/or ethanol(controversial topic), crack due to age as plastic harden over time.

So, if you can avoid ethanol or at least limited amount of using it, I wouldn't worry too much of it...

[LowRyter]

Whatever was going to happen to the tank has already taken place.   If it looks ok and doesn't leak your good.

That's best advice I've seen here.  I have an '01 Sport and have been able to take the tank off & reinstall  it many times.  (Now that stupid fuel tap is persnickety.)

I am not a believer that gasohol is relevant but we DO know that some of these tanks have problems.  I wonder if gasohol is an excuse for poor quality control? 

Anyway, perhaps the answer here is for the OP to ask if the tank can be taken off and reinstalled?   If it's good, then bike is (probably) OK.  Funny we haven't seen this problem with bikes sold new in the last 10 years or so.

Maybe Mr Roper or some of the service folks can chime in?

[jpv7]

I wouldn't go out of my way to find ethanol free gas because you have a plastic tank.  Here's what i learned when i had one:

2007 Monster S2R1000 with an Acerbis plastic tank, prone to swelling.  I had the bike about 4 years, and yes, you could see swelling on the sides.  Now Ducati did warranty lots of tanks on Monsters and Sport Classics.  I forget how long that went on for.

Note also that the next gen Monster also had a plastic tank, but Ducati put it under a cover so you wouldn't notice any swelling. 

Now i did start to take photos and requested one too, but then i decided to sell the bike (not because of the tank) because i got an ST4S.

After I sold the bike, i ran into Ducati Canada's Service Manager at the annual bike show.  I asked him about the plastics tanks, and his response was sort of funny.  He said sure, you can get a new one but it will do the same thing.

Now he had replaced a few under warranty, and found a pattern:  after removal and being drained completely of fuel (and i suppose water), they would miraculously go back to their original shape!

So if you have an issue, just remove, drain it, and let it dry out for a while.  Good as new.

[Darren Williams]

Magnetic tank bags don't stick to plastic tanks. That's my only beef.

[tellicomoto]

The plastic tank on my �09 V7 was replaced under warranty due deforming. I�ve tried really hard to just put real gas in the new tank since then.

[twowheeladdict]

You guys who say you only use non ethanol gas, what about when on road trips? I also attempted to use the good stuff but it�s hard as heck to find in many parts of the country. Are there certain stations who always has it?

My V7 is a toy.  No road trips with it.  But yes, I can typically find non-ethanol here in the south.  If on a road trip with my other bikes I don't worry about it much because I am burning through a couple tanks of fuel a day.

[twowheeladdict]

I don't even listen to them because they live in a world I cannot fathom.

It's nearly impossible to find non-ethanol in my state or any of the states surrounding it.

And even when it is supposedly available no-one has ever explained to me what happens when seasonal winter-formulated fuel is supposed to be used (by law) which is basically ethanol also.

No to mention I've seen VERY few problems with regards to plastic tanks (my B11 developed a small indent at the top corner after a few years of using almost only ethanol, and THEN it was right after I tried an octane boost for something else, so it might have had nothing to do with the pump gas anyway).

So who knows if the ethanol itself is even the culprit... or is it the ethanol combined with other ambient conditions (humid weather, stored outside, heat and cold cycles, etc.).

We don't do winter fuel down here.  :-)

[Kev m]

Tellico, what m what's the timeline, how long was the first tank in service, not how long on the second? Any hint of vent problem with the first?

Just curious.

We don't do winter fuel down here.  :-)

Oh, sure I get that and I'm not doubting, just saying how it's a different world than here.

[zebraranger]

You guys who say you only use non ethanol gas, what about when on road trips? I also attempted to use the good stuff but it’s hard as heck to find in many parts of the country. Are there certain stations who always has it?

I've posted this in the past, but this is a good thread to post again. This site will tell you where to find ethanol free fuel in your area, or around the country for that matter. Just click on the stations at the top and then click on your state, or you can click on the map. LINK: https://www.pure-gas.org/about

[VeganJeff]

Unfortunately nothing close to me on the ethanol free map. I’d be commuting most days on the bike so for the ethanol=swelling argument that’s a check in the cons column. I am encouraged by the positive replies to this thread though.

I’m going to see it on Saturday, I’ll ask if they’ve had any issues with it.

If I take it home I’ll post pictures!

[gscott]

The Scura had a plastic tank, the tiger does too. never had a problem.

Lots of problems with the V11 tanks swelling.  And as mentioned the metal inserts in the Quota tank come loose and spin and cause leaks.  It sounds like there are metal tanks available for the V7 so I wouldn't worry about it now,  you can always replace it if it causes trouble.  Especially if a metal tank comes in a complimentary color.

[Hugh Straub]

My 2006 750 Breva has a plastic (nylon) tank.  A prior owner apparently didn’t understand the ethanol issue as the tank paint has minor checking due to expansion.  The tank also lengthened so fitting was difficult. After I acquired the bike, I pulled all the hardware off the tank and stored the empty tank in my New Orleans, uninsulated attic for a couple of summer months.  (Some hot!). Once properly dried out, the tank returned to its original size.  I now only run non-ethanol fuel, because ethanol attracts water, which the nylon absorbs causing the tank to swell.

Fortunately, non-ethanol is not too hard to find in south Louisiana.

[TimmyTheHog]

Curious if there is such thing that can coat the internal side of the plastic tank to prevent water absorption.

Kind of similar how we use 2 stroke engine oil + gasoline to coat the internal side of the metal tank to prevent rusting...

Unless there are other reason for the tank to swell up... 

[pyoungbl]

Curious if there is such thing that can coat the internal side of the plastic tank to prevent water absorption.

Kind of similar how we use 2 stroke engine oil + gasoline to coat the internal side of the metal tank to prevent rusting...

Unless there are other reason for the tank to swell up... 

Caswell has been used by lots of Ducati owners to seal their plastic tanks against ethanol swelling.

[twowheeladdict]

My 2006 750 Breva has a plastic (nylon) tank.  A prior owner apparently didn�t understand the ethanol issue as the tank paint has minor checking due to expansion.  The tank also lengthened so fitting was difficult. After I acquired the bike, I pulled all the hardware off the tank and stored the empty tank in my New Orleans, uninsulated attic for a couple of summer months.  (Some hot!). Once properly dried out, the tank returned to its original size.  I now only run non-ethanol fuel, because ethanol attracts water, which the nylon absorbs causing the tank to swell.

Fortunately, non-ethanol is not too hard to find in south Louisiana.

Another reason to always park the bike with the tank full to the top with fuel.  less chance of condensation absorbed by the ethanol.

[jpv7]

Caswell has been used by lots of Ducati owners to seal their plastic tanks against ethanol swelling.

usually makes a mess, and the jury is out on whether it actually works...i wouldn't bother with it.

[VeganJeff]

So, in a wild turn of events I think I’m doing a 180 and going with a Bonneville. The Guzzi just didn’t speak to me so I went to a dealership and the V7 III didn’t either. The Triumphs next to it sure did though.

Thanks everyone for all the insight and time. Ride safe!