I am the new owner of an 07 S2R Monster with 5,000 miles on it. It is my first Ducati, and while I did extensive research on the mechanical reliability of the motor before I purchased the bike, the plastic gas tank issue caught me by suprise yesterday when I inquired about the use of Stabil in my bike at a Ducati dealership. The damage to my bike is limited to a slight bit of swelling and rippling in the area where my right knee contacts the tank. I have siphoned the gas from the tank for winter storage, and had previously treated what was in the tank with Stabil. I'd like to hear from other owners with plastic tanks how their tanks are holding up under normal usage, and whether always trying to store the bike with a small amount of fresh fuel in it between rides will minimize any problems. I very much want to keep this bike for a very long time, but the tank problem has me wondering if I would be better off selling the bike and buying something different for my "exotic" bike.
Since it is an '07, get DNA to pony up for a free replacement tank. I am month 2 into Caswell and so far so good.
I had to pay for the coating out of pocket thought...
The solution that some of the sportclassic owners use is to coat the inside of the tank.
I think the stuff is called Caswell and it forms a barrier between your tank and the ethanol in your petrol which is causing the problems.
No such issues here for the moment but ethanol may start to be a problem in Europe as fuel companies race to be seen as 'green', and make a healthier margin at the same time.
Check out these threads.
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=25074.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=25074.0)
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=43639.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=43639.0)
Cycleworks Track tank? Plastic, inexpensive, and surely resistant to this problem? Looks good too!
I'm lucky to reside near a station that offers ethanol-free fuel. I have only been using gas with no ethanol, and so far, my 2007 Sport 1000 SE tank has been fine. I store it with a full tank and Sta-Bil during the winter.
www.pure-gas.org (//http://)