Plastic Tank problems: Discussion thread, see info thread sticky for updates

[He Man]

Well, sort of.  The warranty is 5 years or 30,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.  They have been replacing tanks on bikes over 30K.  The emissions warranty also does not include cosmetic problems.  Unless fuel or fuel vapor is escaping there is no emissions defect.  For some reason I will not speculate on they are using the emission warranty as a mechanism for replacing bad tanks.

my tank got replaced when i was at 22,000mi, ~ 35,000km

[pianoman011]

Okay. I just did the Caswell Coating to my brand new Monster S4RS replacement tank. I used the entire contents for one application to this tank. It coated the entire tank except for one small spot at the back bottom of the tank at the opening. After I mixed the entire contents of the kit along wit 1/2 once of paint thinner, I poured it all in the tank and swirled, shacked, and any other way of moving it around in the tank, I went to pour out the excess and there was very little. I let it sit upside down for a few minutes and nothing came out. So I set the tank on some plastic the same way it would sit on the bike until the next morning and there was only a small 1 inch drop that came out. So my advice to anyone using this to use the entire kit on one tank to get it to cover in its entirety. I will have to coat the small area that didn't get the coating with the extra kit that I purchased for my 1098R Bayliss.  It is really a very easy process
and the coating is hard as a rock inside. You can definitely tell where the coating is and where it is not. I hope to have the finished product ready by the end of the week. Then i can start on my Bayliss tank.

[BoDiddley]

Okay. I just did the Caswell Coating to my brand new Monster S4RS replacement tank. I used the entire contents for one application to this tank. It coated the entire tank except for one small spot at the back bottom of the tank at the opening. After I

If you had to do it again would you use two aplications at ounce instead of the one?  I picked up my S4Rs tank today.

[pcv57]

If you had to do it again would you use two aplications at ounce instead of the one?  I picked up my S4Rs tank today.

I have an 06 s2r1k and had the tank replaced this summer due to swelling. I have now noticed my new tank has started to swell also. I have ordered the Caswell Coatings epoxy, will drain the tank and bring it inside where I hope it will shrink back before I do the coating.
According to a posting on this forum, it appears the swelling is due to ethanol in the gas and that the ethanol separates from the gas and causes condensation. The water in the tank sinks and is what is abosrbed by the plastic. If this is true, has anyone tried the Star Tron fuel additive? It is supposed to keep the ethanol from separating and it would seem to minimize the effects of the ethanol.

[ducpainter]

I use Startron, but more to keep the effects of the separated ethanol from becoming a driveability issue.

I also have a steel tank.

[mjk778]

Do you guys use Startron in every tank fill? I'm thinking of using for the effects of ethanol on my engine.  

[ducpainter]

Do you guys use Startron in every tank?  Im thinking of using for effects of ethnol on my engine. 

It depends on the season and the ride. If I'm out for a 300 mile day I don't add it every time I fill up. I might drop some in when I get home though. I always add it to the tank of my track bike after each day/weekend.

[pianoman011]

If you had to do it again would you use two aplications at ounce instead of the one?  I picked up my S4Rs tank today.

Yes. I would 2 applications at one time on a brand new tank. One application covered 95% of the tank, but did leave a couple of places uncovered. I am waiting on my additional application to arrive so that I can finish the tank this week. So far I really like this product.

[WetDuc]

Without a doubt, the Startron/Stabil additives make my S2R1000 run much better.
I add it every to every tank to try to fight the ethanol, but regardless, it makes my bike run totally awesome:  smoother idle and smoother under power, more torquey (my guess), better cold starts and a great tone at the exhaust note.

[CDawg]

6 month into Caswell on the replacement tank.  No expansion yet.

[He Man]

4 months in without any coating and no expansion. bikes been sitting in the garage and ive maybe passed 3 gallons through inthe past month (been snowing here) too.

[hillbillypolack]

Has anyone had issues with the quality of the replacement tank (like in surface and aesthetics)?  

I did an exchange today, the dealer let me bring in my tank (I removed it in the home shop) and we did the hardware swap.  Upon closer inspection when I returned home, I saw an awful lot of orangepeel and a highlight issue at the tank filler surface:











http://sonar.smugmug.com/Other/S2R-tank-replacement/15464222_AqnAd

[Bishamon]

Some Sport Classic owners have complained about the quality of the finish on their replacement tanks, but it seems to be hit-or-miss.

[jgrm1]

Has anyone had issues with the quality of the replacement tank (like in surface and aesthetics)?

The finish on my replacement S2R1000 tank is fine, but the cutout on the strip is not centered around the fuel filler as well as the original one.  

-Jeff

[Desert Dust]

It has been 2 months since my S2R 1K tank was replaced, and there is no sign of swelling. No Caswell treatment was applied.

By the way, the new tank looks great as far as finish is concerned.