Monster - Sportbike Shaped Track Tank MTT-43

[junior varsity]

Chris (and all),

I'm very interested in your sportbike shaped track tanks for the [carbed] Monsters. I have just a few questions.

Is there a particular year seat that will fit the contours best? As I understand the contour of the tank and thus the seat changed, the seats are 1993-1999 and 2000+ (While the frame didn't change until 2002). I was going to pick up a spare seat to go with the track tank so my street stuff and track stuff were kept separate and wanted to make sure I looked for the correct unit.

Couple of last questions:
2) Is there a way to rig quick-disconnects that will facilitate an easy change?
3) Anything I should get to make the track tank a bolt on/plug-in affair?
4) Is the tank paint-able? Can vinyl graphics be applied. I am at least interested in putting some logo on the side, like modern DUCATI lettering. It would be really great to paint up the fuel-visible tank to look like the old bevel 900's!

For those playing along at home, I'm looking at these tanks for carburetted Monsters:

[krista]

Couple of last questions:
2) Is there a way to rig quick-disconnects that will facilitate an easy change?
3) Anything I should get to make the track tank a bolt on/plug-in affair?
4) Is the tank paint-able? Can vinyl graphics be applied. I am at least interested in putting some logo on the side, like modern DUCATI lettering. It would be really great to paint up the fuel-visible tank to look like the old bevel 900's!

Thanks for writing!

1) Probably the efi seat will work the best.
2) Our tanks have 1/4" npt threads on the bottom, so it is conceivable that bulkhead QD fittings could be found.
3) not really.
4) No not paintable. It's just like a "baja" dirt bike tank. Graphics can be applied ... expect them to bubble up and/or fall off. Polyethylene isn't quite like teflon, but nothing really sticks to it.

Right now, we have suspended sales of the carb'd versions of the tanks. In a curious turn of events, the efi version turned out to be the reliable version of the tank and carb'd one not so much. (In my mind, the carb'd version was a slam dunk and I was worried about the efi's big fuel flange) For the carb'd tank, we have a 1/4" npt fitting and a special fitting we had made for the fuel level sending unit. Well, something about that special fitting isn't bonding the way that inserts normally do. They act normal and then after a few months of use has gone by, they start leaking.

The change I did to the mold for the efi flange is testing well. We are currently having some inserts changed elsewhere in the mold and as soon as that repair is completed, we will be offering the tanks for efi applications.

For the carb'd owners, until we have sorted out the issue with the inserts, we will sell an efi tank and a fuel flange plate that bolts to the tank. This flange has the 30mm fuel sender bung and 1/4" npt fittings in it and a big o-ring. It essentially mimics the round fuel flange on S2Rs and other new "plastic tankd" monsters, but adapts it to use on metal tank'd monsters, both carb'd and injected.

Basically, what I'm saying is that if we can't get the "carb'd version" of the tank working, we'll not make it. My goal and hope was to save carb'd monster owners from the expense of buying the fuel flange plate. At least 400 hours have gone into effort towards making our MTT tank and its mold backwards compatible and accessible to carb'd monster owners.

Thanks!
Chris

[junior varsity]

What would the net cost be? (Though I'm happy to wait for more extensive testing and solutions)

[krista]

The fuel plate is $99. If it comes to needing to use it, we'll probably knock $30 off it when bought with the tank. The tank for $430 and then the plate for $69 means $499 total for carby folks... still not horrible.

[junior varsity]

Not bad at all! Considering Ducati OEM Tank Prices are... $1600? and Fuel-Cel tanks are $1200? This is a paltry amount in comparison.

[krista]

Thanks!

BTW, we think the MTT holds more fuel than the OE tank. The fuel light is illuminating 20~30 miles after it was before AND due to the new angle we have the fuel flange mounted at, the low level sensor is mounted higher in the tank compared to the OEM position. So there should be more ultimate range. Now I just need to rig a "simple" test to see how much fuel the pump can grab once the light comes on. I figured we could weigh a fuel can before/after and use density+math to calculate how much fuel.

Chris

[jwoconnor]

Very cool. Are these not street-legal for some reason other than DOT Cert.? How about a fiberglass or Carbon version (something paintable)?

[krista]

Great questions! Our tanks are DOT. Meeting DOT isn't difficult, especially when the OEM filler cap is used. The reason these are not paintable is why they are priced so low.

Carbon fiber is expensive material and is labor intensive to make each tank. As far as I know, the closest priced carbon tank for a monster comes primed so you don't see the layup, doesn't use OEM filler, & is 3~4 times the price.

Crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) is inexpensive to buy and "easy" to work with. The nylon base material that goes into the OEM tanks costs our manufacturer more than $400 to purchase! The big difficulty with the crosslinked poly was having the red custom ground & re-extruded to match the color of my S2R.

Our Monster tanks were developed as a result from the knowledge gained from our other fuel tank projects. I saw they are an ideal situation in all ways save for painting them. PEX can attain mass-production level of pricing with the small numbers we make - but only when I limit the value of my time spent on the mold. Search my posts here & you'll see I've been working on this mold for 3 years!

Chris

[junior varsity]

I just want to slap a sticker of some sort on it that says "DUCATI". Maybe I'll feel especially rambunctious that day and it will say "DUmake the beast with two backsINCATI", but that is unlikely.

So, red is duc red then. I suppose that solves any paint problems that I would have, since I would only want the faster color.

[duccarlos]

Can you post a picture of the tank on a Monster?

[jwoconnor]

I just want to slap a sticker of some sort on it that says "DUCATI". Maybe I'll feel especially rambunctious that day and it will say "DUmake the beast with two backsINCATI", but that is unlikely.

So, red is duc red then. I suppose that solves any paint problems that I would have, since I would only want the faster color.

Maybe Chris could add some threaded inserts and make a bolt-on "Ducati" tank badge? I might be up for that. I like the look of that tank and if it already DOT legal I may have to buy one this spring. Especially if the red matches OEM.

[CannedIce]

Here is a picture with a red tank on a Monster:



and the white tank on Chris's bike:



More images can be found here: http://www.ca-cycleworks.com/gallery/?dir=Fuel_tanks%2FMonster

[junior varsity]

It looks so good!

[krista]

I just want to slap a sticker of some sort on it that says "DUCATI". Maybe I'll feel especially rambunctious that day and it will say "DUmake the beast with two backsINCATI", but that is unlikely.

Or just use a paint pen. :-)

These tanks are an interesting twist on aesthetics. When you are right there touching it, you notice the unfinished-ness of it. From only a couple steps back, it's just like in the pictures and looks really good.

[Raux]

Chris,

Have you researched how much it would save it if you made a single color and then a paintable skin not unlike the 696/1100?