Any body have a tank expand on them? I have heard of this happening on the 750 but not a 1200. Pulled the seat off to do some work and noticed the side panel bolt hole was broken out. Got to looking a little more and the gap between the panel and the tank (where they butt together) is much larger on the right side than the left leading me to believe the tank has swelled at some point.
Just checking
I have not noticed any tank swelling, but only had the bike for about 3 months. I have used non-ethanol gas almost for every tankful. I have read about Ducati tank problems and the use of ethanol was implicated in the swelling. Have you been using pump gas with ethanol?
Where did you find non-ethanol in U.S. ? Wish I could find it here in Connecticut.
2011 Dorsoduro 1200
From reading about the ethanol affects over on the 750 board but because I had not picked up on it on this board I was hoping it would not be an issue on the 1200. I am in an area where there is no none ethanol fuel so I have to live with it one way or the other, I have tried to stay away from the 15% as they do mark this on the pump. I have not ridden the bike in about a month and I put it up with about a half a tank of fuel. Typically after a hard ride, regardless of fuel level, when I put it up I can hear the tank hissing shortly after I put it up and I usually crack the gas cap as a precaution but I did not do it this time.
Brain
I'm in Jacksonville, FL and we have a local retailer that has a few stations around town that have the non-ethanol gas for boats, bikes and small engines. I did an internet search for non-ethanol gas stations in my city. You may try to find a marina or facility that services the marine community, they may have it but it is more expensive than the ethanol treated gas.
There is a check valve in the charcoal canister system that vents the tank. I believe that it lets air in as the fuel in the tank is used so as not to allow a vacuum to be created. I believe that it may also relieve pressure that is created as the gas is heated from the engine running.
The check valve only relieves pressure..it doesnt let air into the tank....the charcoal canister is to filter out any gasoline fumes before it goes out into the atmosphere....Originally Posted by jpduc
The DD1200 is affected too...Mine and a buddy of mines have the issue....it usually results in the broken side fairing mount like in the first post. Kind of a PIA but Ive grown to live with it.
That is a good idea regarding the search for none ethanol fuel, had not thought of that. As for the venting, i have the canister removed and the vent hose piped down the side of frame so i dont believe vapor pressure in the tank was the probable cause. The side shield it self has a huge mounting hole which tells me that there were some long term tolerance issues in manufacturing from the start. It is feasible that the a tolerance stack up along with some minor tank swell caused the side panel hole to break out. I am going to post some photos when i have some time this week end.
I have a 2011 (production 4/11) dorso 1200 with about 450 miles and have yet to see any signs of tank swelling. I confess to having been using an additive made by Sta-Bil since I gassed it up the day I rode it home. It is called Ethanol Treatment and performance improver. Comes in a 10 oz. bottle for about $5. The dilution ratio is 1 oz/2.5 gallons. I know the owners manual says no fuel additives, but I'm just not convinced Aprilia have any clue about the negative effects ethanol has on their machines. After all most of their sales are to customers whom don't have it forced down their tanks.
I've been using Star Tron with no problems, after 7k miles.
I guess I will be looking into an additive before this issue morphs it self. Here are a couple pictures for reference:
Your pics reflect the exact same thing that happened on my 750-about a 1/2 inch increase in the length of the tank, broke both fairing mounts.-The tank and covers were replaced under warranty; although the immobilizer antenna was damaged as well, so I need to source one of those as it doesnt appear to be an item you can purchase by itself. If you could take a pic of that antenna that would be helpful-apparently you can get it for the 1200.
I spoke to soon :my tank has swollen and snapped both plastic covers. Hopefully covered under warranty.
Has anyones dealer told them if the new tanks have rectified the issue? Have they changed the tank at all to avoid this happening again?
Hope mine does it before warranty is up, sounds like all of them will be prone to it sooner or later...
Mr D, we don't have the ethonal issues they do have in the states. We started to, but the gov backed out and capped the % added.
2 eyes,2ears,2hands,2feet----TWO CYLINDERS
Falco Mods-K&N Filter,EVO airbox & stacks,SL Carbons ,Penske 8983, carbon front mudguard, dash,top yoke, swingarm covers and sprocket cover, bellypan, billet bar ends and levers, tinted screen & headlight cover, braided brake/clutch lines, Evoluzione clutch slave, Mille oil tank, Sargeant seat, tail tidy, Gilles vario bars, Mille swinger, Rad-cooler guards, Gabro chip. SOLD
DD 1200 - Gel seat, Arrows & map, shock tube, EVO Tail tidy, rad and oil guard, DNA Stage 2, Lightech bolt kit, Rizoma resouvoirs, Lux grips, Renthal bars, CRG levers, Carbon body work.
2006 SR50 - Morini motor - My $100 dollar resto project, underway currently.
The first bike I saw this on was the HD XR1200, was thinking about buying one and found this out during my research. The issue they had was much more severe to the point that the sides would not even fit. My question is that once the tank expands "X" amount does it stabilize, or does it continue to expand and expand........... If it expands to a point and stabilizes the fix would be to modify the side panel tooling to take this into consideration, not the tank. If it continues to expand there is no way to fix it. I have to take the bike in for a recall, been putting it off, and I was going to have this addressed at that point.
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