I already own 4 ducatis all have steel tanks and are at least 10 years old , I wont sell them but recently i have been looking to buy a new bike or a more recent bike but have decided that it wont be a ducati, due to all the issues with the plastic tanks and ducatis inability to solve the issue with a Proper permanent fix of steel tanks .

So now i am looking at other makes such as moto guzzi, Norton , triumph and even BMW and HD  , i do fancy the new commando but the price is high and a long waiting list  and its not a 360 crank but 270 . Moto Guzzi v7 is sweet and well made but under pwered for me , the only HD i like is sportsters but I really fancy a parralel twin again .The new bonny is OK but a bit ugly compared to classic ones ah maybe i should get myself a classic bike / 750 commando or 650 triumph or BSA ...hmmmm at least the tanks would be metal.....choices  choices  ouch i am getting a headache .....better go play with one of my dukes .

A lot of other brands use plastic tanks too, could always coat the tank too

i dont mind my plastic tank. i got mine warrantied.

no coating, no nothing. It hasnt expanded at all. but in my own defense, i do put a regular amount of gas through it ( i fill her up maybe once or twice a week) so the gas never sits. Even if it did sit (for about a month last winter) it didnt expand.

Also, my bike has been knocked over way more times than i have fingers to count (okay maybe its just 1 shy from that) and having a plastic tank means i never have to worry about that damn dent, which is great.

Will i get another ducati? i hate to say it, but im a ducati fan boy. My next bike will be a M1100EVO.... the only other bike i have my eyes set on is if they trick up the SV650 or the FZ-6.

Quote from: jerryz on October 06, 2011, 03:03:06 PM
I already own 4 ducatis all have steel tanks and are at least 10 years old , I wont sell them but recently i have been looking to buy a new bike or a more recent bike but have decided that it wont be a ducati, due to all the issues with the plastic tanks and ducatis inability to solve the issue with a Proper permanent fix of steel tanks .

So now i am looking at other makes such as moto guzzi, Norton , triumph and even BMW and HD  , i do fancy the new commando but the price is high and a long waiting list  and its not a 360 crank but 270 . Moto Guzzi v7 is sweet and well made but under pwered for me .....

Moto Guzzi V7 has a plastic fuel tank, as do a number of BMWs.  

My M696 had a plastic fuel tank as does my M1100 and neither of those have suffered any deformation (although ethanol fuel blend is not so common in my part of the world).  Interestingly, I've had discussions with ducatiz which has revealed that my '09 M1100 plastic tank is made of a different material (PEX) than the plastic tanks fitted to '09 US market M1100 (PA).

all bikes have issues.

I can deal with tank expansion, at least it doesn't keep me off the road.

The new Norton has a plastic tank too. Also, I doubt it will ever make it to the U.S..

Quote from: ungeheuer on October 06, 2011, 06:55:36 PM
Moto Guzzi V7 has a plastic fuel tank, as do a number of BMWs.  

My M696 had a plastic fuel tank as does my M1100 and neither of those have suffered any deformation (although ethanol fuel blend is not so common in my part of the world).  Interestingly, I've had discussions with ducatiz which has revealed that my '09 M1100 plastic tank is made of a different material (PEX) than the plastic tanks fitted to '09 US market M1100 (NA).

So what material are the US bike tanks made of?

The tank itself on the new monsters doesn't get painted which would allow the use of a material that won't accept/retain paint.

The bikes with plastic tanks under skins (i.e., pretty much all new ducatis) should be ok, even if it does distort a little, I don't see it hurting anything.  Steel tanks rust and sometimes crack, so, on balance, I'll take a plastic tank over steel.  With the old ones, its manageable.  I need to get a new one for my wife's bike, but the bike is rideable with some hokey mods to move the tank back.

One thing I don't have to worry about with the buell is fuel tank expansion or rust 

Quote from: ducpainter on October 07, 2011, 04:30:12 AM
So what material are the US bike tanks made of?

My Australian market '09 M1100 fuel tank... XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene, aka PEX)...


DucNaked's US market '09 M1100 fuel tank... PA (nylon)...


What I wonder is why Ducati went to the trouble and expense to make the same fuel tank from different materials depending on the market destination??  The US tanks all have a white chalky appearance... whereas mine is semi-gloss black plastic lookin'....

Quote from: ungeheuer on October 07, 2011, 06:01:42 AM
What I wonder is why Ducati went to the trouble and expense to make the same fuel tank from different materials depending on the market destination??  The US tanks all have a white chalky appearance... whereas mine is semi-gloss black plastic lookin'....

probably no US approval yet to use XLPE in a road tank.  The only XLPE tanks I have seen were aftermarket off-road-use-only tanks.

regulatory approvals are $$$

Where on the tank is this info.. I'd like to check what I have..

Quote from: sgollapalle on October 07, 2011, 07:07:37 AM
Where on the tank is this info.. I'd like to check what I have..

bottom side.  all of the molded plastic tanks have it plus a date clock to show you when it was made

Quote from: ungeheuer on October 07, 2011, 06:01:42 AM
My Australian market '09 M1100 fuel tank... XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene, aka PEX)...



What I wonder is why Ducati went to the trouble and expense to make the same fuel tank from different materials depending on the market destination??  The US tanks all have a white chalky appearance... whereas mine is semi-gloss black plastic lookin'....

  The material your tank is made of looks the same as most automotive tanks I've seen.
Looks like someone cut corners somewhere to save a buck.   

Just checked mine.... not exactly the easiest thing to see with the fuel tank in place... I couldn't see the type of plastic used as the tank is still on the bike... but I did see the made in Italy the same as Ungs and it has the black shiny appearance...I am in the UAE but my bike is from Greece... a EU bike.
So I am assuming mine is OK?

Interesting discussion. 

Quote from: danaid on October 07, 2011, 07:28:43 AM
  The material your tank is made of looks the same as most automotive tanks I've seen.
Looks like someone cut corners somewhere to save a buck.   

WTF?  Making the same tank from two different materials is not gonna save any money... 

Quote from: graydo on October 07, 2011, 08:06:38 AM
Just checked mine.... not exactly the easiest thing to see with the fuel tank in place... I couldn't see the type of plastic used as the tank is still on the bike... but I did see the made in Italy the same as Ungs and it has the black shiny appearance...I am in the UAE but my bike is from Greece... a EU bike.
So I am assuming mine is OK?

Interesting discussion. 

If yours is a EU bike I'm guessing it will need the e11 marking.... and therefor be - as is mine - made from PEX.