Monster 696/796/1100 aluminum tank

jvax · March 31, 2011, 05:24:32 PM

I stumbled upon someone who had their M1100S tank, front bikini cowl and rear seat cowl remade in aluminum.

I'm thinking whether I should order a tank for my M796 and would appreciate your thoughts/opinions.

The aluminum tank adds 6 liters (1.5 gal) more capacity (15L -> 21L), which is very good for long rides.

Not sure about overall weight, and no idea what that tank switch does...

It's custom made by a shop that specialized in aluminum tanks for SBK. The owner said he can make one for ABS monsters as well.

Cost estimated roughly around 1800$, without paint job. A bit expensive I think.

Any thoughts?

{EDIT}

Here's the front bikini cowl

and the rear seat cover

Punx Clever · March 31, 2011, 05:43:59 PM

Not bad considering they are one-off's. I would like an aluminum tank with more capacity for my S2R, as long as it used the stock fuel pump assembly. But, alas, I don't have the dinero for it.

xplodee · March 31, 2011, 05:44:09 PM

Looks cool. Fwiw that second pic is a nice shot in front of what appears to be your standard Chinese factory. Wonder who's doing the work, $1800 really isn't bad at all

jvax · March 31, 2011, 05:59:22 PM

Thanks guys.

Quote from: xplodee on March 31, 2011, 05:44:09 PM
Looks cool. Fwiw that second pic is a nice shot in front of what appears to be your standard Chinese factory. Wonder who's doing the work, $1800 really isn't bad at all

It's actually a Japanese shop that, for two decades, has been making aluminum tanks for SBKs racing the Suzuka 8 Hours race, so I'm really not questioning the quality.

xplodee · March 31, 2011, 06:07:43 PM

Sweeet. That's really a good price then for Japanese work. Doooo it.

Slide Panda · March 31, 2011, 06:12:52 PM

+1 A CF tank for older monsters ran about that same price. Road racing make an aluminum tank for the carbys and I think it was around that price 15 years ago. So yeah, $1800 for that really isn't bad, especially if it's from a reputable shop

bikepilot · March 31, 2011, 06:22:33 PM

Looks absolutely awesome to my eyes. Extra capacity is a great thing to have as well. You don't have to top up if you don't want the weight, but you have the option of the extra range too.

I don't think I could stand to paint such a pretty tank. Maybe just clear-coat it as is or even leave it totally bare.

thought · March 31, 2011, 06:30:03 PM

wow, that does look awesome... if you were to paint it, you would need to do it like the 1196sp though... at least leave one stripe bare aluminum so you can see it.

jvax · March 31, 2011, 06:59:24 PM

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm pretty convinced now that it's a good deal.

My monster is black / red frame, and I kinda like it that way, so I don't think I could leave the tank all bare.

A bare stripe in the middle a la 1198SP, or maybe one stripe on each side...

Any thoughts about powder coating? I don't want to paint it shiny, I kinda like the matte black, so black powder coat maybe...

mattc7 · March 31, 2011, 07:04:55 PM

that is gorgeous.

I would love the extra capacity!

See how it compares it weight, please

It looks like I have something new to save for....either this, or a radical tank, however the capacity here would be awesome

thought · March 31, 2011, 07:45:15 PM

if you're going to paint it black, then stencil the ducati symbol in and let the alum show through the letters... i'd go with the 80's ducati lettering. and keep the clearcoated stripe in the middle visible too... should keep the black look you like, but will show off the tank too.

i wonder how it would look anodized though? that would accomplish the mission of both showing that it's alum and also get that black you want... dunno if you could get the stripe or lettering if you went that route though... but it would be pretty unique

sbrguy · March 31, 2011, 07:53:33 PM

where are you located that you even got a pick of that? i have been emailing the company that makes the "beater" brand alum tanks that makes that for months and they never email back. that tank would take care of the whole expanding tank issue for sure.

dbran1949 · March 31, 2011, 08:07:07 PM

Is this an actual tank? I thought the new monsters just had tank skins and the real tank was a poly propylene tank underneath the skins

jvax · March 31, 2011, 08:52:48 PM

Quote from: sbrguy on March 31, 2011, 07:53:33 PM
where are you located that you even got a pick of that? i have been emailing the company that makes the "beater" brand alum tanks that makes that for months and they never email back. that tank would take care of the whole expanding tank issue for sure.

I'm located in Japan. I'm gonna call them again to request a quote for my tank.

For monsters, they've only done the M900 in the past, and this M1100S about a year ago.

Since my bike has ABS, my tank is 1.5L smaller than non-ABS, so they'll have to have my bike for a couple of months.

I'm pretty sure they're not aware of the potential demand from overseas ducatisti.

If you wanna ask "beater" any specific questions, I'm happy to help you (I speak Japanese too) so you can PM me if you want.

jvax · March 31, 2011, 08:54:56 PM

Quote from: dbran1949 on March 31, 2011, 08:07:07 PM
Is this an actual tank? I thought the new monsters just had tank skins and the real tank was a poly propylene tank underneath the skins

That is an actual tank which replaces the inner plastic tank and the outer shell.

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Monster 696/796/1100 aluminum tank