Talk:Ducati SportClassic

GT1000 tank problem

The GT1000 had significant issues and a recall due to a faulty tank design. In US models, the plastic tank expanded apparently due to the high levels of ethanol in US gasoline, which reacted with the tank polycarbonate plastic. The so-called "spreading tank" problem is a topic that should be included in the main article. See e.g., http://www.webbikeworld.com/ducati-motorcycles/gt-1000/fuel-tank/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Allthingstoallpeople (talk • contribs) 02:39, 1 October 2014 (UTC)

Yes, it actually all versions, the Sport1000 and Paul Smart too, not just the GT. I got a new tank under the recall for my Sport 1000, even though the warranty had expired. The fuel tank is considered part of the emissions control system so there's a mandatory US Federal warranty that runs 8 years/80,000 miles. And there is coverage in multiple sources.

The reason the fuel tanks was a fiasco is interesting. They used a modern Ducati frame with a line that runs straight from the headstock to the rear swingarm, which is the major line you see on most modern bikes. But they wanted that straight horizontal line from 1960s-70s cafe bikes, where the fuel tank runs flat straight to the seat and the rear bump stop. So they artificially crated the horizontal line by wrapping the tank around the outside of the frame, hiding the diagonal line of the frame with a horizontal line. And this was with a plastic fuel tank that didn't have the inherent rigidity for that trick. So they were done in by style over substance. Glynn Kerr might have discussed this design issue in one of his columns. --Dennis Bratland (talk) 03:44, 1 October 2014 (UTC)