961 with Alloy Tank

And the fuel pump is annoyingly loud. Resonates through the Aluminum. Scratches easy. Not practical at all. But looks hella cool. for a weekend bike for sure get one. For a daily like mine. Pass.
 
I love my aluminum tanks!
The polished take is easy to care for. If you just use mothers polish once a year and wipe down the tank after each ride with a micro fiber towel with WD40 it looks brand new.

On my Dominator Naked I also use WD40 after each ride.
Can’t get any easier than that.
 
Voodooo said:
I love my aluminum tanks!
The polished take is easy to care for. If you just use mothers polish once a year and wipe down the tank after each ride with a micro fiber towel with WD40 it looks brand new.

On my Dominator Naked I also use WD40 after each ride.
Can’t get any easier than that.
Click to expand...

I guess i just don’t have enough experience with that tank. My dad does nothing so its dull. He would rather rude than clean.
 
lcrken said:
Good for him! Got to have your priorities straight.

Ken
Click to expand...

Ride not rude. But priorities for him are make Nortons great and ride Nortons. My whole life was Nortons so when I heard they came back, thanks to Stuart, I took my dad to go see one. Love at first sight.
 
I think some day I will have an alloy tank for my 961 . Especially if the plastic tank goes bad ! My decision will have to be between matte finish like the Naked or the glossy ? What do you guys think , matte or glossy ???
 
I remember a recent photo posted on the 961 forum by a Dominator owner, and that bike had a tank with brushed aluminum finish.
I think it looked quite nice.
Different, but with a really appealing aesthetic of its own.

Polishing an alloy tank isn't really all that difficult.
A good aluminum polish like Mothers once a week will keep it pretty clean and bright.
Then maybe twice a year use a hand drill mounted buffing wheel with a little aluminum buffing clay. That will keep the finish blindingly bright.

The only thing you have to watch out for is the "Norton" logo on the tank flanks.
The clay will definitely scratch that decal/transfer.
You could just cover the transfer with painter's tape to be safe.

Not too high a price to pay for a permanently beautiful shiny alloy tank.
 
The alloy tank on the naked version is first polished to perfection, and then scrubbed dull, by hand, with scotchbrite! I know cos I had it explained to me at the factory last week!

The dull tank works wonderfully on the naked, but, it is part of a package including clear powder coat on the frame showing the welds, and mat finish carbon fibre.

IMHO, if the rest of your bike is gloss paint and shiny alloy, you need a polished tank.

The Norton alloy tanks are works of art, the underside is as impresssive as the top side. They take something like 3 days to make and half a day to polish.

If black and gold didn’t look so ‘right’ I’d be very tempted myself!
 
Last edited:
I think you're on to something with choosing the polished . I wonder if we took a poll who would choose polished over matte ? I better start saving up for it now , It's inevitable !
 
961 with Alloy Tank

I love both tanks. As was already mentioned, I like the brushed tank on my Naked because the rest of the bike is raw. But I also like the polished tank on my Commando because it goes with all the gloss carbon fiber and polished aluminum pieces.
 

Similar threads

MAK
TAB II Alloy tank range.
2
Replies
24
Views
643
Bevelheadmhr
B
kev
TAB Classics - Alloy tank....advice please!
2
Replies
23
Views
1,608
kev
kev
B
Reactions of other riders to your 961?
Replies
6
Views
264
City Garage
City Garage
colin davie
Alloy tank
Replies
10
Views
581
colin davie
colin davie
SMT2264
Commando 961 & V4SV are continuation models from the Garner era
Replies
2
Views
215
L.A.B.
L.A.B.
Back
Top