Just chasing some info regarding some info regarding purchasing fuel tanks form India

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wheelie

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Dec 27, 2011
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Hi .I own a 69 Commando that was imported into Australia from California about 15 years ago . Its a bit of a parts bin special with what i believe to be a Roadster chassis (central mounted oil tank ),a mk 2 850 engine with Fastback tank ,seat and ducktail.
The bike had been repainted and looked immaculate but a fault with the fibreglass tank soon became apparent .
About 12 years ago i bought a new ADR Mouldings fibreglass tank from UK and sealed it inside with a special tank sealer just to be sure our fuel didn,t damage the glass even thought the resin used in the manufacture of the tank was supposed to be compatible with modern fuels .
This tank has recently started to leak fuel along the bottom edge when the top 1/2 of the base are glued together of the tank on both sides .
I used an endoscope to look inside the tank and found the tank sealer to be cracked in places and the what ever glue was used to both halves together has failed as well hold .
I am currently splitting the tank apart along the seams just to have a good look .
Am looking at getting an alloy or steel tank out of India hopefully without getting scammed or a poor quality product and have been reading some of the comments on other peoples experiences .
Any recommendations would be appreciated ie Royal Choppers ,Vintage 24x7,Khanmousin ,Enfieldcounty spares etc
 
wheelie said:
I own a 69 Commando that was imported into Australia from California about 15 years ago . Its a bit of a parts bin special with what i believe to be a Roadster chassis (central mounted oil tank ),
Click to expand...

If it is '69 then it's too early to be a Roadster. More likely to be an 'S'-type.
 
wheelie said:
Hi .I own a 69 Commando that was imported into Australia from California about 15 years ago . Its a bit of a parts bin special with what i believe to be a Roadster chassis (central mounted oil tank ),a mk 2 850 engine with Fastback tank ,seat and ducktail.
The bike had been repainted and looked immaculate but a fault with the fibreglass tank soon became apparent .
About 12 years ago i bought a new ADR Mouldings fibreglass tank from UK and sealed it inside with a special tank sealer just to be sure our fuel didn,t damage the glass even thought the resin used in the manufacture of the tank was supposed to be compatible with modern fuels .
This tank has recently started to leak fuel along the bottom edge when the top 1/2 of the base are glued together of the tank on both sides .
I used an endoscope to look inside the tank and found the tank sealer to be cracked in places and the what ever glue was used to both halves together has failed as well hold .
I am currently splitting the tank apart along the seams just to have a good look .
Am looking at getting an alloy or steel tank out of India hopefully without getting scammed or a poor quality product and have been reading some of the comments on other peoples experiences .
Any recommendations would be appreciated ie Royal Choppers ,Vintage 24x7,Khanmousin ,Enfieldcounty spares etc
Click to expand...
Wheelie,
I think it is still a roll of the dice with the India tanks.You will get results going one way or another.If you want piece of mind,bite the bullet and get a quality tank.There are some great fabricators that can you make one for you.Not cheap but lovely work.
Mike
 
wheelie said:
Hi .I own a 69 Commando that was imported into Australia from California about 15 years ago . Its a bit of a parts bin special with what i believe to be a Roadster chassis (central mounted oil tank ),a mk 2 850 engine with Fastback tank ,seat and ducktail.
The bike had been repainted and looked immaculate but a fault with the fibreglass tank soon became apparent .
About 12 years ago i bought a new ADR Mouldings fibreglass tank from UK and sealed it inside with a special tank sealer just to be sure our fuel didn,t damage the glass even thought the resin used in the manufacture of the tank was supposed to be compatible with modern fuels .
This tank has recently started to leak fuel along the bottom edge when the top 1/2 of the base are glued together of the tank on both sides .
I used an endoscope to look inside the tank and found the tank sealer to be cracked in places and the what ever glue was used to both halves together has failed as well hold .
I am currently splitting the tank apart along the seams just to have a good look .
Am looking at getting an alloy or steel tank out of India hopefully without getting scammed or a poor quality product and have been reading some of the comments on other peoples experiences .
Any recommendations would be appreciated ie Royal Choppers ,Vintage 24x7,Khanmousin ,Enfieldcounty spares etc
Click to expand...
Same story with two fiber Fastback tank bought new from UK (said to be ethanol proof) , for two friends we put like you the best tank sealer and one year later both were leaking , so one friend fed up buy an expensive alloy one (still ok) the other a cheap steel one from overseas (lot of work but still ok , when I pick one of the previous fiber tank (for free) my fiber specialist buddy open it by the bottom and it took hours to get rid off the sealer and fit another "magic" resin from aircraft tank business , glue it again , and same as you - months later a small leak at the jointing ..... I finally bought a Fastback tank from Roal Choppers , and it was OK ....
 
The seller that I bought my tank from was named "rsvintageparts2014" When I bought the tank it wasn't listed on the USA ebay, but was listed in the UK ebay, so I looked for it and did not find it. Someone from the original thread posted the link to the UK ebay and I ordered it from there. I bought an unpainted interstate tank. At the time I bought my tank, I paid $154. american which included free shipping from india... That's just an incredible price for what turned out to be a good tank.
 
I bought an Indian made BSA gold star tank and it was very good
It came with taps that leaked
A cap that needed modifying to fit
The breather had to be modified
The badges didn't fit too well either
But the tank , the paint, the chrome were all good with no leaks
I did insist that they sent me a photo of the tank I was actually getting
I also have an Indian roadster tank and a Firebird scrambler tank that appears good but I haven't used them yet
 
L.A.B. said:
If it is '69 then it's too early to be a Roadster. More likely to be an 'S'-type.
Click to expand...
Ok ,thanks for that .Have many books on Commando, s trying to track down what it started life out as but never even considered an S type .
There is a Norton Register somewhere ,but I havent found it yet .
Chasis No 130727
Engine an 850 no 305940
gearbox 132476
Like i described it ,a parts bin special with a lot of upgrades .
Gets ridden a lot on dirt roads as a necessity where I live and when i show it, its in as ridden condition , I get a lot of comments about good to see it ridden
 
YING said:
Wheelie,
I think it is still a roll of the dice with the India tanks.You will get results going one way or another.If you want piece of mind,bite the bullet and get a quality tank.There are some great fabricators that can you make one for you.Not cheap but lovely work.
Mike
Click to expand...
From the experiences my friends have had all be it a few years ago with Indian sourced tanks ,the fit quality was questionable hence my initial question if anyone had any recent dealings with any of the companies .
Very few Nortons where I live as most of the guys in the historical clubs I am in have Ducatis or Japanese bikes
Although it wa suggested I look at Alloy instead of steel tanks which makes sense .
I dont mind paying extra so long as I get a quality product and there seems to be a few manufacturers .
Do any companies in the UK make Fastback tanks ,I havent found any yet .
 
baz said:
I bought an Indian made BSA gold star tank and it was very good
It came with taps that leaked
A cap that needed modifying to fit
The breather had to be modified
The badges didn't fit too well either
But the tank , the paint, the chrome were all good with no leaks
I did insist that they sent me a photo of the tank I was actually getting
I also have an Indian roadster tank and a Firebird scrambler tank that appears good but I haven't used them yet
Click to expand...
Hi Baz , have head of stories as you described with mountings not correct ,tap outlets in wrong position etc although i think that was on a Trident tank but also other tanks not fitting .
Was hoping over the years the quality control may have improved but unless you know somebody who has bought a recent product ,how do you know for sure .
What was company you purchased the tank from ?
A a lot of them seem to sell tanks that are made from different manufactures and dont actually make the tank themselves and I think it preferable to deal with the manufacturer direct if possible .
I did find a company on Ebay that claimed to be based in Australia and get their parts manufactured by their factory in India etc and I thought that may be a better way to go .
So i did a google search on them to see if they are genuine , which revealed...... nothing .
I believe a lot of scammers claim they are in Australia but are actually in China or wherever which makes me nervous .
I am guessing that is a worldwide problem though .
 
wheelie said:
From the experiences my friends have had all be it a few years ago with Indian sourced tanks ,the fit quality was questionable hence my initial question if anyone had any recent dealings with any of the companies .
Very few Nortons where I live as most of the guys in the historical clubs I am in have Ducatis or Japanese bikes
Although it wa suggested I look at Alloy instead of steel tanks which makes sense .
I dont mind paying extra so long as I get a quality product and there seems to be a few manufacturers .
Do any companies in the UK make Fastback tanks ,I havent found any yet .
Click to expand...
TGA advertise a Fastback tank

tabclassics.com

Norton Commando Fastback style tank - Tab Classics

This is our take on the original Norton Commando Fastback style tank. We have given it a bespoke base so that it will only fit the Commando.
tabclassics.com tabclassics.com

I bought one of their lyta style tanks about 25 years ago for my Domi 500 race bike. Worked well but I must warn you alloy tanks must be well isolated from the frame. They do not like being vibrated against the frame and are not as robust as a steel tank.

Your not really clear what type of tank you are after. If it is a Roadster tank then I would definitely go for the Emgo tank made in Taiwan and sold by most of the main Norton parts places.
 
wheelie said:
From the experiences my friends have had all be it a few years ago with Indian sourced tanks ,the fit quality was questionable hence my initial question if anyone had any recent dealings with any of the companies .
Very few Nortons where I live as most of the guys in the historical clubs I am in have Ducatis or Japanese bikes
Although it wa suggested I look at Alloy instead of steel tanks which makes sense .
I dont mind paying extra so long as I get a quality product and there seems to be a few manufacturers .
Do any companies in the UK make Fastback tanks ,I havent found any yet .
Click to expand...

marinatlas said:
Same story with two fiber Fastback tank bought new from UK (said to be ethanol proof) , for two friends we put like you the best tank sealer and one year later both were leaking , so one friend fed up buy an expensive alloy one (still ok) the other a cheap steel one from overseas (lot of work but still ok , when I pick one of the previous fiber tank (for free) my fiber specialist buddy open it by the bottom and it took hours to get rid off the sealer and fit another "magic" resin from aircraft tank business , glue it again , and same as you - months later a small leak at the jointing ..... I finally bought a Fastback tank from Roal Choppers , and it was OK ....
Click to expand...
Ok Thanks ,I was in the process of opening the tank to see what I could do but decided the best place for it is on top of a cupboard .:) shame because it does look pretty good but dealing with the glass dust fibres I can do without .
Will do a bit more research but at least now I know someone that has dealt with Royal Choppers .
Thanks for you feedback .
 
L.A.B. said:
130727 actually makes it too early to be an 'S' type so the central oil tank probably isn't the original.
Click to expand...
From my books ,the side panels are different from from the S model as well .
I have tracked down a couple of my books being Essential Buyers guide by Peter Henslaw and Norton Commandos, All Models by Roy Bacon and as before, am none the wiser as yet.
The bike has gaitered front forks ,drilled front disc with the lockheed Calipher ,different master cylinder (has awesome front brake ) with the norrow front tyre ..Vernier isolastics when I bought the bike the rear isolatic was the vernier type but the front was still the shim type which was shot to bits ,850 engine ,single 34 Mil Mikuni carby ,replaced the Boyer electronic ignition with a Pazon ,different crankcase breathing with a PCV valve in the breather line to the oil tank which is central mounted .Resized swingarm pin with locking bolts ,external oil filter ,18 inch rear wheel conversion ,green spot instruments and Fastback tank ,seat and ducktail but the side panel look like Roadster type which are held in place by pins through rubber grommets and prayers (now with Zippy ties after one tried to escape ).
So what it started out as is still a mystery .
 
johnm said:
TGA advertise a Fastback tank

tabclassics.com

Norton Commando Fastback style tank - Tab Classics

This is our take on the original Norton Commando Fastback style tank. We have given it a bespoke base so that it will only fit the Commando.
tabclassics.com tabclassics.com

I bought one of their lyta style tanks about 25 years ago for my Domi 500 race bike. Worked well but I must warn you alloy tanks must be well isolated from the frame. They do not like being vibrated against the frame and are not as robust as a steel tank.

Your not really clear what type of tank you are after. If it is a Roadster tank then I would definitely go for the Emgo tank made in Taiwan and sold by most of the main Norton parts places.
Click to expand...
Sorry if I wasnt clear ,I am after another Fastback tank ,glass tanks are obviously out .Depending on who I talk to whether to go with an alloy tank but as someone stated in another post they need to be isolated from vibration where as steel although heavier are more easily repairable .
I did experiment with a Dave Taylor head steady at one stage but try as I might I could not get rid of the vibrations being transferred to the chasis so reverted back to the bobbins but probably need to make thicker side support plates than the originals .
And interesting point ,when I bought the bike it was painted a very dark green which i was told was British Racing Green ,When I bought a new ADR mouldings glass tank many years ago and it arrived it was Light Green . When I enquired about it ,I was told that it was British racing green .
According to a couple of spray painters I know here in Australia ,there are 2 different standards for British racing green.
Although I am prepared to go with a polished alloy Fastback tank if need be .
 
wheelie said:
I have tracked down a couple of my books being Essential Buyers guide by Peter Henslaw and Norton Commandos, All Models by Roy Bacon and as before, am none the wiser as yet.
Click to expand...

Very likely a Fastback then. If you really wan't to know then Andover Norton, the UK NOC and VMCC have the records although they will very likey charge a fee for checking.
 
wheelie said:
Ok ,thanks for that .Have many books on Commando, s trying to track down what it started life out as but never even considered an S type .
There is a Norton Register somewhere ,but I havent found it yet .
Chasis No 130727
Engine an 850 no 305940
gearbox 132476
Like i described it ,a parts bin special with a lot of upgrades .
Click to expand...
Give up trying to track down what it started life out as as all the major components started out life on 3 different machines. Build it up to what you most like and enjoy it.
 
I have a roadster tank from royal choppers. After much messing about and managing to fix the original( ethanol sh*t damaged sealer) I now don't require the Indian one. I found the front end of it was too short an d the top laquere coat had a couple of small runs it was perfectly good . Money wise a very definite option. If they would only start making a tank for 961,s !!! Another long story ! Roy Spot the difference ?
 

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The yaki said:
I have a roadster tank from royal choppers. After much messing about and managing to fix the original( ethanol sh*t damaged sealer) I now don't require the Indian one. I found the front end of it was too short an d the top laquere coat had a couple of small runs it was perfectly good . Money wise a very definite option. If they would only start making a tank for 961,s !!! Another long story ! Roy Spot the difference ?
Click to expand...

marinatlas said:
Same story with two fiber Fastback tank bought new from UK (said to be ethanol proof) , for two friends we put like you the best tank sealer and one year later both were leaking , so one friend fed up buy an expensive alloy one (still ok) the other a cheap steel one from overseas (lot of work but still ok , when I pick one of the previous fiber tank (for free) my fiber specialist buddy open it by the bottom and it took hours to get rid off the sealer and fit another "magic" resin from aircraft tank business , glue it again , and same as you - months later a small leak at the jointing ..... I finally bought a Fastback tank from Roal Choppers , and it was OK ....
Click to expand...
Hi marinatlas,
Were any of the fiberglass tanks you bought from RGM? I have one of their Fastback fiberglass tanks that are supposed to be safe with ethanol fuel and want to use it this spring.

Ed
 

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