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MV Ever fix the tank swelling issue?

8K views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  Maser 
#1 ·
Or any advice on how to mitigate that? Non-ethanol fuel in DFW is impossible - its mandated by the EPA for smog.

The tank on my MY2010 is significantly swelled. Not loving that want to avoid that happening to my '13 RR when i get it this week.

Thanks

Leigh.
 
#4 ·
"Motorcycle art" the works of Salvador Dali. :)

Yeah 2010+ bikes have plastic tanks. They are softened by ethanol.

MV could fix this easily if they really even cared. Just add "coating the tank" to the pre-delivery instructions for the dealer when the bikes are new. If the ethanol can't touch the plastic it won't distort the tank.
 
#5 ·
Just add "coating the tank" to the pre-delivery instructions for the dealer when the bikes are new. If the ethanol can't touch the plastic it won't distort the tank.
Yeah I asked my dealer to coat the tank as a part of setup. they don't want to for fear for voiding the warranty
 
#7 ·
It's not the dealer that would void any warranty, but I can understand their concern. They should have contacted MV USA for direction......and they should contact them now for replacement of your tank, regardless of warranty. Plastic tanks can be made that are not affected by ethanol, it's all in the material chosen.
lmcmulle, you can get non-ethanol gas in Dallas. Go to a marina. Outboard engines don't like ethanol. Almost all marinas carry straight gas for that reason.

I suspect the later bikes have new plastic compounds that are not affected by E10 gas. Europe was supposed to start using ethanol gas too, but some level headed folks realized the impact on the food supply chain and postponed the implementation. Wish we had level headed people in our government here....Oh well.
 
#9 ·
Ethanol in fuel is coming our way ( UK ) presently 5 % but soon moving towards 10 %..

I can't see the point in replacing one plastic tank that swells with another that swells and then continuing to have the policy of not sealing it. I'd seal it and screw the warranty.

Donsy, does Stabil deactivate the ethanol ? If it does then that is a no brainer I guess. I use it in all my bikes when I am over wintering them...
 
#10 ·
The shop that did the work on my bike mentioned it impacting the rubbers inside (which is why they get soft and slip off). They said they tried using a stabilizer on some bikes for a while but the moment they missed on it immediately messed up the tanks.

And its not JUST MVs. They have it on other bikes with plastic tanks.
 
#11 ·
I do believe that all the manufacturers using plastic for fuel tanks have come to a resolution using different plastic compounds.
You should call or email MV and ask.

Yes, ethanol affects rubber parts.....the power equipment manufacturers (chain saws, leaf blowers, etc) really have problems with their fuel systems such as pumper carb diaphragms. As I mentioned before, the outboard marine industry has a big problem primarily because of the wet environment (no way around that one!) and the octane loss when the ethanol precipitates out of the gas....you can't hear that screaming outboard detonating...it just suddenly has no power and you have a big repair bill.

Stabilizer alone is not the answer. You need a fuel treatment specifically designed to prevent ethanol problems. This has been discussed at length in multiple threads.

I have attached a Service Bulletin (in PDF format) from Yamaha discussing E10 gas for your reading pleasure.

I am currently using Liquid Performance Ethanol Equalizer.....seems to be pretty dang good. Was using StarTron before. Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki all have ethanol treatments now (someone's product repackaged). Here's a link the the LP stuff I am using now:

http://www.summitracing.com/search/...uct-line/liquid-performance-ethanol-equalizer
 

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#16 ·
Our fuel here in the states is called 'E10', and the pumps at the station have a sticker saying 'contains up to 10% ethanol'.

My Ducati GT 1000 just got it's third (second replacement) tank last week. The dealer I bought it from wouldn't let me send the tank out to get sealed the first time, they said Ducati wouldn't allow a warranty part to be sent to a third party before installation and that sealing the tank would void the warranty. I'm with Gotojoe on this one, why keep replacing the tank with another that will do the same thing?

This time different dealer, and they were kind enough to let me get it sealed. Of course I signed paperwork putting the onus on me if anything happened to it, which I was fine with.

There is a vendor on ducati.ms, JCPakBikes, that has done 100's of them. I could have bought the coating material and done it myself, but he puts an abrasive in the tank and rotates it on a rotissare (sp?) for a minimum of six hours to rough it up inside, then rotates it with the coating for several hours till it's fully cured.

What I got back was worth it. The coating is very even inside and smooth. He warrants his work for a year, and the Ducati warranty is going to be over soon anyway (they lost a class action suit so all bikes can get new tanks till 18 months after the suit settled, which I believe is this August).
 
#18 ·
I have three bikes in the garage with the acerbis(?) plastic tanks. Stabil Ethanol Treatment, or any other ethanol treatment, is supposed to prevent "phase separation" of the components of ethanol fuels. It does not prevent the ethanol from being absorbed by the plastic. The tanks will still swell. What it does minimize is water absorption and that water pooling in the tank bottom and causing fouling, rusting and gelling there.

One method to restore your tank is to remove it from the bike, remove ALL fuel from it, allow it to dry thoroughly and then put a hair dryer discharge into the tank for a period (overnight). The chemicals that cause the plastic to grow will evaporate from the plastic and the tank will (may) return to its original shape.
 
#19 ·
Its basically non-existent inside the borders of most major metropolitan areas unfortunately. I tried that "pure gas" search engine and the nearest was 25 miles away. Thankfully at least Im on the older metal tanked MV so I dont have the warping issue, just the hoses getting softer and slipping off of the nipples (which shouldnt happen again since the fuel system is bound in a web of safety wire).
 
#21 ·
so quick question for 2012 owners -- any tank swelling to report? Are they still using the faulty tank liners?
 
#22 ·
This is not just an MV issue; Ducati has been going through the same. Ethanol removes any coating applied to the tank and the swelling happens. Locally, "Shell" still doesn't use ethanol in their gas; that is the only fuel that goes in my bikes.
 
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