carbon fibre fuel tank

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scorpio24v
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carbon fibre fuel tank

#1 Post by scorpio24v » Wed Dec 30, 2020 1:15 pm

I'm trying to future proof the Falco from the dreaded ethanol. I've been looking the carbon fibre fuel tank threads and this seems to be the, expensive, way to ensure many more years of Falco riding. Has anyone here used/is using one and if so is an easy fit with no issues? I understand they don't have breathers of drain tubes but that seems to be a non-problem. I'll leave it varnished but unpainted with just the 'Aprillia' decals in bronze (the bike is the bronze/black one).

Happy Christmas.
Vince.
"Aprilia is brilliant at combining Italian panache with Japanese-esque reliability and build quality. It's like dating a porn queen, except when you take her home she puts her hair up in a bun, dons her glasses and does your tax returns for you.”

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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#2 Post by mangocrazy » Wed Dec 30, 2020 5:03 pm

I have one but (to my shame) have not fitted it yet. I know - it's very slack on my part. A number of forum members have the CF tank and all reports I've heard have been favourable. Some (like D-Rider) don't post here very often, but you should get a response from one of the regulars.

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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#3 Post by Firestarter » Fri Jan 01, 2021 5:32 pm

I fitted mine last year. It wasn't a straight fit, needed some fettling, it was longer than stock so the front bracket needed shaving back and the holes elongated plus it was a bit of a faff getting the rear bracket mounted (seemed very slightly too wide). But none of this was major work, just a bit of twiddling. I do know some have had a (minor) issue with the fuel pump fitting, where the base wasn't quite flat (think it was over-spray of lacquer so after a bit of sanding it was sorted). Unfortunately mine leaked from a join at the front, however Richard (the guy who made it) took it back and sorted it, even though it was a couple of years since I bought it and it seems fine now.

Depending on what you buy, it might be fitted with a breather - mine didn't, as I run a Baglux harness and the breather would get in the way. I did the fix on the fuel cap (shaving a bit of a plastic collar back to let it breathe) as I did find if pulled a bit of a vacuum, but have to be careful with that fix as I've found you can leak fuel when lifting the tank, I'm considering running breather lines through the tank like the originals (if I can be bothered) but I probably won't :smt003

Have you got a source already for one?
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scorpio24v
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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#4 Post by scorpio24v » Sun Jan 03, 2021 2:16 pm

Thanks for the reply. Yeah I contacted Richard after reading the original thread. He's still making them to order so I might pull the trigger. I don't think the breather mod is an issue if it only leaks when the tank is lifted...I don't make a habit of lifting mine. I only use the super unleaded from Esso and BP so I've no problems with the original tank...yet! I'm still thinking as £1300 for a tank on a £2.5 K bike represents a large slice, especially as it needs 'fettling'.
Cheers,
vince.
"Aprilia is brilliant at combining Italian panache with Japanese-esque reliability and build quality. It's like dating a porn queen, except when you take her home she puts her hair up in a bun, dons her glasses and does your tax returns for you.”

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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#5 Post by Firestarter » Mon Jan 04, 2021 9:08 pm

scorpio24v wrote:
Sun Jan 03, 2021 2:16 pm
I'm still thinking as £1300 for a tank on a £2.5 K bike represents a large slice, especially as it needs 'fettling'.
Depends on your perspective - 1/2 hour with the drill and a grinder was about the time required for the front bracket, couple of hours all-in to swap all the components over from old tank to new (inc the refurb stuff below) from old tank fitted to new tank fitted.

Whether the inserts on the front of the tank could be set in 5mm further back I don't know, but that might be all that's required (or might just be on mine - not sure if others had similar issues with the front). Any other time spent is more refurb work on the fuel pump - replacing the filter, changing any hoses etc - not essential, just something that is worth-while doing while it's all stripped.

But yes, it is a significant wedge - my old tank will go back on if I ever sell the Falco, and I'll sell this separately to recoup some of the costs.
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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#6 Post by Viking » Thu Jan 07, 2021 10:38 am

What Firestarter said.

Mine was a right pain to fit - I had to elongate all the holes in all the brackets. I think it's caused a small crack at the front mount point due to thermal expansion in the Oz sun - which I'd like to get fixed because the garage tends to smell badly of petrol if I leave too much in the tank. :-(

@Firestarter - what do you need to do to the filler cap? Mine needs that as well as it doesn't breath very well.

Cheers,
V
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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#7 Post by Firestarter » Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:12 pm

I'll try and get a photo later - it was something Richard tested and posted in the post about the tanks (which I can't find in the forum at the moment...), on the underside of the filler cap is a rubber plug, which sits into a plastic stub when the cap is closed. By shaving down the plastic stub, it provides a breathing route from the outside world. It definitely works, as I don't pull a vacuum any more (at least not enough to tell), but I'm not sure if that's where I now get a leak from when lifting the tank (or whether it is from around the filler cap assembly itself).

I guess could also remove the rubber plug as a check, rather than cutting the stub?

My leak was similar to yours maybe (only leaked when the tank was full), Richard sent me some resin which worked for a short period but ended up taking it back to fix it (possibly vacuum related?). I've also re-fitted one of the threaded inserts for the fuel pump using some JB Weld - you could maybe find the spec of the resin or try flowing some JB Weld around the front of the tank to seal the leak?
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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#8 Post by Firestarter » Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:20 pm

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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#9 Post by Viking » Fri Jan 08, 2021 6:12 am

Thanks FireStarter, much appreciated.

I will have a look at the plastic filler insert thing, after seeing if the shops here have anything like JB Weld... (I might as well fix 2 things at the same time, rather than taking everything apart twice.)

Have a great weekend, everyone!
It's the V-twin thing. There's just something about it that inline-4s don't have at all, and V-4s don't have enough of.

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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#10 Post by Firestarter » Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:33 am

Make sure you dry the tank out - you might need to flush it with a bit of acetone to get rid of any residue that may prevent any resin from binding
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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#11 Post by scorpio24v » Mon Jan 11, 2021 4:27 pm

Thanks for the replys. it seems that the CF tank has a few fitting problems that for over a grand I'm not prepared to accept. As my tank only gets a diet of the BP and Esso good stuff it hasn't swollen much, if at all, so I'll stick with the original. glad I found out about the issues before pulling and expensive trigger.
Best wishes,
Vince.
"Aprilia is brilliant at combining Italian panache with Japanese-esque reliability and build quality. It's like dating a porn queen, except when you take her home she puts her hair up in a bun, dons her glasses and does your tax returns for you.”

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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#12 Post by Viking » Sun Jan 17, 2021 3:32 am

But.... But... The BLING factor of a CF tank!!!! :smt001 :smt002 :smt003
It's the V-twin thing. There's just something about it that inline-4s don't have at all, and V-4s don't have enough of.

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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#13 Post by Timson » Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:10 pm

I got one of Richard’s Carbon fuel tanks for my Falco and had no end of problems with it…

Stripped fasteners at the fuel cap and more frustrating was that the thing kept leaking despite Richard saying he’d tested it.

The tank has been back to Richard who assured me it was sealed and sorted but by that time I’d totally fallen out of love with it and instead went back to my plastic tank!

I’d be up for selling it if anyone wants to make me a reasonable offer!

Obviously I can’t guarantee it as I didn’t re-fit it after the last ‘fix’.

It does have some resin-y finger smudges in the finish and some light scratch marks in the gloss finish. These were always there - even before the back and forth for the ‘fix’.
A good wet n dry and polish should sort the finish out tho.

Tim

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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#14 Post by Viking » Tue Jun 13, 2023 12:00 pm

I wrote:
Fri Jan 08, 2021 6:12 am
I will have a look at the plastic filler insert thing, after seeing if the shops here have anything like JB Weld... (I might as well fix 2 things at the same time, rather than taking everything apart twice.)
Update - I spoke to RIchard about fixing the tank and he told me I needed some petrol-proof two-part resin. Amazingly enough, I was able to find a shop here in Oz that sold the stuff. Two applications later, just to be sure that I'd sealed the tank where the crack was, and Woot! Fixed. :smt041

I won't talk about the battle of getting a good seal where the pump fits into the tank, nor the need to buy new copper washers for the high-pressure fuel line, or the difficulty in finding a small enough O-ring for the quick-release connector on the return line.

Finally, I remembered that little rubber nubbin & plastic doo-dad that stops the tank breathing. I didn't want to take the filler cap off (again), so just drilled a 2.5mm hole using the plastic doo-dad as a guide and through the tank. Seems to breath OK now, as there's no rush of air when I open the filler cap now.

It's all good again, and I'm not dribbling expensive petrol all over the ground now. :smt026

Just in time for our winter... :smt013

Cheers,
V
Last edited by Viking on Thu Jun 15, 2023 11:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: carbon fibre fuel tank

#15 Post by Firestarter » Thu Jun 15, 2023 11:31 am

Viking wrote:
Tue Jun 13, 2023 12:00 pm
I wrote:
Fri Jan 08, 2021 6:12 am
I will have a look at the plastic filler insert thing, after seeing if the shops here have anything like JB Weld... (I might as well fix 2 things at the same time, rather than taking everything apart twice.)
Update - I spoke to RIchard about fixing the tank and he told me I needed some petrol-proof two-part resin. Amazingly enough, I was able to find a shop here in Oz that sold the stuff. Two applications later, just to be sure that I'd sealed the tank where the crack was, and Woot! Fixed. :smt041

Finally, I remembered that little rubber nubbin & plastic doo-dad that stops the tank breaking. I didn't want to take the filler cap off (again), so just drilled a 2.5mm hole using the plastic doo-dad as a guide and through the tank. Seems to breath OK now, as there's no rush of air when I open the filler cap now.

Cheers,
V
Glad you're sorted - I had great fun with a leak at the front of the tank which I ended up sending it back to Richard to sort, I sorted the fuel pump fixings myself with some JB Weld.

I ground down the little fitting in the filler cap to achieve the same thing for breathing. The only thing to remember is, when you've got a full tank you may now have a leak path when lifting the tank to get at the airbox...
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