IMPORTANT: Getting the show on the road.

[D-Rider]

Today I spoke again with Richard.
If those of us that have said we are "in" are true to our word, then he's happy to go ahead and commission the mould.
He's planning to see the mould maker next week on Thursday to try to get a firm price.
I'll be taking my spare tank over so he can show the mould maker what it's like. To actually make the mould, my tank is on offer but he also has access to another tank from a bike that had done few miles before the tank was carefully stored for 4 to 5 years .... and he may also be able to obtain a brand new tank from the USA at a reasonable price.

Although the actual mould cost is still being sorted out, Richard knows roughly how much it will be.
To confirm people's seriousness to move forward with the project, he wants a deposit of 50% of the price of the tanks up front.
This will demonstrate that we really do have enough committed to this and will cover much of the cost of making the mould.

So, firstly, I need to know for sure who is truly "in" and willing to stump up the first £400 of the £800 cost of the tank?
(hopefully all of the 100%ers and some of the 75%ers)


Secondly, I presume you are all aware that the tanks won't all be made in one day.
First we have the lead time for the mould to be made - as yet, this is uncertain but will certainly be a number of weeks. Then the tanks will be made sequentially - so we need to agree an order in which they will be produced.
Therefore, we need to know:

• A) Who is in a real rush to get their hands on their own tank
  .... and .....
  B) Can quickly lay their hands on the £400 balance of the cost of the tank.
  .... and .....
  C) Will realistically get a chance to quickly fit their tank rather than have it sitting on a shelf.

Other good reasons for receiving earlier than the rest of us will also be considered.
Once that's all known, we'll agree a production order.

BTW, I've not discussed it with Richard but I'm assuming delivery costs are additional.

Richard has also sent me a couple of pictures of an RS250 tank he made today.
As you can see this one weighs 1.39 Kg. Richard estimates the Falco tank will come in at around 1.5 Kg .... good news on the postage front!





So, can everybody respond to the following .....

• 1) Please confirm that you are happy with the £800 price tag and are willing to pay a £400 deposit up front to enable the mould to be procured.
  
  2) Please let me know your need to be at what position in the queue to get your tank.
  
  3) Finally, now we are at the stage where we are seriously moving forward. Should we invite Richard to join this forum so that we can discuss things with him directly rather than going through me as a middle man?

[Falcopops]

Very cool mate,

I'm good for the 400 quid deposit, just tell me where to send the money, I've got a Barclays account in the UK and will transfer it electronically from there, so no conversion issues.

I won't need the tank for a while, at least 6 months while I'm back in the UK and probably for a bit after that when I'm back in Oz, so happy to languish at the bottom of the list.

[Falcopops]

Viking,

I can front the 400 quid for you if it's needed before you go to the UK and we can sort out recompense later if it will save you a couple of bucks in exchange rates etc.

Let me know.

[Firestarter]

I can sort the required deposit pretty much whenever. I'm in no mad rush, although equally I'm keen to get it once I've stumped up some cash! I can also sort a swap-over pretty quickly I would think, as I don't need the bike for day-to-day.

Once we start all of this, what's the sort of timescales to produce the mould, and then for each production?

[Viking]

1) Please confirm that you are happy with the £800 price tag and are willing to pay a £400 deposit up front to enable the mould to be procured.

2) Please let me know your need to be at what position in the queue to get your tank.

3) Finally, now we are at the stage where we are seriously moving forward. Should we invite Richard to join this forum so that we can discuss things with him directly rather than going through me as a middle man?

1) AU$1600 is cheap for such an awesome piece of bling! I shudder to think what a genuine tank from Aprilia would cost - probably a lot more!

2) Given I'm going to be away for two months (fark! in three weeks!), and it's coming into the Oz winter, I'm happy to go near the back of the queue.

3) It would make it a lot easier for everyone if he's here to give updates, field questions, etc.

Viking,
I can front the 400 quid for you if it's needed before you go to the UK and we can sort out recompense later if it will save you a couple of bucks in exchange rates etc.
Let me know.

That's bloody generous of you, mate! Thanks heaps. Given how the banks ream you both ways when it comes to currency conversions, I'll be up for that.

Let me know your bank details and I'll get the money to you ASAP.

[mangocrazy]

I'm in for this and can supply my deposit as soon as required.

[mangocrazy]

One other thing - I will be relying on the standard tank breather and won't want the race style breather, even though it's undoubtedly better, as it would mean I couldn't use my Baglux tank harness and tank bag.

I regard this as important - to the point of being a deal breaker.

[D-Rider]

I think that most of us will want to go without the extra breather as we've not really had any issues with the tanks breathing and we don't want to change aspects of the profile.

Don't worry - the breather is optional and when we get round to placing our individual orders, we will be able to tell Richard whether we do or don't want the breather on our personal tanks.

[morepower]

The breather is just something that the RS250 guys felt was needed. I think some felt the swelling was down to sun on the tank, poor fuel cap breather and the vapour expanding causing some of the swelling. I feel it is a little bit of overkill but is a good thing to have for peace of mind if you worry about that being an issue. I know the RS250 caps can be poor and get blocked but it is not as common as some may feel. If you do want it fitted I use a Mocal fuel tank breather which is the best one I can find.

Anyone who orders a tank will be told when I am starting on their tank. It takes 10 to 14 days to make them from start to finish. I usually do one or two tanks maximum at one time. But initially I would only do one at a time as a new mould has its own challenges. Layup times are longer until you have done a couple and the shapes will be different to the RS250 tank so doing a batch would mean if I make a mistake I may make the same mistake on both of them.

[Falcopops]

Viking,
I can front the 400 quid for you if it's needed before you go to the UK and we can sort out recompense later if it will save you a couple of bucks in exchange rates etc.
Let me know.

That's bloody generous of you, mate! Thanks heaps. Given how the banks ream you both ways when it comes to currency conversions, I'll be up for that.

Let me know your bank details and I'll get the money to you ASAP.

I've got your mobile number, we can sort this out offline. I'm finishing work next week on wed, so will have plenty of time on my hands, unless I'm hospitalised, in which case I'll have even more. Should have a plan sorted before you leave for the UK.

[Viking]

I've got your mobile number, we can sort this out offline.

Too easy!! Looking forward to hearing from you.

[mangocrazy]

The breather is just something that the RS250 guys felt was needed. I think some felt the swelling was down to sun on the tank, poor fuel cap breather and the vapour expanding causing some of the swelling. I feel it is a little bit of overkill but is a good thing to have for peace of mind if you worry about that being an issue. I know the RS250 caps can be poor and get blocked but it is not as common as some may feel. If you do want it fitted I use a Mocal fuel tank breather which is the best one I can find.

Anyone who orders a tank will be told when I am starting on their tank. It takes 10 to 14 days to make them from start to finish. I usually do one or two tanks maximum at one time. But initially I would only do one at a time as a new mould has its own challenges. Layup times are longer until you have done a couple and the shapes will be different to the RS250 tank so doing a batch would mean if I make a mistake I may make the same mistake on both of them.

Cheers Richard - I replied to your 'ask me questions' thread before reading this, so consider the question answered.

[Squishbang]

Hi D-Rider,
I am definitely in. Just let me know the payment details for handing over the initial £400.I can wait a couple of months for my one. Then depending on whether I paint it or not dictates how soon I would be putting it on the bike.

[D-Rider]

I thought I'd just summarise the current state of play .....

The absolutely definites who are ready to stump up their deposits are:

• Viking
  Squishbang
  Mangocrazy
  Firestarter
  Falcopops
  D-Rider

I'm guessing Spiderwheels is "in" having been asking questions in the sub forum .... but has not actually confirmed this. Please confirm so we know where we are.


Falconihlist and Anzacinexile have yet to find their way over to here (or at least to post up)
I PM'd them both a couple of days ago but we're still waiting to hear from them - they have picked up their messages.

Nooj seemed to have woken up to this on the main Falco forum and so I did PM him a couple of days ago to see whether he was wanting to join the fun .... but he still hasn't picked up the message.

So in summary, we've got 6 ready to go and a few more that we're waiting to understand their position.

[morepower]

Nooj is currently sorting out a brand new tank to use for the mould. So its all looking good.