Fastback Tank

Previously sam_milner wrote:

I haven't had a Fastback tank from India but I did buy an Indian Roadster tank.

I think I got lucky as it looks good, never leaked and fitted well right from the start whereas other buyers have not been so fortunate. As these things are hand made I reckon it's impossible to guarantee a good one even from the same vendor.

It's just a chance you take ....

sam

Thanks Sam,

Will take that onboard.

Cheers Ian

Previously Martin Freeman wrote:

Dear Ian,

I faced same issue and bought raw steel tank from India, unpainted you can see quality of welding and if you are suspicious you could fill it with parrafin and check for leaks. One I bought needed a Good rub down as some welded areas like around filler had slight rust - tanks come in oily state wrapped in polythene. there was some weld splatter in petrol tap inserts so had to run a tap through. overall fit is good, area round headstock is tighter, maybe due to me mounting tank on rubber cotton reel mounts at front, I used a round file on frame brackets to allow tank to move back 1/4".

Indian tanks are heavier - thicker steel?

Can't comment on painted tanks but they look good.

regards martin

Thanks Martin,

Appreciate your comments.

Cheers Ian

Previously allan_walker wrote:

I bought an unpainted Interstate tank from India via Ebay.

The outer surface had been polished (!) so it would need de-waxing and flatting before painting. No doubt the manufacturer did this to make the tank look good!

Internally, there was a rough coating of what looked like red oxide primer.

The tank was heavy (thick steel I suppose) and looked ok. I trial fitted it on the bike (Mk3) and it didn't fit. The recess at the top front of the tank (around the steering head) was not formed deep enough so that the front mounting holes were about 3 cm behind the mounting bracket on the frame when the tank was hard against the steering head.

The holes for the filler cap hinge pin were drilled too large, so I had to drill-out the hole in a new Ceeandess filler cap to match and find a larger diameter roll pin.

I had a protracted 'discussion' with the seller via Ebay messages and he finally agreed to send me a £50 refund so that I could get the tank modified. He was adamant that it was correctly made and the problem was with my bike!

I had the tank modified by a local welder/fabricator, then tested the tank for leaks.

Solvent leaked out of various points along the bottom seam so I decided to coat the tank internally with sealant. The solvent I had put in the tank to check for leaks had removed most of the red oxide stuff, and it was easy to see that the bottom seams were full of rust. I cleaned/de-rusted it with phosphoric acid before using the sealant.

It would appear that the tank was made with rusty steel in the first place, which was given a coat of red oxide internally after manufacture, and was polished externally to make it look pretty.

The tank is now painted and on the bike and looks good.

Conclusions? Assume that any Indian-made tank will be a 'work in progress' when you buy it. If there is no other source of a good tank, then an Indian one is probably the only way forward.

Once again, caveat emptor!

Thanks Allan,

Sounds like you had quite a task on with that, advice taken on board.

Cheers, Ian

Previously christopher_winsby wrote:

There is a Wassel one on Ebay at the moment, early one with the round badge recesses. It is black painted, there was a bare steel one price £170

Thanks Chris,

Ive seen that on and doesnt look bad at all, just a shame its got the recesses.

Cheers, Ian

Previously roger_jordan wrote:

A guy in New Zealand has posted pictures on the Norton Commando Group [Facebook] of a new Fastback tank that he has acquired. Looks really good. He has said to look for 'Royal Choppers' on ebay. He posted the pictures on 11/10/2018

Hi Roger,

Ive seen that seller whilst searching on Ebay, will have a look on the FB page.

Thanks very much.

Cheers, Ian

Previously chrisshrops wrote:

Im in the same situation ,I will check the chap out on eBay, other than that I guess an ally tank from tab classics , I have had a guzzi tank made by Tab and its very good

Thanks Chris,

Will bear that in mind.

Cheers,

Ian