2006 Ducati Sport Classic

I OWN A 2006 PAUL SMART 1000LE, FROM THE SPORT CLASSIC LINE BY DUCATI. THE GAS TANK, WHICH IS MADE FROM SOME SORT OF PLASTIC HAS BEGUN TO SPREAD APART AND IS NOT CONNECTED TO ITS MOORING POINTS. BASED ON WHAT I HAVE READ ON WWW.DUCATI.MS, THIS APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THESE TANKS, AND I AM WORRIED THAT IT MAY FALL OFF WHILE RIDING AND PERHAPS EVEN START A FIRE. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT OTHERS HAVE GOTTEN REPLACEMENT TANKS ONLY TO HAVE THE SAME SPREADING OCCUR. *TR

THE FUEL TANK IS LOOSE ON THE FRONT MOUNTS ALMOST TO THE POINT THAT IT CAN BE LIFTED UP OFF THE FRAME. I SHIMMIED THE MOUNTS OUTWARD FROM THE FRAME WITH WASHERS A YEAR AGO TO HOLD THE TANK TIGHT, BUT IT IS AGAIN LOOSENING. IT APPEARS THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK IS DISTORTING AND GETTING WIDER OVER TIME. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURER AS THE TANK COULD SEPARATE FROM THE MOTORCYCLE AND CAUSE AN EXPLOSION OR FIRE EVEN IN A LOW SPEED CRASH OR DROP OF THE MACHINE. *TR

1.) I BOUGHT A 2006 DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC 2.) THE GAS TANK BULGES AND DEFORMS (APPARENTLY WITH TEMPERATURE) AND DOES NOT ALWAYS SEAT IN THE MOUNTING BRACKETS AS THE TANKS SHAPE CHANGES. I AM CONCERNED THE EXPANDING/CONTRACTING MATERIAL WILL EVENTUALLY FATIGUE TO THE POINT OF LEAKING GASOLINE. 3.) DEALER TOLD ME DUCATI NORTH AMERICA IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT THEY AREN'T DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT BUT I COULD PURCHASE ANOTHER (SIMILARLY FLAWED) GAS TANK FOR $1900 THAT WILL DO THE SAME THING. *TR

PLASTIC GAS TANK ON MOTORCYCLE IS WIDER THAN THE FACTORY MOUNTING WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO HOLD IT IN PLACE. IF YOU SHIFT THE TANK IT CAN BE LIFTED OUT OF THE "CUPS" THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO HOLD IT DOWN. THEN ONLY THE REAR MOUNT OF THE TANK KEEPS IT IN PLACE. POINTED OUT PROBLEM TO DEALER AND CHECKED 2 NEW EXACT SAME MODELS (BUT NEWER) IN SHOWROOM AND THE TANKS CAN BE LIFTED UPWARDS ON A BRAND NEW BIKE THAT HASN'T EVEN GOT GAS IN IT YET. I'M MONITORING MINE FOR NOW. DEALER DOESN'T FEEL IT IS A PROBLEM YET. I'M UNSURE AT THIS TIME, BUT THERE ARE MANY QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THIS PROBLEM ON HOW MUCH "SPREADING" IS 'ALLOWABLE AND WHY ARE THE TANKS GROWING WIDER OVER TIME. WATCHING FOR OTHER DEFECTS REPORTED IN CLUB NETWORK. PERSONALLY I THINK GAS TANKS FROM AT LEAST THE MODEL YEAR I'M REPORTING SHOULD BE RECALLED. IF THIS GAS TANK EVER SPLITS OPEN FROM SPREADING IT WOULD CREATE A MAJOR FIRE HAZARD WHILE STATIONARY OR INJURY OR DEATH WHILE RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE. HONESTLY HAVE NOT HEARD ANY REPORTS YET OF TANKS SPLITTING YET, GETTING WIDER OVER TIME, DEVELOPING BUMPS, AND PIMPLES ALL STEMMING FROM GASOLINE INSIDE THE TANKS. *TR

PLASTIC GAS TANK ON 2006 DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE DOES NOT HOLD SHAPE. BECOMES FREE OF RUBBER MOUNTS AND CAN RUB AGAINST FRAME, ETC. ALSO CAN BE STRUCK BY CONTROLS IN TIGHT TURN. BOUGHT BIKE NEW 11/06. TANK REPLACED BY DUCATI 12/07, SECOND TANK REPLACED 11/08. NO CHANGE IN PRODUCT OR ISSUE - NOW OUT OF WARRANTY AND JUST AS UNSAFE. *TR

MOTORCYCLE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN SEPTEMBER 2007; FUEL TANK WAS FITTED SNUGLY AGAINST THE FRAME AT THAT TIME. IN SPRING 2007, I NOTICED THE FUEL TANK HAD ABOUT 3CM OF PLAY FROM SIDE TO SIDE ON THE FRAME DUE TO THE PLASTIC SPREADING WHERE IT ATTACHES TO THE CENTER FRAME WITH TWO BRACKETS THAT REST ON BUSHINGS. ON AN INTERNET MESSAGE BOARD, I FOUND THAT MANY PEOPLE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. SOME HAD THE TANK REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY, ONLY TO HAVE THE SECOND TANK SPREAD THE SAME WAY. FOR OTHERS, THE DEALER HAD SIMPLY SHIMMIED THE BRACKETS THAT HOLD THE TANK IN FRONT. I PERFORMED THIS FIX MYSELF, BUT I'M CONCERNED IT WILL NOT STOP THE DEFORMATION OF THE TANK AND COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

THE MATERIAL OF THE FUEL TANK ON MY 2006 DUCATI SPORT 1000 SEEMS UNSTABLE OVER TIME. THE SURFACE SHOWS BUBBLES (BLISTERS) AND DIMPLES AND THE TANK SEEMS TO BE "GROWING". WHEN NEW, AT FULL STEERING LOCK LEFT OR RIGHT, NONE OF THE CONTROLS ON THE HANDLEBARS WOULD HIT / TOUCH / INTERFERE WITH THE TANK. NOW, BOTH SIDES DO. IN ADDITION, CRACKS ARE DEVELOPING IN THE RECESSED AREA OF THE TANK WHERE THE FILLER-CAP RESIDES. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS ISSUE TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I'VE BROUGHT THIS MOTORCYCLE AND THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. FOUR WEEKS AGO, THEY HAVE ORDERED A NEW TANK UNDER WARRANTY, BUT I HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED THIS REPLACEMENT. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE NEW TANK WILL DEVELOP THE SAME PROBLEM OVER TIME, AS THE PEOPLE AT THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THE MATERIAL AND PRODUCTION-PROCESS FOR THESE REPLACEMENT TANKS IS NO DIFFERENT THAN FOR THE ORIGINAL ONES. *TR