Gas Tank question

[zombie]

Here's my problem
After doing all my own servicing on me bike  
my gas tank won't fit on the bike right in that it's not lining up on the front bolt hole correctly. it's about 1/8 inch off.
I have stood the thing on it's head and bounced up and down on the bastard thing to no avail , I even went so far as to kick the thing out of my workshop in a hissy fit but still out of shape.
Any advice will be considered. I do have a spare tank but I wanted to save my glorious matt black paint job with stickers.

[John Stenhouse]

I've heard about this on KTMs but not on Tiggers. Have you had the tank somewhere warm? On the KTM, the tanks seem to distort and have to be forced back into position, which I would think isn't terribly good for them.

[John Stenhouse]

Before forcing anything I would re check all the fittings and make sure you haven't trapped anything where it shouldn't be

[Mustang]

I find that on the steamers with 10 year old plastic tanks .......they do shrink and grow with heat and cold . try keeping the tank in the house till it gets to room temp and with the cap open try to fit it to the bike then .

It is for this reason I try and not leave the tank off the bike for very long  , more than a few days and it seems like the bastard doesn't fit right .

[Chris Canning]

Does the spare tank fit??

[zombie]

hey chris
the spare tank fits perfectly
so I'm going to paint it up and go that way as the real problem is the stretched tank doesn't allow the front fairing to line up right

[Chris Canning]

Right!! if you fit the front and get the bolt in,can you swing the back down and get the bolt in at the back,seems pretty strange,it's a big old piece of plastic to distort,there has to be somthing catching or not seating somwhere,i've also got a spare tank i'll have a look.

[zombie]

I've figured out how it distorted as it was off the bike for a while and the way it was sitting caused the front to push out enough to cause it to distort.
no biggie as I'm going to put a ratchet tie down on both bolt holes and pull it in that way