How long does it take.....

[nickjtc]

..... for the unfortunate Steamer plastic stretch to put itself right?

Took the tank off Stanley a couple of days ago to run some wiring for heated grips/charging system LED/GPS. Put it on the cold concrete floor in the garage. Went to put it back on the bike yesterday and lo and behold the left hand side panel bolt holes no longer line up at the back end, by at least 1/4"

I read somewhere that it is something to do with the effect of the fuel on the plastic of the tank.... 

[rf9rider]

Not the fuel, its the climate.

What i`ve done to make things a little easier is to enlarge the mounting holes with a Dremmel.

Still a pig to fit sometimes.

[nickjtc]

This is interesting. The bike is a '96 and the PO had it from '98 until last year. He says he never had any issues with misalignment of the bodywork. I have had the side panels on and off several times over the last month or so with no issues. Now all of a sudden there is this interesting mis-match. The right side panel went on sort of ok. The left one fits at the front but the rear two screw holes are the ones out of alignment. As can be seen in the pic.

Either the side panel has shrunk or the tank has expanded (but why only on one side??). When I re-fitted the tank it seemed like the rear two mounting holes had migrated backwards, so I am thinking it is the tank that has 'changed'.

I cannot see that it is the temperature because the bike has been sitting in an unheated garage since I got it.

Here are comments from TriumphRat:

"Ethanol does not do those plastic tanks much good. My Daytona has a similar issue with the front tank cover. Every year that cover is harder and harder to put back on. The last hole is at least a 1/4" from lining up and takes a lot of wrestling to get back on. You'll notice that no climate change makes it any better.

Best thing you can do is store the bike for long periods with the fuel tank empty."

"Ethanol attracts water, plastic absorbs water, tanks grow. This is common with plastic tanks, and there is little you can do once they have grown. Like I said, sadly this is common with ethanol.

Also, just like graphics bubble on plastic tanks, vapors escape through the walls and become trapped. This is why most MX graphics are perforated. This will also not be friendly to paint.

Just ask all of the Aprilia, Duc and other Triumph owners. Ethanol and plastic tanks do not mix."

[nickjtc]

I had a '00 VFR800 with similar plastic to plastic attachment; never had an issue, ever. 

[97tiger885]

..... for the unfortunate Steamer plastic stretch to put itself right?

Took the tank off Stanley a couple of days ago to run some wiring for heated grips/charging system LED/GPS. Put it on the cold concrete floor in the garage. Went to put it back on the bike yesterday and lo and behold the left hand side panel bolt holes no longer line up at the back end, by at least 1/4"

I read somewhere that it is something to do with the effect of the fuel on the plastic of the tank.... 

I stopped putting bolts in all the holes.  I usually can get all but one in on each side.  That one I dont get in varies. You dont need all the bolts to hold the fairing on.  And I havent noticed movement at speed. 

Also,  I use shoulderless stainless steel bolts with rubber o-rings when there is a lot of displacement. 




Side with stainless.




Side with stock.

Currently, I have the rear holes without bolts on both side.

You also might get tired of struggling to get the tank on.  I use a short piece of leather belt and a bolt on the front mount.   My guess is that you can probably do without the front bolt, that the rear bolts with the fairing bolts are enough to safely secure the tank.  I havent tried that.





This is a shot of the front mount between the tank and the yokes.  The belt doesnt secure the tank; it holds the  rubber protector in place.  The top bolt secures the rubber protector in place without the bolt threading into the insert.

Elegant, no; effective, yes.

[nickjtc]

Also,  I use shoulderless stainless steel bolts with rubber o-rings when there is a lot of displacement.

Sorry that you have had the same issue; but glad I'm not alone!!  :icon_wink: I'm thinking shoulderless will be the way to go if it does not put itself right. Being a bit anal I cannot imagine not having all of the securing stuff in place.

Still doesn't explain why the situation has occurred now, though......

[Mustang]

Still doesn't explain why the situation has occurred now, though...... [/font]

like a frightened turtle

[HeavyHustler]

Mine is the same so I mounted the fairing the same as the green weenie above.  :icon_wink:

[ssevy]

Thanks for this post. Reading of this issue in the past before I bought my Steamer, I misunderstood, and thought the problem was the plastic panels shrinking. This had me thinking about making up a simple angle iron jig with holes drilled in the correct locations to mount to the side panels whenever they were removed to prevent this shrinking from occurring. Other plastic (actually a form of nylon I believe) tanks have expanded and distorted because of the ethanol, so it sounds like the actual issue is not shrinkage of the side panels, but expansion of the fuel tank itself. Perhaps the side panels are acting something like a corset (never saw one of these in real life, but lots of times in old western movies), and once removed, the tank is free to stretch out. Remember Scarlett O'Hara getting dressed for the party in Gone With the Wind?
I will be pulling my side panels and fuel tank off for the first time this spring, so I haven't done the deed yet. Is it possible to drain the tank first, remove the side panels and then the tank, and immediately reattach the side panels to the tank while it is sitting to one side waiting to be reinstalled?

[Bixxer Bob]

like a frightened turtle

Now THAT'S funny

[threepot]

I had a '00 VFR800 with similar plastic to plastic attachment; never had an issue, ever. 

Because its a HONDA

I removed half the fairing on my Super3 earlier to retrieve the fuel tank rubber bung which had fallen behind oil-cooler. Panels went straight back on..no probs. Triumph CAN make good plastics too :icon_wink:


Mine Tiger's the same. These tanks were made by ACERBIS,not Triumph

[Sin_Tiger]

When you take it off and set it aside, are you supporting it in the tunnel or are you setting it down on a flat surface with the wings touching the deck? If the latter then I think that's your problem.

[Mustang]

Mines the same. These tanks were made by ACERBIS,not Triumph

all the plastics are made by Acerbis, not just the fuel tanks.
the tanks swell and the panels shrink .
it will happen to every steamer ever made
and remember the youngest steamer is still 16 friggin years old .

[Sin_Tiger]

and remember the youngest steamer is still 16 friggin years old .

As always the Man is right, we do tend to look at these bikes through Rose tinted specs 

I'm sure if they ever have to unscrew my arse and put it back on later, the holes probably won't line up either 

[rybes]

you got a plastic arse then sin and if you have why you dunkin it in petrol, thats gotta sting