The following text is taken from three emails from an owner who took a chance and ordered an Indian made tank. I did not post the photos or details of the owner. In the reply, the manufacturer was very sorry, but he had sold lots of tanks to the UK! This exchange happened just last week so it is representative of the issues that persist.
David
Email:
Packaging photos show how woefully in adequate the wrapping (not packaging) was with two cardboard boxes; one slid inside of other wrapped in two sheets of styrofoam with nothing on the ends. Thus the forward mounts were sticking out of the box and bent as the tank was loose in the boxes.
This is a HUGE credit to DHL (and you should tell them so) that they were able to get the tank from India to USA without being totally destroyed, and your comment about mishandling is simply not correct.
The tank sustained one small dent (of course in the middle).
The comments about secure packaging on E-bay are a wild exageration.
The rear tabs and the rear area of the tank are not manufactured correctly and are out of dimension.
First of all the rear tabs were bent inwards by 1/2 inch and distorted due to the welding process.
When straightened by me, and and thence the tank offered up to my (upper) frame member (UFM) the rear of the tank fouled UFM at the rear and would not go over it.
The pictures show that an original Vincent tank has an inside dimension of (more than) 1.572" and your tank is 3.149 ". For reference the UFM width at that point is 3.235 with ZERO clearance and the tank MUST have 1/8" on each side to avoid contact and fretting.
The rear brackets are not correctly copied/designed or fitted per the pictures of the original tank. The original brackets supported the tank from underneath NOT along the inside surface.
Most of the strength of the original bracketry is lost with this change, and it reduces the width such that the tank will not fit!
The fuel spigots are not threaded properly (threads are way too thin...see original tank photo) and require proper threads cut in the first place, and now re-taping for clean up, as they are full of welding slag and detritus.
Even at that, the inside diameter of the spigots measure 0.491" versus 0.468" on my original tank thus we have lost 0.023" or at least 0.011" of thread depth BEFORE CLEAN UP !
So we will be into "heli-coils" at best or replacement spigots at worst.
The tank does not have (at all) the appropriate air pump hook mounts welded on.
The forward mounts are not only formed and welded incorrectly but are too long and will have to be ground back as they foul the front forks. ( I have enclosed a picture of an original series C Black Shadow for reference.
Finally, the most glaring amateur error is that the rear mounting bracket is welded on crooked and this would/should be immediately seen if ANY quality control was exercised by either the sub-contractor or your incoming inspection department.
David
Email:
Packaging photos show how woefully in adequate the wrapping (not packaging) was with two cardboard boxes; one slid inside of other wrapped in two sheets of styrofoam with nothing on the ends. Thus the forward mounts were sticking out of the box and bent as the tank was loose in the boxes.
This is a HUGE credit to DHL (and you should tell them so) that they were able to get the tank from India to USA without being totally destroyed, and your comment about mishandling is simply not correct.
The tank sustained one small dent (of course in the middle).
The comments about secure packaging on E-bay are a wild exageration.
The rear tabs and the rear area of the tank are not manufactured correctly and are out of dimension.
First of all the rear tabs were bent inwards by 1/2 inch and distorted due to the welding process.
When straightened by me, and and thence the tank offered up to my (upper) frame member (UFM) the rear of the tank fouled UFM at the rear and would not go over it.
The pictures show that an original Vincent tank has an inside dimension of (more than) 1.572" and your tank is 3.149 ". For reference the UFM width at that point is 3.235 with ZERO clearance and the tank MUST have 1/8" on each side to avoid contact and fretting.
The rear brackets are not correctly copied/designed or fitted per the pictures of the original tank. The original brackets supported the tank from underneath NOT along the inside surface.
Most of the strength of the original bracketry is lost with this change, and it reduces the width such that the tank will not fit!
The fuel spigots are not threaded properly (threads are way too thin...see original tank photo) and require proper threads cut in the first place, and now re-taping for clean up, as they are full of welding slag and detritus.
Even at that, the inside diameter of the spigots measure 0.491" versus 0.468" on my original tank thus we have lost 0.023" or at least 0.011" of thread depth BEFORE CLEAN UP !
So we will be into "heli-coils" at best or replacement spigots at worst.
The tank does not have (at all) the appropriate air pump hook mounts welded on.
The forward mounts are not only formed and welded incorrectly but are too long and will have to be ground back as they foul the front forks. ( I have enclosed a picture of an original series C Black Shadow for reference.
Finally, the most glaring amateur error is that the rear mounting bracket is welded on crooked and this would/should be immediately seen if ANY quality control was exercised by either the sub-contractor or your incoming inspection department.
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