Britbike forum Forums British Motorcycle specific Brands Bsa bulletin board Indian gas tank saga

As i have been saying for decades, the Magic Pudding is a childrens fairy story.
If you pay nothing then you get nothing.
Considering many of these tanks cost less chromed , painted & deliverd to your door than just getting a tank chromed here, what would you expect , top quality ?
The down side is since all BSA owners are too cheap to pay a reasonable price for quality steel wear, the real craftsmen who used to make quality tanks have either retired or gone on to make things for people who appreciate the quality of the work that they do.
I just paid twice what most conside "too expensive " for a fuel tank, for a pair of B2 mudguards which are raw from a company that makes top quality parts.
Ten years ago you could get tanks made to order for almost everything but now all of the tank makers down here have shut up shop.
A friend who dies recently used to say "there is no part so badly made & ill fitting that a BSA owner will not fit it if the price is cheap enough".

I take your point Trevor, but it's what it's worth to you i suppose. A '72 a65 like mine is probably worth around $10k tops,
probably less, i fitted a tank that doesn't leak and has a reasonable capacity, it'll probably outlast me and looks presentable.
I don't show the bike and don't give a monkey's about what other people think. The bike is what it is, a 72 beezer. I'm more
interested in how well it runs and rides than how original or how sexy it looks. If the tank goes rusty i'll rub it down and paint it.
I remember paying $400+ for a rear 'guard for my t120 15+ years ago, it was a poorer fit than my a65 tank and i had to get the
damn thing to fit and paint it it. That's the reason i won't pay silly money for tin-ware. I know i'm a Philistine but i'm sure a lot
of blokes think the same way. The industry i trained in has gone the same way, who wants anything electronic repaired anymore,
just buy a new one, they're cheaper.

Not true for ALL Trevor, might be for many... but not all. My tank came from Ross Thompson in Canada, it was panel beaten, lined and the chroming was done by Deco Chrome (he used to use Browns but they are no longer going) The finish was/still is fantastic but it cost me about 3x what an indian tank would have..... However I chose to use Ross because I saw the quality of his work at Petaluma, being someone whos a bit of a control freek over things I knew that I could give it to him and it would be absolutly spot on.... I was right and it was worth every penny, If I need to I would use him time and time again!

You won't, because he retired year ago.
His biggest mistake was not to pass his fantastic skills to a next young guy.
My tank went the same way, bought and repaired by him together with chrome and paint cost was cool $ 1500 CAD.
No way I could sell it for this price, so I'm building another BSA to have some costs recovered after selling it.

That’s sad news.

And I take your point Nick.
But you did not come on here having a whinge about the fact that the cheap & nasty tank you bought was a poor fit and a bit on the rough side.
I am not the BSA police. All of the bikes I own are rough looking and some even run but I don't carry on if a part that was 1/3 the price of a known good one is rubbish.
Back when we had British motorcycle shops in Sydnet they all knew I would not buy inferiour parts and on the flip side I never pushed them for a discount or complained about their prices.

Fair enough Trevor, but you won't stop the whinging from the people who pay ford money and expect Bentley's.

I think it’s bit silly to criticize ones reason for buying something inexpensive. I like my Indian tank and the dialogue I had with Royal Choppers. My goal was only constructive criticism for them. The company is open to providing a tank to met your needs.

Having a stock tank repaired, chrome played, and painted, is very expensive especially if quality work is expected.

The criticism that goes on most forums is counter productive on many levels. I personally fell into trap a long time ago when realizing it’s not my business to justify ones individuals taste. There is room for everyone in this hobby.
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The forum is designed to help people get through their projects and let people their experiences with suppliers good and bad.

Nuff said,
Richard

Just a quick update to say that I am extremely satisfied with my Indian tank so far. Here's a quick summary:

Ordered the tank in early July from Royal Chopper out of New Delhi, India.
Tank was bare-metal with a coat of primer
It arrived on 7-Aug, exactly 31 days after the initial order
Fit and finish was high quality. I mounted the tank and found the tunnel to be a bit different from the stock tank and have had to adjust the rubber bumpers underneath the tank to get a better position on the bike.
Tank was pressure tested twice, and no leaks were found
Welds were checked and no concerns were found
Tank was professionally sealed as recommended by my painter
Tank was professionally painted



Side-by-side, it's difficult to notice any difference between the original glass tank and this steel one. I would recommend Royal Chopper based on this experience though, obviously, this isn't representative of all Indian tank sellers.

Thsnks for the update, good to have another reliable source to reduce the risk.

MarcB, that looks very nice.