The Truth Behind Indian Made Gas Tanks
So the word on the street has It that the new Indian gas tanks are great replacement parts for those who are either missing a tank or for those replacing a damaged tank.
I'm sure most of you have probably noticed Indian gas tanks all over eBay or Google images at some point during your parts search.
There is a lot of controversy around these tanks and today I would like to uncover truth behind the new Indian made gas tanks.
Lets get to it...
eBay listing from an Indian gas tank seller located in India
Most Indian gas tank sellers on eBay always seem to put their spammy company or username over the images making them stand out like a sore thumb.
Indian based sellers have just about flooded eBay with there gas tanks and other various replacement parts.
Million dollar question... are the tanks any good?
A couple years back I started to notice a big influx of gas tanks from sellers coming out of India on eBay.
Most photos of the new Indian gas tanks appear to be of quality, just like an original but for half the price of a dented or damaged original tank.
I once contemplated about purchasing a new gas tank for my BSA Lightning, but after reading reviews on forums like www.britbike.com or www.triumphrat.net I quickly came to the conclusion that the Indian made tanks were not of the quality they portrayed to be.
Feedback
Based on feedback and what I read online (and been told by my customers personally) that the new Indian made gas tanks are simply a "lump of coal".
I have heard stories that some Indian tanks that where purchased where an exact reproduction.
The quality was spot on but none of the mounting holes lined up anywhere therefore making the tank useless without serious modification - who wants to put up with that?
I have also been told that not all Indian gas tank manufacturers are the same.
The word has it that not all Indian gas tank manufactures are the same on eBay. However, most of them (despite them being different sellers) get them from one manufacturer based out of the Middle East.
Although no one really knows where these gas tanks are manufactured, many have thrown out the possibility that they could be manufactured in Afghanistan, Pakistan or even Kazakhstan.
Be on the look out
When searching for a used gas tank be on the lookout for these Indian made gas tanks as one can trick you into thinking you were buying an original.
Indian gas tanks are typically sold as new replacement parts but many of them slip under the radar and are sold as original gas tanks when they should not be!
How to spot Indian tanks
You can usually identify an Indian gas tank compared to an original tank by some of the following key details.
Over the years Indian gas tank manufacturers have gotten smart on the way they produce their gas tanks simply because all the negative feedback they have received.
The 3 points as shown below are typical of Indian gas tanks but it's very possible they could have changed there manufacturing process.
#1 Red Gas Tank Liner
Most Indian gas tanks will have a red tank liner sealer that is typically applied on the inside and sometimes the underside of the gas tank.
The sealer is to prevent rust and also line the inside of the tank to stop corrosion from occurring from today's ethanol fuel.
I firmly believe the reason why the sealer is used because there might be small pinholes within the seams of the tank.
#2 Rust - Corrosion
Any new gas tank that would be manufactured today would have some type of coating to preserve and prevent corrosion.
Indian gas tanks have unusually hi levels of rust deposits despite it being a new gas tank. I believe that has to do with the quality control and the way that they preserve the gas tank during storage and shipping.
#3 The Shape
As most people always say there's nothing better than OEM.
Indian made gas tanks when compared to an original tank of the same type you will find that the finish, and the shape will not be consistent as an original gas tank.
Now I understand that it is very difficult to reproduce a gas tank not using the same stampings or molding from the factory. So I do have to give the Indian manufactures some type of credit by creating a gas tank basically from scratch or from an original tank.
"To sum it up..."
To sum it up I wouldn't recommend purchasing an Indian made gas tank to anyone.
As previously stated, I do give the Indian manufacturers some credit for at least trying to make a quality product.
However, most of these gas tanks are not usable therefore its very disappointing because I personally feel like sellers are selling junk and they deliberately know that.
If you purchased or own a new Indian made gas tank, please feel free to leave use a comment below as we would love to hear your personal feedback on it.
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Thanks for reading today!
graham smith
totally agree wish i had seen your report i have got my fingers burnt bought a star fire tank its about 40mm +short wrong badge holes i have not risked adding fuel
Bruce Thompson
I have an indian tank fitted to my T140E 1978 Bonnie, it certainty looks the part the welding is good and no leaks, the paintwork also looks good, the down side is the fit , the previous owner had to be creative to make it fit property with spacers and adding rubber packing to get it to look right and stop vibration, he was honest enough to tell me about the tank and what he needed to do, pretty much what you would expect from a real biker and proper bloke , the bike is a non matching numbers bike so total originality is not really an issue, its a keeper.
John Klang
Several years back I tried to seal a fiberglass high rider tank and it leached out resin and gummed up the carbs, intake, and valves. I bought a raw tank from India knowing it was hand made but in faith in our fellow man, decided to buy it. It came with a hand formed collar for the gas cap and there was no way it was going to seal. I had multiple emails with the seller who said among other things, “We’ve never had this problem before” and “just take it to a metal shop and they’ll fix it.” I was envisioning some guy pounding these things out trying to make a living and I gave up and just put it back in the box and eventually threw it away. I bought a second fiberglass tank (used) and tried to seal that. It worked for a short period of time and it too started deforming and leaching resin. It created all kinds of problems. So again I buy another tank from India although the ad says, “American Seller”. I had multiple emails with him before the purchase and told him about the concern I had about it leaking out the filler neck among other things. He is very understanding and stops short of saying it will absolutely not leak but implies that it won’t. He says they “sell these tanks to Museums all over the world.” That may be so because Museums don’t put freaking gas in them. Due to other circumstances I was not able to try to install the tank until after the 30 day return window elapsed. So once I get to it, the tank will not fully set over the frame backbone. The tunnel is too narrow. I contact the seller and guess what he says? “We’ve never had this problem before.” He sends me a picture of a hand made tool they use to widen the “tunnel” although they have……, “never had this problem before.” I’m able to widen the tunnel with a piece of galvanized pipe, carefully pounded into the tunnel and it finally fits over the frame backbone. Now it won’t seat on the front mounts because the tunnel isn’t deep enough. With the tank sitting tightly on top of the frame backbone, it is a half inch short of resting on the mounting ears on the frame. Now no way to attach it to the frame in the front. More emails to the seller and he implies that I did something wrong including widening the tunnel (because they made it wrong obviously without a jig or a mock frame) and equally other lame dodges. I say, "who is my contact in Dublin since you are an “American Seller” and he can show me how to mount this?" He is very evasive and finally admits that there is no shop in America that can “show” me how to mount it. He offers me $100 and I tell him to pound sand. That begat several other ala hillbilly measures to attach it and finally was able to find, via an internet search, taller isolastic mounts that I had to re-thread to fit the 5/16ths 24 female threads in the tank. So now, after multiple hours of screwing with it to where I can live with it, I put gas in it and guess what, the filler neck doesn’t seal. I take a diamond file and shave the neck flat. It still leaks. I remove the rubber sealing plate under the cap and add a second spring to apply more pressure on the neck. It slows it, but doesn’t stop it. So now this pos has a series of streaks in the paint from the gas leaking out of the filler neck. Not only has this created multiple hours of work and frustration, I don’t have other options unless I can find a used factory one. I wish I liked the Roadster tank, at least Emglo made a decent aftermarket version of those. So I guess you can surmise from my lengthy rant that I don’t recommend Indian tanks unless you are fully prepared to fight it every step of the way and still have a poor quality tank. Phew.
Joe
I have purchased 3 tanks from India. One was absolute garbage, two are EXCELLENT.
The two tanks I am happy with were for a BSA DBD34 Clubman and a Velocette. Both fit well, have good paint, no leaks, and are really quite nice tanks.
It’s a gamble for sure though. The Norton Commando tank I bought is garbage.
al cirilli
my bsa hornet tank was a night mare did not fit at all