Tank wont fit properly anymore!

Bike ran and rode beautifully before being put in storage..
Because we were having the garage demolished and rebuilt it got stored on its rear paddock stand on a slightly uneven surface for around 3 months

Now back in the nice new garage i start brushing the cobwebs off when i notice the handlebars wont go full lock without fouling the tank :angry

So i start poking around trying to figure what could be causing it, i lifted the tank up, it wasnt any harder than usual

Now, the tank will not go down again!! its a few mm proud of where it should be for reasons unknown :confused

View attachment 4747

Couple months gone by and im still no closer to figuring out exactly what the problem is or what caused it, the bike has never been crashed/dropped or anything.

I have lifted the front off the ground and done the violent shake the forks test to see if the headstock bearings are loose, there is no movement at all and they move nice and smooth from one side to the other
I have had the tank mount bracket off and checked it isnt bent
I have loosened off the subframe mounts and made damn sure they are as far back as they can be when tightened back up

There is simply no explanation for this, either the tank itself warped.. or the frame did.. or something i completely overlooked
Im used to the tank being a bugger to get back down but this is a bit worse than just a tight fit :dowhat

Please share suggestions & advice on what to do next i could really use some help on this one

Plastic tank has swollen due to ethanol in fuel... if you are going to store the bike dont use supermarket fuel and try premium

wow i never even realised there was such a problem with these plastic tanks.. thanks for the tip!

Yup happened to mine aswell :rant find out which company's don't put ethanol in their premium unleaded (some do) & use that. Eventually the tank will return to it's correct size.

The lack of ethanol is going to be a big problem. Consider this about Shell V-Power (from Triumph TR forum):

Shell V-Power petrol was guaranteed not to contain ethanol. Just before this newsletter went to press we have discovered that this is no longer the case. Their statement says: ‘Shell, like many other fuel suppliers, has begun blending ethanol into some Unleaded grades, including Shell V-Power at Stanlow, to comply with the legal obligations of the RTFO’ (Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation)""
Source: http://fbhvc.co.uk/2...tter-no-1-2010/

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A bit of digging around about this:

Not pasting the whole of this next one - too long - but take note of the Excel link near the end - list of Total sites selling ethanol-free petrol
As Ethanol is only added in the final stage of fuel distribution this is easily possible. I have contacted the major fuel suppliers and asked them directly about the addition of Ethanol in the petrol they sell. The results vary, but generally speaking…Super Unleaded fuel is far less likely to have Ethanol blended into it than standard Unleaded. But this will change as the regulations force the fuel companies to increase the amount of bio fuel they sell. (This information was correct at the time of asking…Feb 2011)
BP Ethanol is added at 5% to unleaded petrol at all sites across the UK. BP Ultimate (super unleaded petrol) does not have Ethanol added, except in the South West of England.
Esso Ethanol is added at 5% to unleaded petrol at most sites in the UK. Esso Super Unleaded petrol does not contain Ethanol, except in the South West of England (Devon & Cornwall)
Shell Shell has repeatedly refused to answer the question. It is therefore an assumption only, that all Shell petrol should be considered to contain 5% Ethanol.
Texaco Ethanol is added at 5% to unleaded petrol. Texaco Super Unleaded petrol does not contain Ethanol.
Total Ethanol is not added to any Total fuel (including standard unleaded petrol). Except in the North West and South East of England.
TR Register
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This may have changed....

Thanks for the info guys - http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/technical/2012DecEthanol.pdf also seems a fairly useful thing to know, certainly will do that before storing the bike for any length of time in the future

Unfortunately im pretty sure the nearest non ethanol petrol station is like 30+ miles away so im just going to have to dry it out for a while and hope it shrinks then never ever leave it with that nasty crap in

a week roasting in this lovely hot weather & an old computer fan wired to a battery pumping air through it and it fits

if anyone ever wanted proof that motorbikes are alive.. well mine GROWS (and thankfully shrinks back to normal)

thanks for pointing me in the right direction!