My reproduction BSA OIF export tank has arrived from India.
Just for review, I had previously paid more than I really wanted to on an authentic tank because the seller said it was basically straight, in good condition, and could be easily restored. Fat chance. When I received it, it was a mess: rusted inside and out, with dents even the metric ton of bondo on it couldn’t hide, and multiple cracks slathered with gobs of bronze brazing rod and silver solder. After a long appraisal, I decided not to throw good effort after bad expense, and just buy one of the replica tanks advertised by vendors in India.
I chose the most reviewed, best rated vendor I could find on Ebay. I originally intended to get a bare metal tank (cheaper and no chance to hide bondo under paint), but I was concerned how rusted it might get if it was shipped by ocean freighter. I decided to spend a little more for a coat of solid cherry red paint.
I ordered it June 1, and it was scheduled to arrive in August or September. That timetable definitely led me to expect the slow-boat arrangement. But it shipped via DHL Express on June 26th, and the elapsed time for its trip from New Delhi and was at my door in Missouri was less than 80 hours! With my tank already the way, I happened to watch this scary video on Indian-made girder forks. I immediately felt dire concern over what I’d find in the box. Had I now wasted a combined cost of $400 on two crappy, unusable tanks? I have to admit, I waited a couple of days before unboxing the tank, for fear of what I’d find. This morning before work, fingers crossed, I opened it up…
…And was pleasantly surprised. The tank look symmetrical and feels solid. The paint quality is good, except for one tiny blemish on the bottom and a small scrape on one of the exposed seams. There’s some orange peel, but nothing worse than the paint I’ve seen on Japanese bikes. I can’t see any visible rust inside the filler hole. I took a thin, flexible refrigerator magnet (weakly magnetized rubber) to the outside and didn’t find detectable bondo. I will need to look inside with a borescope, check that doesn’t leak (hint: fill with non-flamable light mineral oil, available at farm stores by the gallon, in case you need to weld on it afterward), get a cap and petcocks that fit, etc. But my initial reaction is that I’ve likely gotten my money’s worth and this will look just great on Bultakenstein!
I have not decided whether to mess with a center trim strip that originally came on the tank. I did toy with the idea of making my own, perhaps an upholstered, padded strip to match the seat cover. It would be unusual, yet echo the chin pads on old GP bikes. But then it occurred to me: seat foam around a fuel filler? Okay, maybe not.
