Aprilia RST1000 Futura - Fuel Tank Issue - A MUST READ!!!
hpl
I have a 2001 Aprilia RST1000 Futura that I have maintained impeccably
since I purchased it new.
My wife and I returned from vacation and smelled gas when we entered
our garage. I couldn't figure where it was coming from, as the car
seemed fine, so I uncovered the Aprilia and found a sizeable fuel
puddle on the floor. LUCKY THE TRICKLE CHARGER THAT SITS ON THE FLOOR
UNDER THE BIKE WASN'T PLUGGED IN, SO THERE WAS NO IGNITION SOURCE,
THUS WE DIDN'T LOSE THE HOUSE CAR & BIKE!!!
Please note this has nothing to do with the service recall
notification that was performed last year. For those that don't know,
Aprilia pays to have the plastic elbow connector (that connects the
fuel line to the tank) replaced with a metal elbow connector, because
they were breaking and causing fuel leaks.
After speaking to two Aprilia Dealers in New Jersey, and having the
bike flat bedded to the closest one an hour & a half away (as all the
local dealers gave up Aprilia in the last two years) I learned that
the bottom of the tank where the opening for the fuel pump/fuel filter
assembly is, is warped. Yes, the actual fiberglass tank bottom has
warped from the heat of the engine!!!
Thus, the fuel tank is leaking from the O-Ring gasket that seals the
fuel pump and fuel filter assembly to the fiberglass fuel tank.
Rollin' Fast Cycles, in Lebanon, NJ, where I had the bike taken to,
told me that they had seen this before, once on a Falco & once on
another Futura. I also checked with Martin's Eurosports, in
Coopersburg, PA and it was the Aprilia Dealer's opinion that this is
an Engineering Design Defect in how the bike is manufactured, as the
tank should be able to handle the heat from the engine over the years
of usage.
I was told that I have to replace the fuel tank, and the cost of the
tank alone is $1,102!!! On top of that... I of course have to purchase
a new O-Ring, and various gaskets for a total of $1,184.70 WITH OUT
LABOR & WITHOUT the 7% NEW JERSEY SALES TAX!
I'm was also told that I can not have the fiberglass tank worked on,
as one would for a boat, and have the flat plate area smoothed out to
make for a proper alignment. This is because neither dealer will sign
off on this type of work in case the tank develops a leak, and causes
a fire.
I then contacted Piaggio, who now owns Aprilia, and spoke with both
their Customer Service Manager in New York City and Their Technical
Support Manager in Orange County, CA. Bottom line is that since the
bike is out of warranty, that's their stand... "It's out of warranty"!
NOT! After sending the exact same information to Piaggio's Customer
Support and asking for them to share 50% of the cost, and reminding
then that I could have lost not only my Aprilia RST1000 Futura, but
the house and car also (meaning attorney's would be involved), Piaggio
stepped up to the plate and paid for 50% of the cost of the Fuel tank
($551.37), but would not cover the labor to install, or the various
gaskets needed.
SO... OBVIOUSLY PIAGGIO / APRILIA AGREE THEY SHARE FAULT, AND NOW I
WANT EVERY APRILIA OWNER TO BE ADVISED OF THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS
PROBLEM WITH THE APRILIA FUTURA.
TomP
Maybe you should file a complaint with NHTSA here's a link to do it
on line even: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
--
Tp,
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No Lawsuit Ever Fixed A Moron...
The Older Gentleman
> Maybe you should file a complaint with NHTSA here's a link to do it
> on line even: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
Learn to snip, newbie ;-)
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Jack Hunt
>I'm was also told that I can not have the fiberglass tank worked on,
>as one would for a boat, and have the flat plate area smoothed out to
>make for a proper alignment. This is because neither dealer will sign
>off on this type of work in case the tank develops a leak, and causes
>a fire.
It's out of warranty, so they're not going to sign off on anything anyway. Do
what you want. Sod 'em. Take it to a reputable fiberglass man or do it
yourself.
What's the worst that can happen? Another leak? What's the guarantee you won't
get another leak with a new tank that "just as good" as the old one? A good
fiberglass man should be able to reinforce the area to prevent warping. Look
into some heat insulation between the engine and tank for good measure.
--
Jack
Paul Cassel
CB...@webtv.net
here but your spam guard blocked it and the assy to request block
removal doesn't work.
Mark Olson
If you've got a good solution, who cares what dumb comments may
get posted contemporaneously? Post it and share the knowledge,
that's the whole purpose of Usenet tech groups, they're not
intended to be a place where only questions are posted and
answers supplied via e-mail, if that were the case there'd be
little point in reading the group.
--
'01 SV650S '99 EX250-F13 '98 ZG1000-A13
OMF #7
Jack Hunt
>If you've got a good solution, who cares what dumb comments may
>get posted contemporaneously?
Hey, I've got a good solution! Ignore anything posted from WebTV. If he had a
good solution, the first thing he'd do is buy a real computer.
--
Jack
TomP
> TomP <---roa...@socal.rr.com> wrote:
>
> > Maybe you should file a complaint with NHTSA here's a link to do it
> > on line even: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
>
> Learn to snip, newbie ;-)
WHY?
.p.jm@see_my_sig_for_address.com
wrote:
>The Older Gentleman wrote:
>
>> TomP <---roa...@socal.rr.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Maybe you should file a complaint with NHTSA here's a link to do it
>> > on line even: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
>>
>> Learn to snip, newbie ;-)
>
> WHY?
You might want to be a Rabbi some day.
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