I bought an Indian one 3 weeks ago from Hawkshaws in Liverpool. All chrome, 295 GBP +VAT, ie less than a proper refurb etc of a chrome- panelled original. It was for my B31, which was leaking like an incontinent dog at the rear arch.
Comments:
tank has enough cutaway on the right underside to clear single engine.
two fuel tap holes, 3/8 BSP, well made and in the right places or near enough - just took a run-through with a tap to clean some excess chrome off.
The studs for the steady bar are correct at 5/16ths BSC and well attached.
The knee pad holes were correctly spaced and correct thread, 1/4 BSF or Cycle, not sure which they are.
Chrome pretty fair if not best I've ever seen.
Shape and fit OK. Maybe a tiny bit wide at fullest point, and maybe a tiny bit short, like 1/2 inch or so, on total length. But went on no trouble with centre bolt hole spot on.
Also fitted straight on my A when I tried it to see.
Fuel cap fitted well too after a light dressing with a file on the lumps that engage the cap.
Could be the one I bought would suit an A7 as well as or better than a B - I have no idea of the small differences. The guy at Hawkshaw thought s/arm A7 ones were a bit shorter than the A10 ones. I haven't a clue. My B is a '56, the A a '59/'60. All the tanks - whether rightly or wrongly and I don't know - are round badge ones.
When I then cut out the end and brazed a new section into the leaky one from the B I put it on the A, as the chrome panels were quite good, better than the paint on the A's tank. (I'd tried and failed to braze it up as it was before buying the new one, but the rear panel was cracked and fragile and heat didn't help at all so it as an angle grinder job in the end.)
The B's mended one one seems maybe an inch shorter than the tank that was on the A which is now a usable spare.
But I couldn't say if what was on anything was 100% correct or not, nor what the brand new one is really for. Nor cpould I say if the seats on either bike are spot on - lengths seem to vary, with an effect on the apparent fit of the tanks.
There are pics of the various versions available on Hawkshaw's web site, and no doubt elsewhere as well. Jim at Hawkshaws was struggling to tell me quite what tank was actually for which exact model - in the end we just exchanged photos and I took what looked the nearest to what I had on the B with the primary issue being clearance under the rh side for the top end of the single engine.
Whatever the finer points of fit and form may be, I'm pretty happy and I reckon the Indian tank is a good solution where 100% attention to every year-by-year model detail isn't critical. I continue to think the value is good too, and of course I still have the tans I started with, which could obviously be made perfect if I was inclined to spend the money, or cared all that much.
Tried to attach a pic of the new tank, but the res was too high . . . however, the web site shows the thing well enough for anyone interested.
