Clarke is going to make new Tecate and 250R tanks!

[Apollo]

I just got off the phone with Janet of Clarke Manufacturing. I was asking about 85/86 250R tanks again and she said they are going to be available in late Febuary or early March. :w00t: They will be exact replicas: stock capacity, color, etc. Lets pray they get it right. I hung up stoked and it hit me that I forgot about the Tecate which needs it more than 250R's. Are you ready? They are making them also! She said it was funny that I asked, because I was like the seventh person that asked about the KXT250 in the last two weeks. She had a lot of questions and I answered them as best as I could. She has the Honda questions covered. They are doing all 250R tanks from 81 to 87 and all Tecate tanks from 84 to 87. They are still in the process of investigating and getting a hold of the Kawasaki tanks. I told her the Tecate tanks are all Kawi green and the 84/85's are different from the 86/87's. Am I right? She was misinformed in thinking there were 86 to 88 Tecates and the 88 was called a KXF. I told her KXF was the four wheeler and Kawasaki called them Tecates also. I told her the KXF was different from KXT. She now knows the 84 and 85 are the same, but different from the 86 to 87. I gave her my number to call me about any questions they might have. I told her if she needed any tanks that they may need to copy to let me know. I told her about the 3 Wheeler World site and one of the members surely has a tank for them to look at if need be. Janet kept asking questions. She asked if these two bikes were for farm use! I politely told her no, they were designed for racing motocross, etc. She wanted to know if we were still riding them or restoring them. I told her there were parts still made for them and we are indeed riding them. I said I and a lot of others are restoring 250R's from the ground up and a new tank is sorely needed. I then went into the Tecate tank discoloration and leak problem and that they were needed more than Honda's. Well she was real nice and very helpful and is excited to be able to help us. I told her I would spread the word here and we appreciate a much needed product. Are the answers I gave Janet correct? I am sorry to you Tri Z owners for I did not ask about it. I hardly know anything about that trike. Sorry Jeb. I think somebody that is interested should call or I will tomorrow, but I have to know what if any differences there are in years. Janet said they are trying to feel a void and I wouldn't be surprised if they are looking into the Tri Z also.

[BLAZERONE22]

I have a 84 tecate tank I could drop off for her. Clarke is only 10 miles from here. I might have a 85 250r tank also. email her and see if she's interested.

[Apollo]

I forgot, the tanks are going to be around 170 to 180 dollars.

[Apollo]

Blazerone22, I'll ask them no problem and get back with you.

[Apollo]

I forgot about Tri-Z tanks being under the seat, do they have problems at all or have they been reliable?

[Dammit!]

Ask her about making headlight plastics in different colors. Actually, ask about the possibility of getting the tanks in different colors too. Even if they would be special order it would be nice to have options that are at least out there.

Why stop at gas tanks and factory colors? :naughty:

[bigredhead]

Hell yeah.

I want a tank for my 85 SX.. and i want a white one at that !

I checked their site a while back, but never inquired if they had them in stock..

I'm thinking white maier front and back plastic with black/white checker seat cover. and front headlight plastic ( might have to settle for krylon paint on the headlight tho. )

[BigGreenMachine]

I'll buy one for sure. So it be Kawasaki green Tecate tanks? Nice I'd also be interested in different colours like white and black.

Guys about the headlight shrouds and stuff...be thankful that they are even making these tanks because I'm sure they don't need to.

[Dammit!]

Being thankful is no reason not to ask for more! :p

There's a market for it so it's not like we're asking for a favor here. Right now Maier is the only option for most people that want new plastics and they don't make everything. I'm gonna need a black 350x headlight shell at some point. Would be nice if I didn't have to paint one.

[200xkwit]

what about flat track tanks and kits for the 250r and tecate you know? .. maybe if you sent um a large list of people that would be willing to buy them and see wha tthey can do for you. that would be a treat wouldnt it?

[BigGreenMachine]

what about flat track tanks and kits for the 250r and tecate you know? .. maybe if you sent um a large list of people that would be willing to buy them and see wha tthey can do for you. that would be a treat wouldnt it?

Thats a great idea but the R kit is more about the mounting hardwear and the rad shrouds and uses a stock.

The Tecate shorttrack tank would be easier to duplicate but theres only one in existance that I know of that could be used to gather its dimensions. These would sell quickly too IMO.

Pretty cool about the Tecate tank be remanufactured, never though I'd see that. Now all I need is my friend to get on the ball with the replica Cal-Fabs... ;)

[TrikerR]

someone should ask them to make a conventional tank for the tri z.

[Billy Golightly]

Well that is some very very good news for sure. I will buy one for my 84 Tecate as it needs one. Anyone who is in the market for a new tank, get it from them because it will show our support for their money spent on R&D along with the manufacturing. Just remember, if its a flop they arent going to go out on a limb and make them or anything else again. BUT, if they do good, they will be inclined to checkout other areas :)

[Orangecnty250r]

This news is almost as good as world peace. I put another call in this week to see if I can put an order in for an 86 tecate tank which i do need. This will reinforce the demand for these products. Thanks.

[tecatecrazy]

If anyone calls back you may want to politely inform them that tecate tanks came in red also

[GreenBoy]

I have a few tanks from the 86 Tecate that I could send one from to Clarke, but I want that back afterwards :D
I would be happy if they could make tanks that really match the stock color of the plastics, so i could also include a new left tank shroud as a sample.

Maybe they can make tanks with integrated shrouds like acerbis does for some modells....

My email is CGR@gmx.info
Best wishes and Have a good New Year !
Hagen
Germany

[Apollo]

Alright everybody, I have written all the requests down and tryin to call as I write. Great ideas! I am interested in flat track tanks too. Clarke will always have their molds and are going to make a round of tanks for the shelf. Janet said as stock is depleted they will make more. I will ask about different colors, tell her about Tecate red, If they will do headlight plastic, regular Tri-Z tanks, etc. I will tell her about people lending their items to Clarke for copying, color comparison, etc. Thats a good idea about sending new plastic for color info.

[Apollo]

BigGreenmachine, I am interested in a replica Cal-Fab swing arm also, I wonder how much weight it will save? Sign me up for that.

[TimSr]

I think this will be great for people doing restorations. It seems the most interest is from people looking for new ones mostly for cosmetic reasons. For this reason, I dont see a worthwhile market for new TriZ gas tanks. Only small parts of the tank are barely even visible, so the only reason to replace one would be if its damaged, and that is rare. You cant give used ones away for the cost of shipping. For other models, where its a major part pf their appearance, especially the more common models like 85-86 250R, I think it will be worth their time.

[BLAZERONE22]

If anyone calls back you may want to politely inform them that tecate tanks came in red also

I love that tecate!!!

[deathman53]

I'll send them a short track tank to copy(only if I get it back), and also a set of shrouds too, I don't need them right now, but I might in the future and I'd like to be able to buy them if so. I have a few stock tanks to send, too.

[Dirtcrasher]

Lots of great news. I hope they can get the color right, the person willing to temporarily donate the new left shroud should do so. It seems like none of these guys can ever get the colors correct or sometimes even close.

Shame to get all the mold work done and then screw up the color :(

[RacerRichie]

Got a CLARKE for my 350X. Like it.
I would buy a 86-87 Tecate tank in KAWI green from them for sure. Make them and we will come.
Thank god.

[smokinp]

thats great news to hear!keep us updated

[tecate250RR]

cant wait for the tecate tanks to be made. im gonna buy 2 for my 85.

[Kintore]

I want one for my 82 and 84 R!

[markdb420]

Sweet deal, I'll be one of the first to get a white 250r tank, if they will make one. That is all I need to set my bike in just white and red. Just all white plastic and red frame, fork boots, and red shock springs. That would be awesome! :beer

[Meat-BoX]

I have a Tank here that I wouldnt sell to anyone. I was painted and bubbled up. I would gladly give it to them. WHAT IM WONDERING ABOUT IS THE COOL Vented Radiator # Plate THAT Jimmy White ? had on his 84-85 Tecate. Those are reall col. Send em pics of that allso. I think I saw a mwmber here with one but good luck lending that out. Its like Gold. Allso I will buy one for sure. I got a sweet oruginal tank now but its a little lighter than mu Maier Plastic. AND RED TANKS ARE A MUST.Im happy if this is True. :beer

[Apollo]

I tried calling all day with no results. I think they took the day off, and will try again Monday morning. I'll add the number plate issue to the questions, however they specialize in tanks. I hope Clarke will do shrouds, headlight shells, etc. We will know soon enough. Now it is Saturday morning and it is time to tear it up. Happy New Years! Ride on.

[Billy Golightly]

I wouldn't push them to do anything else more then what they are right now. Like I said earlier, if these flop it will be bad and they probably wont do anything in the future, but if you get them lined up with a whole mess of stuff and it flops, then they are really going to be pissed off.

As for the colored 250R headlight shells, you guys do know that Maier makes them, right? http://www.maier-mfg.com/shop.cfm?action=list&page=list.cfm&criteria=101&makeid=10&modelid=152 they are availabe in black, blue, red, and white.

[cliff2302]

i think shrouds for tecates would be a bigger seller than tanks. we found out that you can still get tank covers new for $50, so why spend $150+ on a tank that is going to fade again once you start putting gas in it? If they are willing to make these tanks though, i pray that they will be willing to make shrouds again. I caught myself almost bidding on VERY expenseive used shrouds on ebay recently. Hope this all works out.

[250rAL]

Tanks are blow molded and the other items mentioned(like shrouds) are injection molded. They may not have injection molding machines.

[a-camp]

I would spend that!! I would buy a tank and light too. I want to encourage and support any company making parts for old 2 Strokes.

[Apollo]

I just spoke with janet with Clarke Manufacturing. Here is what she said: 85-86 R tanks will be available in late Feb to March. She is not sure about 81 to 84 R tanks. She has my name and number and will call in a couple of months if she needs help with Tecate tanks. She says there is a real good chance that they will be available in April. I told her about Kawi red and she made note of it. She made note of the flat track tanks as well. As of right now, they are not going to do anything but tanks. Janet said Clarke is entertaining the idea of doing other plastic accessories, but are doing 05 model year tanks at the time being. Here is my take, lets hope the 250R tanks are right on the money and they sell like hot cakes to give Clarke more incentive to do other years and models. For Tecate and other trike owners, I would call and make your voice heard. The more number of different owners the better. I kind of think they are using the R tanks as a test to see how well our market responds. So everybody respond, but don't harass them. This is a good thing so lets get it right. I forgot to mention different color than stock tanks. The number is 503- 829-2156, Clarke is in Oregon. Oh yeah, she said they were going to produce 8 to 10 85/86 tanks on the first run and make more as the demand continues. Start looking in mid Febuary on the web site www.clarkemfg.com for these tanks if your interested.

[Dammit!]

As for the colored 250R headlight shells, you guys do know that Maier makes them, right? http://www.maier-mfg.com/shop.cfm?action=list&page=list.cfm&criteria=101&makeid=10&modelid=152 they are availabe in black, blue, red, and white.

Yep. Unfortunately, they only make the 1985 R headlight plastic. The 1986 is different (and better imo). I know where I can get the 1986 frame but only in red. They also don't offer a 350x headlight plastic in black which is something I'm interested in.

They can always be painted but obviously a solid colored plastic the way to go if you can.

A white 250R tank could be interesting too. Never really thought too much about it but there's potential there.

[RacerRichie]

Just called and spoke to Dawn. I left my name and number and told them I would like to buy a tank for my 87 tecate. She said the more people that call and show interest the better. So I wait til they call me and tell me its ready now...... :beer

[250rulzes]

Well I hate to burst all the TECATE fans bubbles, but I also spoke with Janet at Clarke mfg. today. There is no plan to reproduce any TECATE tanks as of today; this includes 84/85 and 86/87 versions. 85/86R are the only tanks they will be manufacturing that are new. I asked her about quantity and how many tanks would they need to create and sell to make the endeavor profitable for their company? She estimated 200-300. She also suggested email would be a great way to contact them requesting TECATE tanks. Send in those emails...have a friend do it also...

Peace

[HRC1]

Well at least the good news is that they are doin the 250R tanks. I have a clark tank on my 350x and it's NICE! Stock shape, no probs except that plastic leaches gas through it. So it's jsut a matter of time and it will be yellow. Does anyone have a idea of something to seal the inside besides cream? it says not to use on plastic and requires etching the steel tanks before install. Does anyone know how polyurothane holds up to gas? I can't think of anything that will stick to plastic and stay in there. I put new stickers on it and in 2 days they were bubbling, and the inside is dark yellow already.

[Orangecnty250r]

Thanks for the link to Clarke. I just emailed them and put in an order request for a 85 tank. I said I would also be willing to buy an 86 tecate tank if ever produced. I suggested that if they don't have one already they should have a ebay store to sell these tanks to boost there sales. How many owners out there check ebay weekly if not daily and are not a member of this board. Many potential buyers do not know that this is even in the works. This would ultimately boost there sales and make this work for them as well as us.

[BigGreenMachine]

Well I hate to burst all the TECATE fans bubbles, but I also spoke with Janet at Clarke mfg. today. There is no plan to reproduce any TECATE tanks as of today; this includes 84/85 and 86/87 versions. 85/86R are the only tanks they will be manufacturing that are new. I asked her about quantity and how many tanks would they need to create and sell to make the endeavor profitable for their company? She estimated 200-300. She also suggested email would be a great way to contact them requesting TECATE tanks. Send in those emails...have a friend do it also...

Peace


Wow thats an end to that, this s u c k s a s s. :p

[tecate250RR]

here the reply i got from clarke when i emailed them about that tecate tank.

"James

We are considering it, but there are a lot of other projects under construction at this time. We will not be starting anything soon.

Thanks
Chris"
Clarke mfg co.

[Curtis-Tecate3]

I was going to post to this thread the other day but held back....It sounded like you guys were making progress.
My personal experience with aftermarket tanks starts with the 85 200X. I ordered a tank from a local shop and specifically asked for an IMS unit. The shop ordered and received a Clark. When I first saw it I thought it was the wrong tank but after speaking to Clark they confirmed that it was correct. There is a big difference between Clark & IMS at least on the 200X. I had the shop return the Clark tank and re-order an IMS. On the 200X the Clark tank just looks like it does not belong... It is shaped funny compared to stock or IMS and does not have any way to mount the factory air scoops. It also had a weird rear mount using a rubber strap. The IMS tank (for the 200X at least) is far superior in my opinion. More money for sure but a much better product.

Has anyone tried to contact IMS regarding these tanks? Their website lists tanks for every year 250R. For the 85/86 they have Red, White, Black & Natural colors all with 4 gal capacity.
http://www.imsproducts.com/index2new.html

No Tecate tanks though....

I am sure that Clark doesn't want to touch the 2nd gen. Tecate tank as the market is limited and the tank for the 86/87 is fairly complex. Lots of compound curves as well as the mounting nuts embedded into the plastic for the radiator scoops, rear mounts as well as the petcock.

The 84/85 Tecate should be easy but it doesn't appear that anyone makes them.

Good luck guys.

Curtis.

[Jeb]

...I am sorry to you Tri Z owners for I did not ask about it. I hardly know anything about that trike. Sorry Jeb. ...


Nothing to be sorry about Apollo! I was a Tecate guy way before Tri-Z and would love a new green tank for my 86.

I was really excited reading the first posts of this thread, but by the time I posted this I'm skepticle we'll ever see any KXT tanks.

But hey, since we're dreaming here...As far as Tri-Z tanks go, I'd like to see a replacement tank/airbox combo that would have a plastic gas tank that is the same shape as the airbox cover and fit just like it. Appearing to the untrained eye to be a stock airbox cover but actually being a blow-molded fuel tank. Of course available in black, red, and competition yellow! And then a black airbox to hang under the seat, similar to the old PlasticWerkz aftermarket airboxes. :beer

250RAl is right about the fact that Clarke is a blow-molder and shrouds and fenders need to be injection molded. But you can vacuum form shrouds and fenders like Maier. The thing with plastics, no matter the type of molding, is the up-front tooling costs. Even when tooling is cheaply constructed it's still can be pretty expensive and you then you need a market to recover your tooling costs.

[Tecate250]

Any news on this?

[250rfan]

It's been 3 years!,,,,,,something should have happened.

[VenomRS4]

This is awesome!!! I cant wait. I'll probably call them to reinforce it more.

[RacerRichie]

This post is old and crusty like my gas tank. If it hasn't happened yet dont hold your breath. Spend time looking for a retrofit.
Anybody find a KX tank that works well?????????? What year and model?

[Blown 331]

I guess one good thing about a red Tecate is the tanks hold up a lot better than green, at least mine did.

[rasorroad250r]

Clarke said they are not going to offer any tecate tanks and probably never will. Just talked to them.................On a good note I just got the dc plastics slip on plastic cover and it fits and looks excellent! Very good way to make the faded old tank look brand new.

[Blown 331]

Clarke said they are not going to offer any tecate tanks and probably never will. Just talked to them.................On a good note I just got the dc plastics slip on plastic cover and it fits and looks excellent! Very good way to make the faded old tank look brand new.

Do you have a pic of that? Just curious how it looks. That sucks they aren't going to make those tanks, I would think they'd sell a bunch for both gen T3s. I wonder how the rumor got started that they were going to be made?

[Merge_88]

Is this slip on cover the one that is molded with the shrouds or is it the tank alone?

[scooterroo]

i think he is talking about the 84/85 model tank.

[BigGreenMachine]

I've been keeping quiet about this but I have an idea for Tecate tanks. There is a process that is like silk screening, basicly it coats whatever you want in the pattern you want. Solid colours or carbon style, anything you want I think. All us Tecate owners would have to do is Red Kote the inside of our tank so the coating lasts.

I want one in green or carbon I think.

[BigGreenMachine]

The pipe has the coating on it. :naughty:

[fabiodriven]

Hey Big Green- are you ignoring me? I've sent a couple PM's your way because I had some questions and you never responded. What's the deal?

[BigGreenMachine]

Hey Big Green- are you ignoring me? I've sent a couple PM's your way because I had some questions and you never responded. What's the deal?

Certainly not. Check your PM's.

Though I was sure I replied already. Guess not. :D

[rasorroad250r]

My cover is for 84-85. I have pics of it in the build up garage thread on .org i go by dovesprings250r over there. i haven't figured out how to post pics here yet.

[fabiodriven]

My cover is for 84-85. I have pics of it in the build up garage thread on .org i go by dovesprings250r over there. i haven't figured out how to post pics here yet.

Photobucket, my friend.

[fabiodriven]

So, is there any chance at all that this is going to happen? Does anybody know? Cause I could really use an 86 Tecate tank.

[factoryX]

come on, red tri-z tanks.... or even yellow....

[scooterroo]

no this will never happen, this thread is like 4 years old, ntohing has heppened as of this date, so dont go waiting in anticipation for clarke to start doing these all the sudden.

[3Razors]

Has anyone ever tried to buy the mold from Kawasaki? I know it would be a horrendous amount of money but you never know. I bet Kawi has rules though about selling stuff like that to the public.

[fabiodriven]

Has anyone ever tried to buy the mold from Kawasaki? I know it would be a horrendous amount of money but you never know. I bet Kawi has rules though about selling stuff like that to the public.

I'd definately pitch in. Just say the word-

I'm sending one of my tanks out tomorrow. My buddy claims he can make one from sheetmetal. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and I'll keep ya'll posted-

[BigGreenMachine]

Buying a DC Plastics cover and numberplate tomorrow.

[Atc GuY]

Couldn't a person vacuum form the halves of the tank and then plastic weld them together?

[fabiodriven]

Couldn't a person vacuum form the halves of the tank and then plastic weld them together?

That's a dadgum good question- I bet the big issue would be the filler neck.

[Atc GuY]

For the filler neck it too could be welded on, as you can't see it under the cap.