I'll add my somewhat mixed experiences with a Clarke for my 06 DRZ400S.
I ordered a new blue DRZ tank from a reputable Ebay vendor and it arrived promptly. I was busy and it took three weeks to get it mounted and I was leaving on a 4-day dual-sport tour the next day. Sure enough, I had a slow leak around the right "safety wire" insert. I needed the extra range, so I just lived with it, but finally had to jury-rig some fiber washers and o-rings to manage the leak and complete the tour, albeit making sure nobody was smoking around the bike. (I do have the usual 2nd detent choke knob interference issue but didn't have to rig new fuel or vacuum lines.)
When I got home I called Clarke and was told that since I didn't buy the tank from them directly, I would have to return it through the vendor I bought it from. The person I talked to on the phone was very cut/dried about this. So I got ahold of the vendor who responded immediately. He offered to intervene on my behalf to see if I could send it directly to Clarke and get a new one back directly from Clarke, reducing the turnaround. I sent him a picture of the leak which he forwarded to Clarke. I did end up doing the exchange directly with Clarke for about one-week turnaround which was excellent. (I don't understand why Clarke wouldn't just do this from the get-go.) I've mounted the new tank and so far, it is fuel tight.
The return was a big hassle and cost me about $8 in postage. Although I had drained the tank thoroughly and made sure it was bone dry, it still had a slight residual gas smell that I couldn't get rid of. While weighing the package, the lady at the post office got a faint wiff of gas smell and it was all over - she wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. So I had to seal it up in a plastic bag, repack it with fresh packing materials, and spend another 30 minutes in line at the post office.
The leak might have been a defect in the plastic around the insert, but I also noted that when you bolt up the safety wire, it doesn't lay very flat against the insert which adds bending stress to the insert and surrounding plastic. Probably the easiest thing to do is to skip the safety wire, but I'm not overly impressed with Clarke's plastic saddle mounts that engage the frame rubbers; they seem a bit flexy and not deep enough. I could easily see a good wreck causing the tank to unseat at the front and without the safety wire, four gallons of fuel might have enough lever arm to crack/split the tank at the aft mounting points. So on the new tank, I retained the safety wire, but was careful to bend it so the safety wire seats flat on the inserts. I also went easy on the torque.
I like the tank, but this was a big hassle. Clarke came through promptly with a good replacement, but I think they should accept back warranty claims directly rather than making us jump through hoops. And they didn't reimburse me for the return postage. (It was only $8 so I didn't ask them to, but I've had vendors volunteer or throw in a freebie to cover the hassle.) If you're buying one, you might want to order directly from Clarke in case you get a bum one like I did.
- Mark
