Just thought I'd share my impressions on the rear fuel cell; construction, installation and how it actually works. I'm not adding any photos right now - there's plenty out there of the tank installed on the bike, and I didn't come across anything during the installation that I thought was particularly difficult or needed explanation.
The tank is very robust and well made, but only weighs about 10 lbs. It comes with a separate fuel pump already installed. IMO it is sturdy enough to survive any kind of tip over, and probably at least low speed get-offs. I'll be adding some Mosko Scout soft bags on light duty racks outside of the tank, so these should provide some protection at least. Installation is very straightforward but does involve removing the main tank. This is also straightforward however, especially if you watch Padu Merlotti's first rate video of the procedure. If you're going to install the heated grips (which are first rate BTW) you'll also need to remove the tank to access the LH connector. (The air filter is also under the tank.) The only part of the install that took a few minutes to sort was installing the correct lock cylinder in the gas cap - there are three different type cylinders in the bag, only one is correct for the cap. There isn't anything in the instructions about this either. (OK, maybe I should have taken a picture of this!)
I was most curious to see how the tank works in real life. Firstly, the tank/fuel transfer mode needs to be activated by the dealer, just like any other optional pre-wired accessories on the bike - i.e. fog lights and heated grips.The transfer itself is easy: Once the bike goes on "reserve" (low fuel light on) the formerly grayed-out "fuel transfer" selection in the upper "Interactive Menu" will now turn white. Toggle once, again for "yes", and the transfer starts. It takes a bit over five minutes to complete - sure happy the Ducati engineers didn't decide that you needed to be stopped to make the transfer! Once it's done it shows "fuel transfer complete", fuel range and quantity updates, and a small yellow icon illuminates showing that the aux tank is empty - a great idea IMO. All in all very well thought out.
FWIW I've now installed the off-road pack, fog lights, heated grips and the aux tank, plus aftermarket GPS and phone cradle wiring (QuadLock rocks for smartphones). My dealer quoted me 5 hours just for the heated grips (WTF). I think I probably saved close to $1000 by doing all the installs myself, and got very familiar with the bike in the process. I'm really happy with the build quality and functionality of all the components, and as I ponied up for Ducati's extended warranty I've got coverage on the extras too. Dig In!
