INSIDE the motorbike tanks.......????

[grego]

Is the inside of bike gas tanks treated somehow or is it just plain steel. Just wonderingif it is ok to "bog-up" the dents outside or if it needs to be "panelbeated and somehow treated"
Thanks for your info

[Colapop]

It would depend on if your tank is creased, I think. You'd need to get it pressure tested to check for pinholes but if it's not holed then you shouldn't have a problem patching a small ding with bog.
Motu and others here are the ones who'll give you the full gos on that though.

[JMemonic]

Depends on the bike most are plain steel, some euro bikes apparently have their tanks treated.

If you are worried find a reputable outfit that repairs tanks and get them to etch and line the tank the good liners can fill minor pin holes but dont do what some fool did to the tank off my bike, pluged up the holes with bog and what looks like chewing gum, the put in one of those cheap tank repair packs, it has basicly written the tank off I am having to put in hours repairing it correctly and if it had been done correctly in the first place most of the additional damge could have been avoided.

[TygerTung]

If there is any pinholes you can actually just fix them with solder.

[JMemonic]

If there is any pinholes you can actually just fix them with solder.

I wish pin holes, would be nice and easy if I had a digital camera I would have taken photos, the left had side of the tank is basicly gone, the old saying a stich in time is very applicable. If you have an older bike and intend to keep it get the tank lined properly and have one less worry.

[Zapf]

wonder why ppl don't make crash bungs for the tank...:innocent:

[vifferman]

If there is any pinholes you can actually just fix them with solder.
Yeeessss.... but if there is any moisture around (i.e., the tank isn't completely sealed with paint on the outside and liner on the inside), then you can get galvanic corrosion between the solder and the steel, as the solder being less reactive will cause the steel to oxidise (rust). The pinhole will end up getting worse.
I'm not saying soldering is a dumb idea, but you have to do the job properly.

[Charlie]

Ahh, yes. My bike has its 1st (and to date only) scar... and I wasnt even riding it at the time! The wind blew it over at home while parked up :doh: (Wellington - GRRR!). The handle bars were on full lock and were pressed into the tank. Now the tank has a round indent in it that perfectly fits the bars and clamp. Not major and would survive just being left as is. But I have seen advertised the "no panel beating" method of sucking out such dings.
Has anyone had this done on a bike or probably more likely a car? Is it suitable for something so small or does cost/result not stack up?

[vifferman]

Ahh, yes. My bike has its 1st (and to date only) scar... and I wasnt even riding it at the time! The wind blew it over at home while parked up :doh: (Wellington - GRRR!). The handle bars were on full lock and were pressed into the tank. Now the tank has a round indent in it that perfectly fits the bars and clamp. Not major and would survive just being left as is. But I have seen advertised the "no panel beating" method of sucking out such dings.
Has anyone had this done on a bike or probably more likely a car? Is it suitable for something so small or does cost/result not stack up?
I thought of getting that done too (length of dowelling fell end-first onto my tank). But I was told that the bike tanks are too stiff for this method to work. It'd still be worth asking them, as my info wasn't 'from the horse's mouth', but from someone else.

[Charlie]

Where are the panelbeaters on KB?

[Motu]

Your bike is new and was just knocked over in a low speed dong,unless it fell on a bed of nails I doubt if you'd have pin holes.But a crease can tear the metal and make a hole - does it leak?? If it's insurance you should be getting a new tank,but if it's just minor dents they will bog and repaint.I don't think tanks are treated,although it's possible they might have some sort of phospho dip these days,that's not likely to be damaged.

[Charlie]

No I'm pretty sure there are no pin holes. Like I said, its minor and makes no difference if it is fixed or not. Just pride and vanity has me wondering if its simple and worth poping out. One day it might get worse scares and the wee indent will be forgotten....

[grego]

maybe you could put a nice sticker over it...............
My tank is dammaged a bit more than that because it got the "chippies" from the road as well.

[grego]

tank does not leak

[Coyote]

How do you remove petrol fumes from a motorcycle tank without going into pumping it full of expensive inert gas?

I googled up defumigating tanks and read from another forum use washing powder and hot water and flush it out a few times. It worked and it didn't ignite when I threw a match over the tank from a safe distance huddled behind a car with a fire extinguisher at my side, but it's left the inside covered with surface rust.

This tank I'm working on isn't important and I'm only using it as a means of practicing dent repair so it doesn't realy matter now it's rusted but I wish to know how to properly defumigate tanks for the future.

[Motu]

Since when is inert gas expensive? - stuff it over the exhaust pipe of a car and fill it with CO2 yourself.Just make sure the choke isn't on or else you may put some unburned fuel in as well.

[Charlie]

maybe you could put a nice sticker over it...............
My tank is dammaged a bit more than that because it got the "chippies" from the road as well.
Thats cute... but I'm going for the minimalist uncluttered look!
Gonna do my best NOT to let my bike get road chippies... cause that would involve me getting up close and personal with the road too, and its not high on my to do list at the mo.

[Coyote]

Since when is inert gas expensive? - stuff it over the exhaust pipe of a car and fill it with CO2 yourself.Just make sure the choke isn't on or else you may put some unburned fuel in as well.
Somewhere along the line I got the impression that it was expensive :confused:

Good idea, have to try that

[vifferman]

I googled up defumigating tanks and read from another forum use washing powder and hot water and flush it out a few times. It worked and it didn't ignite when I threw a match over the tank from a safe distance huddled behind a car with a fire extinguisher at my side, but it's left the inside covered with surface rust.
Well it would do that - washing powder's usually caustic.

[HenryDorsetCase]

my CB400F tank had 28 years worth of rust and shite rolling round in the bottom of the tank when I got it. on the old bike board I frequent theres a bunch of different methods talked about. one is putting a handful of small nuts into the tank and shaking it, the nuts knock the surface rust off, and then it all pours out in the end.

one was posted by someone who might be an industrial chemist, and involved some shite you buy from a chemist.. Ill see if I can find it.

Most of them swear by a product called POR15 (its available here too). a three step process involving swooshing out the rust then a two pack stuff to line the tank.

I just cleaned mine out pretty thoroughly and now try and keep it full of petrol all the time so that the rust doesnt get a chance to form.

also I have a see thru inline fuel filter installed.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Remove the tank from the bike and remove the fuel. I find that lawn mowers can tolerate quite old gasoline!
Remove the fuel petcock from underneath the tank. The petcock will need cleaning but since it is made from aluminum the acid will harm it.
Stopper up the petcock hole with a rubber stopper. (better hardware stores will carry them). I would also clean the outside of the tank and put on a thick coat of automobile paste wax for protection. (leaking acid can cause damage)
Get yourself a pair of good rubber dishwashing gloves, goggles and perhaps even a rubber apron. While buying this protective gear, purchase a gallon of muriatic acid (really it is hydrochloric acid but this old name is what it is sold under) Also buy a large plastic drain tub that is bigger than your tank.
Find 2-4 cups of old nuts, bolts and screws!!? Pour the metal into the tank and then close the fuel fill cap and petcock hole. Now make like Ricky Ricardo and shake rattle and roll the tank. This will dislodge a lot of the rust and make the work of the acid easier.
Shake out the loose metal and save for the next tank. Pea gravel will also work but the sharp edges of the metal is more efficient. Flush the tank with water to remove any loose rust.
With the stopper in place, half fill the tank with water and place the tank in your plastic drain tub.CAUTION! Now pour in about one half gallon of acid. CAUTION This acid is hot stuff and you better protect yourself and the surroundings. Now fill up the rest of the tank with water. Don't let the acid run over the surface of the tank.
Let the tank stand with the fill cap open and check every 15 minutes on the progress of the acid. You will see that the rust will start to disappear and the gray metal beneath start to show. I have had tanks take from 1 to 4 hours depending on the level of rust.
When the job looks done, carefully remove the petcock stopper and drain into your plastic tub. Refill the tank with water and discard normally since the level of acid in this wash is very low.
Shake out as much of the water as you can and then pour in 1 - 2 cups of acetone. This will absorb any water and leave the tank when poured out.(place the acetone in a bowl and allow to evaporate)
Mix motor oil with gasoline, CAUTION, and rinse out the tank. A newly etched tank will rust super fast so a slight coat of oil will stop this action.
To neutralize the acid, pour into the tub marble chips that you can buy in a gardening store until the fizzing stops. Harmless carbon dioxide gas is given off.
Well, nobody said it would be easy! The commercial products work in the same manner but end with a coat of plastic.



Its from here (http://oldmanhonda.com/MC/Rrust.html)

[Ixion]

Be aware though, that if there is significant rust, removing the rust may leave you with a lot of holes in the tank!. It is very hard to remove rust without removing some metal also. And if rust has eaten almost all the way through the metal, the rust removal may also take out the last thin skin of metal. Hence, holes. Better to find out about them now than later!