Hello guys, My 1989 851 supposedly had an aluminium tank and therefore I wasn’t expecting to find such a mess inside to what it looks like being rust. I am posting a picture so you can see, but I wonder if any of you had the same issue and how you resolved it. thanks, Joe.
I'd say a magnet will tell you if it is Aluminium or not. I clean my tanks with normal white vinegar. Well I clean pretty much everything metal with it. Dissolves rust and grime, also gets rid of old Zink plating. Fill it up and leave for 24 to 48 hours.
i tried the magnet and doesn’t stick. It does on part of the subframe but not on the tank, which tells me it’s aluminium. I wonder what the hell that is then. I know this is a silly question but how would you proceed to clean that? From the top, remove fuel filter and simply use a brush to clean it? Or still use the vinegar? On this last procedure, I wonder if you empty the tank of everything or leave the pump too. Thanks guys.
It looks like some sort of tank sealer to me. Depending on what Epoxy it's based on you'll need to dissolve it. Tank sealants are great, until you need to get them out again for whatever reason.
And that could be the case. Will it harm to leave it as it is? I just wonder if it’s something that needs to be fixed imminently or if it can wait.
It depends on how loose and flakey it is really. It will soon clog everything up and restrict fuel flow if it's loose.
understand. I think I am probably better off sending the tank to someone who knows how to clean it to avoid messing it up.
Joe - Old fuel can dry out and leave a sludge/hard deposit, but it has to dry out over a pretty long time……years! Also depending one the components inside, it may not be the tank, but those components slowly rotting, especially if water got in there. I had very light rust in my steel tank and got the guys at ProTwins to pull the guts out of the tank, seal it and put new pump and filters inside.
Thanks guys. I appreciate everyone’s advice. I called pro-twins who mentioned the workshop is very busy and therefore only taking bookings from October/November. I would have waited but will be relocating to Spain in October. worse coming to worse will sort something out over there.
I would say Epoxy or sludge, depending on standing time, if not than for some reason epoxy when the tank is Ali
Hello. I agree with previous sentiments that you really need to know what it is. However, in the meantime, you could try a tank cleaner as in the link below, that might help: https://www.frost.co.uk/cleaner-degreaser-por15-marine-clean-3-78-litres/ . Good luck and I hope this helps. Tom.
Just because I did not want to leave this topic without an outcome, here is the tank after (home remedy only): * Filled the tank with water, 1 tea spoon of baking soda, vinegar. Left it for 5 hours and rinsed it with a hose. I thought the result of it was fine but when it dried, it was still super dirty. In addition, I discovered that the bottom of the tank where I thought there was a previous anti rust treatment applied, was instead a thick, more than stubborn layer of gummed old petrol. Nothing worked on removing it so I had to soak for another 5 hours the tank with vinegar and soda. This time I used a jet wash to clean it and also a plastic tool I used to scrape the gummed petrol. A lot of swearing, sweating and cuts on my arms but this is how my tank is now looking. A mega thanks to Sev who kindly assisted this frustrated- low knowledged Italian (me) in reassembling the fuel pump and also changing the fuel lines. Bike is now alive and going amazing.
