I realised after getting my new to me 1995, 900SS home that the petrol tank was leaking at the back, eventually got it drained, had about an inch of water in a ragu jar out of it and removed everything from inside. I let it air for a few days, bought some J-B Weld - Metal Repair from Amazon, was less than a tenner, then took the tank to my work to try and get the loose rust off from inside and clean it down to the metal with a rotary wire brush in a pneumatic screamer. the outcome of that was this!! Big blooming holes either side of the offside back seam. I managed to use our workshop TIG welder and some little thin strips of stainless to patch it up, ending up with a pretty rough looking repair, was a bit of a rush job during works time. It still looks bad even after I painted over it, but it didn't leak when I put some water in. I've put some of the J-B stuff over the welded area and over the other side of the tank, it is meant to be petrol resistant and is like araldite, in that you mix it up out of 2 tubes. The tank is fairly rusty inside still, just hoping it hangs in there for a few years. On another note I found this picture of a naked SS which I think looks great: Would love to do this to mine.
Secondhand tanks do cr*p up every now and then, but you need to inspect them carefully......Baines do some sort of exchange, but I'm not aware of the cost..... However, if I suffer from a leaky tank, and decide to keep the bike instead of breaking / flogging it, I would most likely get an ally one made by the Tank Shop....lower cost than a brand new Ducati one I think. AL
