Can the integral tank pad be removed without being damaged? I'm looking to get a tank resprayed but with replacement tank pad things now being obsolete how on earth do you remove the existing one without damaging it - or is it possible to mask them off and spray around them without it looking shite?! Thanks.
I've wondered about this. One other thing to ask yourself is how a perfectly sprayed tank, in say 10 years' time, is going to look with a withering original tank pad. So perhaps the question can be expanded to "Has anyone managed to get the old pad off without wrecking it (to keep it, just in case), and then found that they can respray the tank so it looks OK without the pad, or can have a more conventional thin tank protector stuck on instead?" Maybe there are gallery pics somewhere of an SSie without the original pad? Otherwise I'd have thought careful masking could work out alright.
The tank pad is only stuck on with double sided trim tape. Not too hard to remove, however there's a metal locating stud underneath that would need cutting off and filling. You'd have to re-spray the tank...
Yes I'm wondering if it's possible to get the pad off cleanly but looks like Gillian has the answer... Thanks Gillian. If this is a spare is it for sale? I tried sending you a PM but it said it hadn't been sent?!
Also the metal (alloy) filler neck in the steel tank how do you remove that part when rust-proof treating a tank or getting it resprayed does it just pull out?!
For the tankpad, I'd be inclined to warm it up to soften the glue, then use dental floss to 'saw' it off, cutting through the tape/glue.
Exactly. Getting it out is easier than putting it back in though! Big O-ring round the base, and another seal at the top (which I found easier to squeeze in afterwards). Of course there's the fun of connecting up the breathers to the alloy unit before you push it back in too.
There is a carbon fibre replacement product but I think it looks a bit shit as it does not sit flush. It sits in the indentation too much. And you would still have to file the stud off.
