Hey all, Went for a ride for around 3-4hours monday, literally when i was around 1/4 mile from my house i noticed speckles over my tank & thought what the hell is that its 24c & not raining!!! Also thought something hit my face because my visor was up & thats what made me look down thinking it was starting to rain. I touched it with my gloves and it moved around so just thought i will wash it off when home, after leaving her in the garden whilst i located my garage keys and get all cleaning products ready the once wet stuff was set SOLID!!! Nothing would shift it......polishes, wd40, water based degreaser, g3!!!! It looks like my paint was all bumped & blistered etc. After doing a little digging online ive been led to believe the brake res or even clutch had leaked & sprayed over tank. Surely somebody on here has experienced the same??? It took me 2 hours of wet flat sanding and buffing to fix the tank. Also the 899 has no laquer. Paul
If your reservoir is leaking there should be more evidence of brake fluid elswhere on the bike. I was under the impression that modern fully synthetic brake fluids are no longer corrosive to water based paintwork and I’ve not experienced blobs of brake fluid going hard like a resin in a short space of time. What is the likelihood you’ve been caught in a spray of tree sap or a discharge from a vehicle you were following ? Andy
Sounds like the reservoir is leaking. I know some multi riders experience this a bit too. Not had it myself (crosses fingers), be worth taking off the lid, cleaning and refitting and checking for signs of leak around the bleed nipple.
You could also once you have cleaned the ressie's, use reservoir socks as a back up. As to the bubblies, ask Rob in the detailing section what he suggests, he's a bit of a wiz
Whenever the reservoir top is removed; particularly the coffin type, there is always a residue of fluid around the seal. Always wipe it really clean, otherwise the wind when riding will blow it back and onto the tank. But even if you are meticulous in wiping the seal it can still occur, which is why if you look at pics of mine you will see a black fabric band around the reservoirs. They are actually the tops of my old black socks which I would normally sling out, but I have rolled them in such a way they are double thickness and don't fray, then a cable tie keeps them in place.
If you suspect brake fluid leak,check the fluid level,is it low? Then its most likely your problem, is the reservoir top loose? Is it over tightened? Is there a seal/diaphragm that could be damaged causing your problem,
Initially I thought tree sap BUT nothing budged it! Even waterbased degreaser that eats tree sap. There was nothing in front of me and also the windshield would have protected tank. Ive allready 2500 wet sanded and machine polished it back to super gloss finish. Its just im really paranoid of this happening again!
Ive also ordered socks, 1 smaller for clutch res & bigger for brake res. Will give it a clean and re-seal when socks arrive.
Basically what apparently happens is, the brake fluid res has to be able to breath, so between the cap & bottle is a very small gap that shouldn't cause a problem BUT after a long ride the fliud level goes up and fluid gets around the seal, then as the bike revs etc the res shakes like a tw*t shaking nice break fluid onto tank. A lot on google have stated taking level down slightly whilst your cleaning seal. It was 1000% not tree sap! It was corrosive to the paint. I was on a road with nothing around me so cant figure anything else that would have caused this.
Understand that but as Android says - never experienced brake fluid solidifying in such a short amount of time - my rear res was leaking on my 2 stroke Yam and had a few drops on the painted wheel rim for more than a month and I just wiped it off with a rag and no sign of damage - it was still very wet too.
You didn't get it home after a excellent ride, get aroused and knocked one off over it it did you? Easy to forget if the mrs is walking in the garage and your trying to hide your business?
Remember though the 899 has no clear coat so easily damaged unlike clear coated paint. I myself cant understand how it kind of went solid but maybe as it mixed with the paint, it kinda became one etc, fused together. Like i said before if it was tree sap then everything i tried would have shifted it. As above..... Erm never thought of that, you could be on to something
Sorry to pick you up on this, but if the reservoir can breathe - it shouldn't - not to open air anyway. But if the fluid level is too high it can force against the seal (it should only compress the seal bellows), which in theory should not leak - unless of course it is old; torn or porous. The obvious way the fluid level can be too high is fitting new brake pads when old thinner ones have meant topping up. Most of the time, fluid drips 'escaping' is because despite cleaning the seal and the reservoir faces thoroughly, when the seal is dropped into the fluid, the bellows causes the level to rise just enough to wet what you have just cleaned; so when you screw the cap back down, it collects all round the joint - the effect of this can be seen on most coffin type reservoirs that are black painted, where fluid (and water) has got in. It even happens on reservoirs that have never seen the rain. You can apply the same rules to brake caliper bleed nipples - after bleeding, always use some rag or tissue to make fine probes and clean out the bleed nipple holes.
Ive had the bike since last year and it hasnt had any brakes or service. It was serviced when I purchased it. Its been ridden many many times without this issue until monday. For the life of me i cant think what else could have landed on the tank to cause such a mess!!!! Even my pal who i was having a natter with 5 doors down from me seen it and wiped it with his finger just before i left for home. It moved around and was like a liquid etc. I sprayed demon shine detailer spray on tank first of all and wiped over with microfibre and thats when I noticed it wasnt coming off. Because she was only dusty thats all she needs. No jet wash etc.
