My SS has some surface rust starting in the usual places (lowest points at the rear) and I would like to coat it with something before it gets any worse. I know a few people have on here have used this stuff; POR-15 Motorcycle / Bike Fuel Tank Repair Sealer Kit, but can't find any reports back about longer term use or problems. Can anyone give any information after having used it for a significant length of time? It would seem sensible jut to coat the lower rear part of the tank but I don't know if the fuel would attack at the edge and get behind the coating after some time. If anyone has used the stuff a while ago it would good to know how it is doing now. Thanks, MB
I don't think that's anywhere near far enough gone to consider giving yourself future headaches coating it. Far better to scrape it out and get some rust converter on it sooner rather than later. Nasher.
I have used electrolysis to de-rust the inside of tanks to good effect. The tank is a natural container so you just need some soda crystals, a battery charger and a steel rod/bar with an insulating collar. This may not be the best tutorial out there, but it gives the idea. Polarity is crucial when connecting or you put rust into the tank! https://www.instructables.com/Electrolytic-Rust-Removal-From-A-Motorcycle-Gas-Ta/
The problem is it is starting to pit at a couple of bits so the metal is already thinned. The worst bit is at the left hand corner, in the picture. I want to try and stop it getting any worse. Iv'e used electrolysis a lot over the years and may do the tank just to completely remove all the rust, then decide what to do. I think all our petrol in Scotland comes from the same place and it all has the dreaded ethanol in it which only makes things worse . For twenty years I have drained and oiled the tank over the winters and any years the bike was not used so I guess it is not as bad as it could have been. I'm certainly not going to start welding in new metal, yet - that is for fixing holes.
I used POR15 on my 1950's MV Agusta tank. I had pinhole leaks around the bottom seam area. I initially had these braze repaired, and the guy said that the tank had previousy had repairs in that area. That lasted about 1500 miles/6months and it started leaking again (from different points on the seam.) I decided to go down the POR 15 route and followed the cleaning and application scrupulously. It has lasted 18months and approx 1500 miles and had no problems. There are lots of horror stories of tank sealant products going wrong on the internet, and then being a nightmare to remove. Personally, I suspect most are due not following correct application instructions. That said, I would only use it if the tank was leaking.
There's a set up called Tank Care Products in Norwich. He sells his own products and offers a tank sealing service which is perhaps money well spent. Aside from preparation, apparently the curing process (heat/duration etc) is the key element that determines how well it works. I've done it once on a Laverda tank which was fine in my use but probably created problems for subsequent owners as I used Petseal which then had a good reputation but subsequently turned out to be the work of the devil. Good effort on draining and oiling your tank every winter. That's proper dedication to the cause!
Very useful Geoffrey. How did you seal the underside of the tank where the pump is or did you leave the pump in place? I have a bust pump I could use to seal a tank so more worried about the pump body impeding the process than damaging the pump.
Jack, I havent done electrolysis on a (modern) ducati tank. Personally I would remove all filters/pumps/level sensors first. Maybe make up a dummy sealing plate if that is easier. On my tanks I removed the fuel taps and sealed the holes with a threaded bolt and fibre washer. Generally the caustic soda solution doesn't aggressively attack paint, but I would wipe off any spills to be safe.
Mine perforated at the usual spot and started leaking Had the guys at Ducati Mcr fix it and re spray it afterwards, looks as good new now. Only downside to using Por 15 was it blocked the air breather spout on top of the tank causing it to stall after a few miles. Once cleared it’s now fine.
I'd put a bottle of Evaporust in there with the tank propped up so the worst areas are in contact with the liquid and see what it's like after 24 hours.
I used POR15 on a Ssie tank which had started to weep at the rear, about 10 years ago. Fiddly job, but no leak recurrence, although relatively few miles since. I am sure that vibration and the hinged rear mounting do not help. At the time I referred to a good write-up and photos at the Ducati.ms forum - probably still available. I don't think you can keep POR15 any length of time once opened, so it makes sense to do the whole tank. The supplied chemicals seem to do a good job of cleaning and preparing, including rust. I kept some surplus of those and it has been handy for other small refinishing jobs.
Thanks to everyone who responded. I have had a bit of a scrape about in the tank and there is only one bit that is anything more than basically stained metal. Strangely it is on the right hand side of the tank (left in the picture, as before) and not the lowest point when on the side stand - might have been a contaminate in/on the metal when it was rolled or stamped. I will dig out the washing soda and get the tank connected up to a battery to clean up the rust. Will need to find something smaller than the Scimitar GTE brake disk that has been getting smaller and smaller over the years. The feeling I am getting with the POR-15 stuff is that, like many things, is all down to preparation - something a lot of people don't seem to do properly, with many things in life. I, now at least, tend to be the opposite but it took a lot of learning experiences over the years.
I will report back as to how things go with the tank after I decide what to do with it. I also always did the valve clearances before the bike went away for the winter. My theory was that I did not want to be messing about in the spring checking valves and then waiting for shims to arrive while the sun was shining.
That does sound organised and rightly so. Clearances on the old bikes are so much easier than on the modern stuff. It's taken me a while to get my head around planning jobs. Typically I'd just get stuck in. 'I'll just take this off' and a month later the bike was still off the road! This tended to coincide with the best weather of the year.. I must have done that tank during one of those periods as I remember it being hot. Zero preparation (just drained the tank and put it out in the sun). Mixed the Petseal and in it went, agitating as it dried with the tank left in a very hot garage for a few days. Back then the 'sell' was prevention of rust particles in float bowls and my tank wasn't leaking. Now I'd not bother and just use inline filters. With your tank (if using sealant) I'd use the absolute minimum and after preparation let the tank sit in position to pool what you put in as it cures. The guy in Norwich uses a purpose built tank incubator! I found fully lining the Laverda tank substantially reduced the reserve capacity. I'd have about 10-15 miles to find a petrol station after going onto reserve. I got stranded on a couple of occasions. One was pretty comical but that's another story.
Well, I did a bit of electrolysis on the lower rear of the tank. Cleaned up quite well with only the one small area that looks to be in any way concerning. Tank is now all back together and oiled up again. I am probably going to put the bike on the road next month and at the end of the summer will look at coating the tank - should give me time to gather more information on the products available.
I siphoned the bulk of it out, wiped most of the residue out with cloths then scrubbed with hot water and Fairy Liquid (other brands are available!). Used a heat gun to gently dry the tank afterwards. I only did the rear lower part which made it easier. Here is the remnants of the saw blade I used in the electrolysis process:
