Fuel Tank Corrosion... Any ideas?

[Popie]

I recently picked up an 04 Busa. Only 520 miles on it. Looks like it was right off the show room floor... But it's not...
Not sure what the real story is. And it doesn't much matter. But this bike was driven a few miles. Then just sat. It was not stored in anyway really. I knew that up front. Knew there would be issues. And I picked this up fairly cheap.
I have been through most everything. And only have one more item to deal with. The fuel tank... It has some small spots of light corrosion up around the top. Down by the pump looks pretty bad. This tank like the rest of the bike is cosmetically perfect. Not a scratch on it. And I want to use it if I can.
I know there are cleaners and coatings available. I have never used any. Thought I'd ask for some suggestions. Maybe someone has had good luck taking care of the same issue before. I know this is a bad situation. But I at least want to make a try at making this tank useable... Any help will be appreciated...

[HardRacing]

There are several commercial cleaners that do a good job. Even some home made remedies and even some electrolysis options. Know of some guys that tried the Kreem combo pack, but their liner/ coating eventually came loose and caused some issues.

.

[AngryGnome]

I've used the POR-15 cycle tank repair kit with excellent results. Just be patient and follow the directions that they provide. Cost is around 40-50 bucks and a weekend of your time. The last tank i did was over a year ago and still looks great. Good luck

[Popie]

[QUOTE=HardRacing;5812551]There are several commercial cleaners that do a good job. Even some home made remedies and even some electrolysis options. Know of some guys that tried the Kreem combo pack, but their liner/ coating eventually came loose and caused some issues.

Thanks for your response. You are not the first person to tell me the liner coating can become just as much an issue as the rust...

[Popie]

Originally Posted by AngryGnome

I've used the POR-15 cycle tank repair kit with excellent results. Just be patient and follow the directions that they provide. Cost is around 40-50 bucks and a weekend of your time. The last tank i did was over a year ago and still looks great. Good luck

Thanks for your reply. I don't know anything about these products. I'm going to check out everything that's suggested by someone that has actually used it. And felt they had some success. I'll Google this and see what I can find out...

Thanks again...

[Jitsu41]

I had a similar situation with my bike. At the suggestion of another member I removed the tank and pump then dumped 100 to 200 small nuts from Home Depot in it. I then used industrial simple green and swished and shook that around for a good minute then rinsed thoroughly. This process was repeated with another strong degreaser (purple something). When this was done I removed the nuts (using a magnet made this really easy), rinsed then put in some rust killer stuff, which MUST be rinsed out very well. When you buy the chemicals just make sure it wont eat the material of your tank.
I really dont know how you can do this without getting the chems on your paint though, I was repainting mine so I didn't care. Oh, and wear GLOVES!!! I work on cars for a living so figured the stuff wouldn't bother me, but I was dead wrong. That sh** made my skin feel like it was melting. Good luck!

[Ken7-1000]

You'll definitely want to etch and reseal it and POR-15 is better than anything else. Kreem is fine but, there's more toxic chemical handling involved. Definitely for anyof these gloves, outdoor and low humidity are your friends. POR-15 motorcycle kit can be got online for under $50 if you don't have a local retailer. You can do this without damaging the shiny surfaces if you're careful and tape off well.

Doing this right is a lazy afternoon's work so, sally forth.

[THE SRADIATOR]

I did pretty much what jitsu did with great results.
1st I used purple stuff.
2nd I used simple green.
3rd I used white vinegar.
Rinsed well between each subsequent application and well at the end.
The nuts scale the rust while the solution neutralizes it.

[busdriver416]

Get a good used tank and be done with it....