Weekend #2 - Tank Prep

So we're coming up on the weekend, and thank goodness, I've been wanting to work on the bike some more and get things done. There's a few things I want to get done this weekend. One of which is to seal the gas tank.

When I got the bike, one of the first things that I looked at was the gas tank. I wanted to make sure that there wasn't much rust in there. I opened the cap and saw more than a few rust spots. Not good. Rust deposits can damage the fuel system which can lead to engine damage. So I started researching on how to clean the inside of a gas tank.

I stumbled upon a few techniques on how to clean the inside of a tank. One of which involves BB's, diesel fuel, and gasoline. First, you drain whatever fuel that is in the bike and then remove it from the frame. Second, you take a half gallon of diesel fuel, pour it in the tank, followed by a handful of BB's and then you shake it up. What this does is that the BB's will knock off the dust particles in the metal and the diesel fuel will suspend the rust particles so it can be poured out after the process. After this step is done, you pour a half gallon of regular unleaded gas in the tank to get rid of the diesel fuel remnants. After which, the tank will be good to go.

Another processes I learned is cleaning the tank via electrolysis. The entire process can be found here... http://users.eastlink.ca/~pspencer/nsaeta/electrolysis.html. This is way too complicated and I really don't feel like playing with water and electricity in the same vicinity.

The other technique I found is a three step process of tank cleaner, rust remover, and a tank sealer. I bought a kit through Amazon.com from KBS Coatings. Here's the link... http://www.amazon.com/CYCLE-TANK-SEALER-KBS-Coatings/dp/B000IBDIX2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1298612820&sr=8-3. Over all, this seemed to be the easiest and it the final step will coat the tank with a sealer that will protect it from all elements for the life of the tank—and I like that. =) This system is widely used in tanks that are around water all the time, mainly outboard motors, but it should work great on the bike. I'll try to remember to take photos, maybe some videos to post of the process.

The other thing I'm going to do this weekend is to strip all the old paint off and primer the pieces to get it ready for paint. Right now, the GS has 2 coats of paint on it, the first coat is the original blue color of the bike, and the second coat is the black enamel base paint that the guy I bought the bike from painted the bike with. I guess he didn't like the blue. I won't be painting the bike for another month or two, I just want to go ahead and get this step out of the way since it will be easy. I will go to town on the tank with a sand blaster and sand the plastic pieces (rear cowl and front fender) by hand since the sand blaster might be too strong for it.

The cowl does have a broken piece on it that will need to get fixed. One of the tabs that attaches the cowl to the frame is broken. I'm guessing that it was from someone trying to put the bike on the center stand and mistaking it for the handle below it. I'll be using plastic from one of the side covers to fix that tab with a fiberglass patch kit. This will save me around $50 for a used cowl off eBay, and about $130 for a new one from a parts store. The patch kit costs around $12 at Auto Zone.

I had a bit of free time this week so I decided to start working on the paint scheme and graphics for how I want the GS to ultimately turned out. Below is a quick drawing of the paint scheme...

It will be black with a metallic silver going down the middle and red pin striping on the edges. I also included the seat design that I will be making. I'll be using black vinyl on the sides and silver vinyl on top with red piping between the two. I'll be using red thread to stitch the two together.

As far as graphics goes, I'll be removing the emblem that is on the sides of the tank and replacing it with the Suzuki logo in the same metallic silver on top of the tank with red pin striping to out line it...


And as for the seat, I'll have the "GS650GZ" embroidered on black vinyl for the rear of the seat...


For the side covers, the "82" for the year model of the bike in black in the metallic silver circle with checker marks on each side...


This is the plan for now, but like I said, this step will be further down the road. The main focus is getting the bike running safely on the streets. I'll worry about doing the paint job later. In the mean time, I'll ride around with a black primered motorcycle. I also need to the the engine looking nice. So there's going to be a lot of cleaning, brushing, buffing and painting involved.

I just can't wait until the 15th to buy more parts.

To anyone reading this, I'm open for feedback on the paint scheme and designs. Let me know what you think.

Thanks!

GZ