Tank liner whos not using it?

[gsryder]

So I have a old GS1000 tank that was pretty rusty. I did the electrolysis method and then also washed and rinsed with vinegar and a hand full of nuts.
Tank was absolutely spotless I could put in gallon of clear distilled white vinegar swoosh it all around dump it out in a glass and it was just as clear as when I put it in.

Added some gas maybe better than half full after a few days now I am getting a little rusty discoloration in the line before a inline fuel filter I added.
Not chunks or flakes just filmy dusty discoloration. Obviously I have developed a little rust probably on the top of the tank or around the fill neck.

Anyhow........

I have read a ton of threads on here about the tank liners but my questions is how many of you are NOT using them.
These tanks were not coated from the factory were they?
I dont think any of my other tanks were coated....just wondering how necessary if necessary the tank lining really is. Or if just need to keep it full of gas.

Any feed back from the non users or those that have done both would be appreciated.

 

[Steve]

Put me down for "FOUR".

All three of the 850s in my sig and a 650L that is not listed have unlined tanks.

My Wing's tank isn't lined, either, but this is not a Wing forum, so ... :-\\\

.

 

[Guest]

Ya that's the problem with not putting a liner in once the tank start to rust. You can clean it as much as you want but sooner or later (usually sooner) the tank will start to rust, at least to some degree or another. I did my 850 tank with the vinegar but it did get some minor rust building up again soon after. I put in an inline filter and rode if but really POR-15 is the only sure way to avoid rust once it's started.

 

[tkent02]

I have never used a liner on anything. The only ones that rust are the ones that hang on the wall for a while. Anything that goes on a bike and gets filled with gas right away is fine.

 

[rustybronco]

Put me down for three (so far). the Honda and both 850's. the '78 will need to be lined.

 

[850 Combat]

I do not own a lined tank. There is an 850G tank in the garage rafters I hope isn't rusting. The cap is off, and I hope that is the ticket. Its part of a set of spare bodywork I'm collecting for a repaint

 

[chuckycheese]

Liner

Liner

I had my 750 lined but suspected problems with it after about 7 years. My 1100 isn't lined and 'runs like a champ'. I don't use an inline filter and have no plans to line the tank.

 

[81ZUKI75]

I don't have tank linings and I don't run in-line filters (I know you didn't ask...jus' sayin'). I'm the original owner of an 81 750E and even though it sat neglected for years at a time shows no sign of rusting.

However, I have two tanks for my 1982 750T tinker-toy commuter that I picked up a couple of years ago. The tank that came on it was rusted through in the back left corner (you know, the one that collects water when it's on the side stand). I dobbed a little JB Weld on that puppy, rinsed it good with Evaporust and put it in service. I have a second set of tins I bought for a re-paint (yea right, maybe someday) that was BAD, BAD rusty but not leaking. I actually ran it awhile after getting most of the chunks out and a light Evaporust treatment. I ran an in-line filter on both of these for awhile just for the peace of mind (belts and suspenders) but I've been running with just the petcock filter for over a year now on the original tank with no known/observed ill effects.

I ride these bikes all year round so they never have an empty tank and rarely does the gas sit in there for more than a week or two.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

I think it may depend on your climate, how much you ride, and the initial damage as to whether or not a tank liner is necessary. I had to de-rust a replacement tank for my "Jessie" after our wreck. It looked like this:

I cleaned it with Evapo-Rust and a few roofing nails:

It seems like my tank wasn't too badly rusted up. I didn't line the tank with anything. Since I live in So. Cal. with its fairly dry climate, I ride pretty much every day, fill up the tank every third or fourth day, the rust hasn't returned in over a year. Your mileage may vary. You can read about my tank cleaning experience on my little website.

Just for grins and giggles, here's my old tank. It's for sale.

It's got no rust, always in the garage in a dry So. Cal. climate.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[DanTheMan]

Minimal surface rust from storage (NOS tank I bought), no liner, no inline filter, no problems.

 

[gsryder]

Okay maybe I am just thinking to much into this......just seems weird that I have never lined a tank either or really seen one for that matter....read about it all the time but.........
I go and clean my tank (it had been sitting for 15 years or so) get it spotless and BAM surface rust/dust.

I am going to run a inline filter for now and run a few tanks through it and see if she clears up. I guess that tank liner will be the last option if it doesnt go away.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[1_v8_merc]

I don't run a liner either, don't plan on it, because eventually....the gasoline always seems to eat threw it!


I had horrible flash rust problems on my tank as well.

It's gotten much better since last year, the more I burn gas threw it.


If you just want to get rid of the rust while Not adding a liner.
Just use an acid tank cleaner or electroylsis to get all the rust out, then drain it and quickly coat the tank with Marvel Mystery Oil or something similar, to prevent flash rust while you re-assemble the tank.

Then fill her up!

 

[dluszcz]

I haven't owned many bikes and when I did have them in the past, I didn't keep them long enough to worry about lining the tanks.

However, since I spent almost 2 years resurrecting a 78 GS1000E (with absolutely no mechanic or historical knowledge of this bike), I decided to get my tank lined.

When I bought the project, 2 of the 3 bottles for the Kreme application was included in the 7 boxes that came with the rolling chassis.

And, the old Kreme liner was peeling, badly, in both tanks that I received. So, I found a radiator place local to me and he told me that I needed to bake the tank to get the old liner out, and then he would line it with a product called RED-KOTE. See link below:

http://www.damonq.com/TechSheets/Red-Kote.pdf

So, far, zero issues.

I've been very pleased with the performance to date. I had this done early last year, and I haven't exactly been riding this daily yet and no rust or gas discoloration is evident in the 4-6 times I've dumped the bowls into a container to reuse the gas.

The shop told me that they sometimes sell this product by the gallon, at a cost of $90. I don't know what other applications go for, but I paid less than that and I had them do the lining for me!

If you factor in the $25 to bake it, then I spent $105 for the whole job. Not bad for peace of mind (assuming that I have one).

Just my 2 cents!

 

[chuckycheese]

Red Kote

Red Kote

In my previous message, I mentioned that I had my 750 lined. The product used was Red-Kote.

 

[Clone]

I keep my tank full when it is sitting, and use gasline antifreeze to get the water out regularly, the inside of the tank is not rusty. Store your bike with a full tank and stabilizer and you won't have arusty tank.

 

[Guest]

The two bikes in my garage I ride do not have liners.
I do however have two decent Skunk tanks that have peeling liners that will need removed somehow.
When I figure out how to make this happen I wont put liners back in em.

 

[dluszcz]

With the peeling liners, the nuts and vinegar method can work. I've also been advised that BBs work as well.

However, the place that I took my tank to said that to absolutely guarantee no old liner is left in the tank is to bake it.

The only problem with that is you have no choice but to repaint the tank. It not only gets the old liner out, it gets everything out and off the tank. You'll be left with bare metal and a fresh canvas.

 

[Nessism]

I've spent a lot of time derusting/lining tanks and frankly, I'm still not 100% clear on what's best to do.

I do know that if there is lots of rust the metal will be thin so a liner is recommended. Contrary to what many of the liner companies (like Por-15 and Caswell's) tell you, I strongly believe it's best to derust to the best of your ability before sealing.

As for how to derust, I'm not sure what's the best way. I've used phosphoric acid and aquarium rocks in the past and that works well as long as you rotate the tank a lot and make sure to shake the crap out of the tank often to scrub off the chalky phosphate layer that forms on the metal. Even after a good deal of time soaking it's hard to tell if all the rust is removed from the pits in the metal.

I've also used Evaporust and that stuff is great (maybe the best solution). It turns the metal dark if you leave it for a long time though so that might not be so cool for some (only will be an issue on a heavily rusted tank).

Electrolysis also turns the metal dark and I've read one tidbit that references it as an "ionized" coating, that should be scrubbed off (maybe with those aquarium rocks).

One other thing I do know is nuts/bolts/screws/nails/etc. don't scrub the metal half as good as aquarium rocks, but they are easier to get out of the tank when you are sick of shaking it.

As for liner materials, it's hard to fault POR-15. As long as the rust is removed to the best of your ability, and the metal is physically scrubbed clean, I think it's save to use without fear of peeling. At least I hope it is since I've used it three different times so far.

 

[Guest]

Neither tank on my '79 GS1000E or '82 GS1100E is lined, I do have a "spare" '79 GS1000E tank that will be lined because it does have
a leak at the left front mounting bracket.