Rust in Tank

Those inline fuel filters look like a good preventative fix. It looks easy to install too. Did you just slice the tubing (enough to fit your inline filter in) and then zap-strap it up with the filter?

Where can I get those inline filters and how much are they? Would Canadian Tire have them?

 

I just cut the line and stuck them in there. It added a bit of length to the overall tubing but it doesn't seem to be hindering anything.

I got them from my Honda dealer. Cnd Tire may have 'em if you show them a pic.

 

Hey slowbird,

I checked out my local Canadian Tire and they didn't carry any inline fuel filters except for motorboats. I was wondering if you had a parts number since you got them from Honda that I could use as a reference for when I visit my local Honda dealer.

 

No I don't.

I'll look at some of the invoices I got lying around to see if I can find something for you.

 

If you have some time and patience you can always try electrolysis. Wasn't too much effort and worked pretty well.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/1st-2nd-...ience-project-removing-rust-electrolysis.html

 

Good idea.

I have neither so I didn't try this. :tongue:

 

Thanks for sharing your experience!

I've decided right now to just patch my leaks up so it's at the least useable. Then once I've ridden my bike for awhile, I'll make a decision on how long I want to keep it. Then I can justify spending more time and money on fixing it up. =)

As for the anode? replacement, maybe using some steel mesh would help. I would argue a small patch of steel mesh would have more surface area than a coat hanger.

Slowbird, thanks for checking! If you don't see anything on your invoices, I'll just print off your picture and show it to them. =)

 

The tank of the VF500 is probably the main issue of the bike!

The problem is more or less as slowbird describes at #37. I would add the "pockets" where fairing ends in areas of concern.
Problem in most cases appears around the fuel knob as having the bike at side stand drives water there.

I have 4 tanks, only one happened to be in great condition (currently being painted) while I have tried almost everything on other 3.
Getting the rust off is not a big deal no matter the method. I had very good results using a POR-15 product, I think it is called "metal ready", based on phosphoric acid.
Even it totally removed rust, when washed out and forced to dry using a heat gun, some surface rust appeared in minutes.
I believe most of the solutions proposed would work for rust removal but the real problem is how to avoid pinholes and make the tank last longer.

When first tank leaked in '95, I noticed it had been already repaired by previous owner. Tried an epoxy sealer but it worked only for few months. I was then offered the option of a new one from polyester-glass fiber but I considered it very expensive as I had to carry the cost of mold as well. So I went for cutting open the tank, clean, repair pinholes, getting it back together and use kreem sealer. In few words, complete failure. Tank was locally deformed I got disappointed and left it aside for few years, never used on bike, and when I saw it few months ago kreem liner had cracked and peeled of in flakes.

I got my second tank which was unsuccessfully lined already. I also noticed many repair attempts at usual spots. Unknown sealer was used, very hard material but it was not treated well as it had just formed closed cavities in the tank reducing its volume. It was a matter of time before one of the "bubbles" crack and leak again. Second tank lyes out being a "to do" experiment of permanently closing the volume that is under the petcock outlet level.

Third tank was a '86 bought in U.K. few years ago, excellent condition and I am currently preparing it for use. I have recently treated it with POR15 products, preparation and sealing. So far tests I have done with POR15 sealer have given very promising results but it needs to be verified in practice which I hope will be done in future.

Fourth tank was bought with second bike, unfortunately a very badly produced polyester-glass fiber which looked fine at the moment. Maybe I will try giving it a repair sometime.

Thinking it over, I should have gone for the polyester-glass fiber tank right from the start. Hmmm maybe I will drop off that guy and ask again.