Fuel tank hidden rust areas

[Huck]

The weatherstrips on the tank, mainly the left and right side, are prone to holding in water. I had my tank off to do service and checked into it.

Pulled the strips off, sanded, primed and painted. Also put a little gasket maker to seal them up and keep water out.

 

[bimota]

i,m doing the same at the monent, what is the red stuff you have put over the edge before the gasket back on please

rob

 

[ZigZag]

Be wary of the type of gasket maker you use. Some are can cause damage to paint and create rust to occur again. Wish I could remember the type we sold for sealing tractor cabs years ago.

 

[bimota]

yes, i would like to put something over the repair before putting gasket back on but saw above is it a grease or something

rob

 

[ZigZag]

Hopefully someone on here with better knowledge can give us the right information. Many sealants cure by releasing acetic acid which can be harmful to paint. Many years ago I worked for a company that sold and repaired farm tractors used for spraying very toxic chemicals in horticulture. The cab had to be sealed to keep the chemicals out. The sealant we used and sold was like a neutral cure sealant but was a specific type made for contact with paint. Hopefully someone else knows. I'll do some research.

 

[Tenman]

I did the same thing on my white gen1 in 2019. I noticed the rust right above the strips. It was about to go up the sides of the tank when I caught it. When I pulled them off. The paint was stuck to the strips. Almost looked like they were put on when the paint wasn't cured. The whole underside of my tank looks ROUGH. Search tank rust. you are not alone. I put some carbon fiber strips where the rubber trim was.

 

[bimota]

this was my tank in 2013 when it was 11 months old and 2000 miles on it, yamaha put a new tank on under warranty the new tank that went on was covered in ACF50

ROB

 

[Wymbly1971]

I approached this as a moisture retention problem on mine. I drilled a series of small "drainage" holes through the strip then greased the flange before reinstalling.

 

[Mr. BR]

I found the same on my '12 but not nearly as much as the OP. I simply removed the OEM trim pieces and have left them off for now. Some very light sanding and shot of rattle can black paint is my solution for now. ;-)
Mr. BR

 

[Huck]

i,m doing the same at the monent, what is the red stuff you have put over the edge before the gasket back on please

rob

I had a tube of permatex red rtv silicone so I went with that. It should be safe on the paint, the tube just says "not recommended for gasoline."

Forgot to mention, I also sprayed the hinge/mounting bracket with etch primer until it started dripping through, to coat the bare metal on the inside.

 

[BWC]

I approached this as a moisture retention problem on mine. I drilled a series of small "drainage" holes through the strip then greased the flange before reinstalling.

When I painted my 2013 as I did not like the “primer” grey colour it came in and when I removed the tank trim and noticed even though the original grey OEM paint was in good shape overall the bottom edge of the tank where the trim went on was showing some rust.
I drilled a few 1/8 inch holes at the very bottom low point of the trim where it is never seen to let any moisture out and brushed on some marine based anti corrosion spray to help stop future rusting when I reinstalled it.
Those trim pieces are held on by metal “gripper” teeth that are good at scratching the paint off when installed. These trim pieces tend to really hold dirt and water and really aren’t a good feature the way they are designed.

 

[Sierra1]

Cobalt blue?

 

[Wymbly1971]

Hopefully someone on here with better knowledge can give us the right information. Many sealants cure by releasing acetic acid which can be harmful to paint. Many years ago I worked for a company that sold and repaired farm tractors used for spraying very toxic chemicals in horticulture. The cab had to be sealed to keep the chemicals out. The sealant we used and sold was like a neutral cure sealant but was a specific type made for contact with paint. Hopefully someone else knows. I'll do some research.

As ZigZag noted, silicone sealants are corrosive to metals. Sealant with "silane" is non-corrosive and safe on paint. Look for "Silane" as an ingredient, that the sealant cleans up with mineral spirits and is paintable.

Examples such as 3M 4000 is marine specific, but LePage Quad Max...far cheaper and AFAIK the same stuff, I use it extensively as sealant for windows and fittings on my sailboat as well as flashings, etc around my house.

 

[BWC]

Cobalt blue?

The local auto paint suppliers couldn’t find a yamaha paint mix code for the blue I liked which is used on the 2014 model so after some searching I found an automotive mix code for a 1996 corvette blue that is very close to the Yamaha blue. Actual painting was fairly easy as it was a complete repaint and I didnt have to try and match any existing paint on the bike. But lots of prep. involved.

 

[Sierra1]

Yeah, it looks a little lighter than cobalt, but a little darker than the other Yamaha blue. I think I remember the 'Vette blue. Looks good. The exhaust cover should make a huge difference. Pictures after the reinstall please.

 

[BWC]

Yeah, it looks a little lighter than cobalt, but a little darker than the other Yamaha blue. I think I remember the 'Vette blue. Looks good. The exhaust cover should make a huge difference. Pictures after the reinstall please.

One thing you learn if your painting in less than ideal conditions is how to wet sand and polish clear coat

 

[Cycledude]

Your paint look beautiful, if Yamaha would have put a little more effort into the painting I believe they could have sold a lot more Super Tenere’s.

 

[bimota]

just wondering, once treated and painted is it worth swopping that oem rubber edging for a different one there are a few on ebay

rob

 

[BWC]

I think any trim fitted to the bottom of the tank is going to hold water and dirt. My guess is that along trimming out the bottom seams of the tank for looks it protects the bottom edge from possible damage when it’s off the bike and placed on a hard surface.
Maybe mask it off and paint it with some kind of soft durable coating to help with looks and durability that doesn't hold water.