Why is my new gas tank already rusty?

Jawknee21

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Got a brand new tank and it's rusty in less than 2 weeks. No I didnt use any kind of coating but i figured that my bike is 30 years old and the original tank wasn't coated on the inside so I should have 30 years on my new tank. I dont expect it to not rust but What happened? Is that normal?

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Kinda nice to use some "two stroke mix" to keep the initial rust at bay. Condensation can be nasty, where do you keep the bike? Take a hot near empty gas tank park it in a cool barn basement and the tank will suck in that moist air as it cools. With the temps here, When I open the (under the house) garage door all the bikes are immediately covered in sweat.
 
Just keep it full (if Ya can afford to) and a little Sta-bil in it. Not such a problem here , where humidity is normally 10-15%.
 
And your new tank is a 77'D Replica from Mikes XS? Most all steel tanks supplied OEM
on motorcycles were in fact coated with a material not unlike that which will be found lining most food containers and cans. This lining protected tanks from rusting quite well.

If you've got a steel tank (not stainless) supplied unlined and it has rusted significantly this quickly, it is likely not lined. You will need to derust it, etch & prime it then line it with a proper coating.

There are several tank lining systems available Kreem, POR 15, Red Kote, etc.

Here's a very good cleaner, etchant primer coating system I like a lot with excellent instructions

http://www.kbs-coatings.com/tank-sealers.html

There is also a LOT of info. perhaps too much, on various opinions regarding what's best in the site data base. SEARCH top right home page. Blue
 
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I really like the KBS products. My daily rider ZRX has 25k the last four years, all with ethanol loaded gas, and the KBS coating looks like the day I put it in. (which is nearly invisible as its the color of raw steel.)

John
 
It's that black and gold tank from mikes That was on sale. I use the best gas from shell all the time. 91? Inside of the tank is rusting and the outside is powdercoated. This is the first tank of gas in this tank...

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Head over to the Harbor Freight in Lancaster and pick up a big jug or two of Evaporust. Let that stuff sit in your tank for a while. Turn the tank around every 30min to get all of the rust. Once the rust is gone, rinse and coat the inside with WD40. Just keep some gas in the tank
 
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