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CB500/550 / Small paint bubbles - any cure
« on: January 30, 2023, 10:55:58 PM »
I got the tank and side panels of my 550f resprayed about 12 years ago and they turned out very well. The orignal tank had been scuffed and rusted from a tank bag and (as the previous owner explained) an unhelpful landlady who wouldn't let him wash the salt off the bike after his weekly commute up the A3 in winter to London from the south coast. Most of the paint on the top had been abraded down to and beyond the primer. Fast forward some years and in Ireland and I got a very nice spray job done on it with new decals etc - you can get an idea from the avatar pic. But in the last few years some very small blisters are starting to appear underneath the paint here and there. Luckily not anywhere I come in contact with the tank, and just a few for now - two or three patches about the size of a thumbprint. I suppose the rust was going to manifest itself eventually. Nothing serious just yet but in time the bubbles will crack and flake if left alone. The inside of the tank is ok and was cleaned and resealed and there's no issue with that, no pinholes or leaks - it's purely surface rust that's now reappearing. I wonder has anyone had any success in treating something like this, or slowing down the progression? It looks almost like it is gas bubbles and not flaking rust underneath. The bubbles are quite small - 1.5mm max wide and half that amount in height. The tank still looks very pretty for now but longterm I think it's a lost cause, and will need a paint job again in the future. But I'd be interested in your thoughts on it. I'll try to take some good pictures in daylight tomorrow.
I suppose the upside is a respray takes us into 2035 and beyond. I hope I'll still be riding then.
I suppose the upside is a respray takes us into 2035 and beyond. I hope I'll still be riding then.