The perennial problem - tank lining

[Grewth]

What's the most durable tank liner on the market now ?
As in available to buy in the UK,  not just California.
I've bought a good few tanks with the remains of failed liners sloshing around inside.
They all claim to be the best.
All claim to be Ethanol proof.
But which ones are actually bulletproof  ?
Will anything last ten years plus  ?

I realise that this might be like starting a "best oil " thread, but I might just gain something useful from it.

[Grewth]

I should add that I'm not just posting this to pass the time.
I've just bought a custom tank for one of my bikes - brand new,  all the way from Taiwan.
I'm thinking that I should be sorting the inside of the tank properly,  before I start painting the outside.

[Oddjob]

Don't you think you are going OTT on this Grewth? It's a brand new tank, it's not going to rust unless you neglect it. Keep it in use, don't leave it with fuel in it for years. Putting a liner in is asking for trouble, read how many people are struggling to remove them. It has it's uses, it's not in a new tank however.

[Bryanj]

Somebody on here found a firm that would plate the inside of an old tank so a new one should be a piece of cake!

[K2-K6]

Detailed by Dave "Motorcycle Dent Removal in Pickering" in https://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,32408.45.html his NC30 thread.

[Laverda Dave]

I received notification yesterday from Andy at Motorcycle Dent Removal that my tank has now been internally plated.
He is posting it back next Tuesday (should have been today but I'm away until Friday so unable to accept it at home).
He has sent photos.
If you can wait until next week when I am back home I will add the photos here of what I started with, a very flakey rusty tank even DEOX-C wouldn't touch, to Andy's first pass with the cleaner he uses, second pass and prep for plating and the plating itself.
Be warned though, it isn't cheap but it does have a lifetime guarantee and unlike a liner it won't flake off.

[Grewth]

Thanks for all the replies  !
Yeah,  I'm not a great fan of tank liners, but I really don't think that bare steel is a viable option anymore.
Ethanol absorbs water on contact, so as soon as it's exposed to humidity in the air, there's a corrosion risk.
Now electroplating the inside of the tank is something I hadn't really considered.
Basically you just need to turn the inside of your tank into a little electroplating vat.
I'm sure there are complications to be overcome , but the basic idea is sound.

[Laverda Dave]

Here's the process in photos undertaken by motorcycle dent removal.
I began with a really badly corroded and flaky tank.
Deox-C wouldn't touch it
Sent to MDR who used a cleaner to remove the worst of the rust in the first pass.
Treatment a second time and the paint had to be removed from the outside of the tank as they thought the seam had corroded and the only way to check properly was to strip the paint. The bare tank was given a coat of primer on the outside.
Tank then prepped for electroplating with I understand Nickel
Lifetime guarantee provided against corrosion.
It was expensive to do but at least it's fixed for good and it's guaranteed and I won't have blocked carbs that would be a pia to continually remove and strip to remove rust or flakes of disintegrated liner!

[Bryanj]

Might one ask how expensive?

[Laverda Dave]

Just under £1k but that was without the paint strip and primer.
Sounds very expensive but normally the exterior paint isn't affected. The paint on my tank has to be stripped to find a potential leak.
How much is a liner (I know it's a lot, lot cheaper) and all the prep time and still not knowing if all the rust has been removed prior to pouring the liner and even then not knowing if the liner has covered the interior fully. It is hasn't it will lift. Then there's the issues we now hear about of some chemical liners failing and flakes going into the fuel and blocking the carbs etc with the result endless strips and still being left with a failed liner.
Plating is (to my mind) the best one stop fix solution and it has the guarantee so if it does fail it will be done again foc.

[Bryanj]

If thats the last bit of fixing something either rare or important to you its worth it

[Grewth]

If it makes you happy,  and gets the job finished,  it's always worth it.
Personally,  I like to stick to dead common bikes with  a plentiful supply of cheap spares.
Plus the fact I really love the CB750 design anyway.
Let's face it,  if your rusted tank was off a CB750, you'd probably just replace it with one of those excellent Yamiya ones.

[Laverda Dave]

A replacement NC30 tank is listed at over £1300+VAT+Shipping and there are none  available anyway! Looking on auction sites any that are available are full of filler, dents or bad rust. At least I know my tank has no dents, no filler and now no rust🙂