| Author | Message | ||
     Gmaple |
Thats what I thought on the carbon cover. I agree with the ethanol thinking. Im going to keep my s1 wl for a long time so ill probably pop for the alloy tank. | ||
| Mike_lee |
ethanol free is all Ive ever used since Ive discovered it. I do release the gas cap periodically. I can hear the gasses escape when I do. does this mean the vent isn't doing its job? However, when I take the tank off, if I don't plug the vent line, liquid gas will come out. | ||
| Upthemaiden |
"However, when I take the tank off, if I don't plug the vent line, liquid gas will come out." Another tip for anyone that ever takes their tank off. If there's still gas in the tank and it's off the bike for any period of time, make sure you attach a hose to that valve on the gas cap and run it away from the tank. I pulled my tank off my bike last summer and set it aside for 2 days. When I came back to it I found a giant bubble in the paint right below that valve where all the fumes had been seeping out over the weekend. Shame because my paint was still looking really good after 20 years! | ||
| Mike_lee |
Oh ya... i wiped that shit off really quick and washed it after. Learned the 1st time...Leave vent tube on  | ||
| Upthemaiden |
Liquid wasn't even coming out of mine, so I didn't notice. It was all just fumes. I'll probably just cut out the bad paint and slap a Buell sticker over it for now, but between that mess and the crack in my front fender that needs fiberglassed, at least I won't have to feel bad about painting a bike that had a perfectly good paint job at some point. | ||
| Oopezoo |
i have 3 tanks for my S1......2 small ones, and 1 Manta. The paint on all of them looks like crap. At this point it is the absolute last "to do" I will consider fixing. Maybe never | ||
| Mike_lee |
so what if you have a tank that has the original paint and sand it down just enough for the new primer to adhere? basically just rough up the old surface. theoretically, there shouldn't be a reason for it to bubble. would make sense. or am I still missing something? | ||
| 34nineteen |
Interesting link on building your own tank using a Paughco kit. https://www.hotbikeweb.com/diy-gas-tank-fabricatio n | ||
| Jamie04 |
Mike, My first tank I painted was just as you described: 10 year-old black factory paint with no blisters. I wanted blue (because a previous M2 I had owned and loved was blue.) I scuffed the factory paint, used a quality sealer and paint. (That is the tank in the background of the photo above with two blue tanks.) It started with a few small blisters after four years. (The worst blister is on the other side from the photo.) I can only assume that if I had not painted it, the original black paint would have also blistered at some time. | ||
| Mike_lee |
Picked up a manta (thanks kmbuell), but before i go swappin the fuel parts, does anyone know if the fuel cap assembly is the same for the warrior tank and the manta? It still needs to be painted so i have a few months before actually doing the cap but if they arent interchangable, id like to start lookin for parts. And thanks again for all the help and advice....you guys rock! (Message edited by Mike lee on February 21, 2018) | ||
| Upthemaiden |
From what I've gathered, all the gas caps are the same, the only difference is that some tanks, like my smaller S1 tank just have big screws that go into the plastic. Some of the newer tanks have threaded fittings in the tank for a machine screw. As long as you have the right hardware, any of them should work. Also, and I could be wrong on this one, but I heard the X1 locking gas caps aren't actually specific to a key. Any barrel key will open them, so you can still use those on any bike without the headache of taking it to a locksmith to get a key. | ||
| Mike_lee |
I have heard the same about the locking caps. If that's not the case, im a locksmith so that don't bother me much Actually, the cap in question is a non-locking cap anyway. I do know what you mean by the screws. the warrior tank has coarse threads phillips head, while the manta (at least this one) has the fine threaded allen flat machine heads. hopefully that's all the difference. | ||
| Bd3 |
I tested it... the ignition barrel key from a 2004 HD Fatboy works on a 2001 Buell M2 gas cap for sure | ||
| Kmbuell |
I believe that all tuber round key cap will work with any round key. All mine work that way. S2 with flat key are coded. May be some early S1 that use the lock too. My M2 locks itself every once so often. Confuses me at the gas station! Kevin | ||
| Williamscottrobertson |
Mike Lee, can you re key barrel locks? I have a set of bags on my S3 from another S3, I’d like to key them to match the ignition. | ||
| Buellbum |
i thought it was just me not remembering that i locked it. lol... then i began to realize that due to the vibraion, it locks itself. this bike has a mind of it's own. | ||
| Screamer |
The flange part number also changed when the screw number changed - so I suspect the flange needs to matched with the correct screws. I think the flange change was for the 1999 models. | ||
| Williamscottrobertson |
Maybe this is an option for tank paint. Anyone have any experience with this Autodip? High gloss, polishable/sandable. https://youtu.be/PEmjmiXl6Yc | ||
| Mike_lee |
I would try that...what can it hurt? | ||
| S1owner |
That is a sprayable vinyl it would work as long as there are no issues. For how long not sure. If thete is issues it will just make it worse. | ||
| Mike_lee |
Similar to the plasti-dip that I sprayed my daughters and miine jeep wheels with. Held up for a good year through the pa seasons and the occasional muddin. This looks a cut above. The tank i have has the raised letters. Ill probably just mask those off and not waste new ones just in case it peels. If it dont work,im out a few bucks and a cpl hrs. | ||
| Williamscottrobertson |
Good idea mike. I was hoping they may have a white pearl for the S1W. Looks like it would be a custom color. | ||
| Normally_aspirated_sucks |
About 8 years ago user "Someday" made a cover for his gas tank out of fiberglass, I can't find the write up, but did find this link. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/476 23/684743.html | ||
| Upthemaiden |
Here's another post from Someday, although it unfortunately offers less information than the last one posted. I'm gonna keep digging now that we know who made it. http://badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/47623/6 24358.html?1302133275 Also worth noting, Serialk also made a carbon cover for his small tanked S1 which looks amazing. He did actually post some details about how he made it here, but also mentioned that when the tank swelled up, it split the cover in 2 spots up front, which points out how important it is to make a cover while the tank already has gas in it and it's as big as it's going to get. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/47623/797271.html?1481740410 http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/47623/744585.html?1407155594 (Message edited by upthemaiden on March 29, 2018) (Message edited by upthemaiden on March 29, 2018) | ||
| S1owner |
Someday never really did a full write up. You pretty much have everything he said. As far as the other one splitting- for sure. When I was building my bike my tank sat for a year on the shelf without the fuel cap and mount ring installed. When I finally wentvto install it and put the fuel ring on it it had shrunk to a point I could not even attach the ring. I pulked the bike in the sun with temps in the 80’s added fuel and it took an hour but it expanded alot more then I would have ever thought. So if he made the cover when it was in its shrunken state it would for sure crack the cover! | ||
| Upthemaiden |
Sounds like Someday got lucky that his just slid up, instead of cracking. I'm surprised yours grew that much just within an hour. My tank is empty at the moment(but luckily the gas cap is still on). I'll have to measure it dry to compare how much it stretches when it's filled, just for my own curiosity. My speed triple used to do the same. The front on the tank was just an open slot, similar to the rear of the S1 tank, I assume to allow for expending and contracting. It expanded so much that even with the slot it was almost impossible to get it bolted on. I ended up having make a new rear mount that was probably 1/4-1/2" further back to mount it, then I had to move the seat latch back as well. We're at least not the only ones dealing with these problems. I don't think those tanks have any kind of bubbling problems though. Unfortunate the carbon supplies are so expensive. The fiber itself seems reasonable, but the epoxy looks like it adds up. I'll definitely be trying mine with fiberglass. It's going to get painted anyway. | ||
| Mike_lee |
I snagged a used manta from a fellow bueller. it was yellow and needed to be black. this tank has been sitting for many years and had not one bubble on it. we left the finish alone for the most part and am having it hydro-dipped as I type this. If I have to spend 150 every 4 years, so be it. Ill post some pics when I get it back in the next day or two. | ||
| Upthemaiden |
One of my favorite things about my old XB was how easy it was to change the colors. It had a black front fender and bellypan, so all I had to do was swap the tank and the flyscreen, and in 5 minutes I could switch between black, red, or blue. Having fiberglass tank covers could make it just as quick and easy to switch colors on a tuber if you're someone who likes a little variety. I feel like while I'm covering the tank, I'm going to be tempted to pull off the tail and make a copy of that as well. | ||
| S1owner |
If you had a cover you could just wrap it and the tail in any colr vinyl you wanted its cheap and easy to do!!! | ||
| Mike_lee |
update... heres the tank installed after a fair paint job. was supposed to be 2 weeks. ended up being 7 and I had to finish it myself. some people.....ugh! didn't turn out bad.   sanded as little of the original paint as possible. ill wait and see what happens before I apply the decals. tuesday is going to be 70 degrees and I have off.... time to get her out of hibernation |
