Author |
Message |
Someday
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 10:11 am: |
|
After painting the tank on my '98 S3T and having it reblister a year later I decided to do what Buell did...make a cover. The 1st cover I made I used fiberglass and polyester resin. It came out great, but what I didn't realize was that polyester resin continues to shrink over time and the tank grows slightly when filled with gas. What happened after a year was the cover looked like a size 9 hat on a size 10 head. I just finished the second cover using carbon fiber and epoxy resin and I filled the tank with water while doing the layup. This should be the end to my unsightly tank problems.
|
Hootowl
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 10:15 am: |
|
Very nice! |
Jramsey
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 10:21 am: |
|
Very nice +1! |
Never2late
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 10:35 am: |
|
Very Impressive, good work! |
Kilroy
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 12:12 pm: |
|
You are my hero - can you make another? I have dollars Kilroy |
Beltfedman
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 12:37 pm: |
|
well done |
Fasted
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 01:02 pm: |
|
pms for the downlow........... |
Moxnix
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 01:10 pm: |
|
Nice work. |
Essmjay
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 02:30 pm: |
|
That is awesome! |
Court
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 03:10 pm: |
|
Nice workmanship ...... That's real craftsmanship. |
Kaput
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 05:13 pm: |
|
That is just beautiful. How about a step by step guide on how you did this. I'm tired of repainting. |
Rex
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 07:34 pm: |
|
very nice. i love the manta ray tank... |
Someday
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 08:32 pm: |
|
Guys, thanks for all the positive comments! I just solved the problem the way Buell did...cover it. As far as making more, it's pretty labor intensive and carbon fiber isn't cheap. It was a nice winter project but I don't want to produce them. As for how I did it I'll make a general "step by step" post soon. |
The_italian_job
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 08:56 pm: |
|
very smart decision! and very well made final product! envious now, I'm gonna have to take another chance a repaint my tank soon... |
Jramsey
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 08:58 pm: |
|
"solved the problem the way Buell did...cover it." To bad that it was only done on the S2 and X1 models. Again very nice work. |
Littlebuggles
| Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 11:36 pm: |
|
So cool!!!! |
Vecchio_lupo
| Posted on Friday, April 01, 2011 - 03:36 am: |
|
Where did you find decals? I've been looking for a set like that. |
Kaput
| Posted on Friday, April 01, 2011 - 08:37 am: |
|
Thank you Someday. I am sure we all look forward to your tutorial. |
Someday
| Posted on Friday, April 01, 2011 - 08:44 am: |
|
I got the decals from Liberty HD in NJ. Part # M0730WH/GR.8(white/gray) "soon to be obsolete". I loved the look of the decals under the clear coat on the original tank so that was what I was trying to accomplish. (Message edited by someday on April 01, 2011) |
Jonty
| Posted on Monday, April 04, 2011 - 08:00 am: |
|
I wish we could get a fabricator to make a bunch of these up, a great job well done |
Alfau
| Posted on Monday, April 04, 2011 - 08:05 pm: |
|
My tank cover too is up for a paint job again because of blistering.Seems to only blister around the lower portions of the cover where flexing from washing/polishing and even my knees bend cover during a ride.The paint isn't flexible where the cover is. Consequence Blisters. Perhaps there is a technical reason for blisters? Was toying with the idea of reinforcing the bottom couple of inches somehow. Anyone had problems with upper part of the tank blistering? Will watch for Dons' post on your diy cover. looks real good. Cheers. |
Robertl
| Posted on Tuesday, April 05, 2011 - 11:59 am: |
|
For auto bumper covers and other plastic parts, there is a flex additive added to the paint. I do not recall the name but I know for a fact that if not used the bumper cover paint will begin to crack, bubble, etc. from the constant flexing. |
Someday
| Posted on Tuesday, April 05, 2011 - 12:47 pm: |
|
The problem with the Buell tanks is gas vapors, or some additive in the gas, permeating the tank wall causing the paint to blister. This has happened on painted plastic dirt bike tanks too. |
Joesbuell
| Posted on Wednesday, April 06, 2011 - 07:41 pm: |
|
Awesome job! |