bondy Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 do you guys know anything abought painting the tank and what paint to use? will it bubble if i just use normal rattle can? Still have problems with decals bubble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmac Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 I think the SY tank is made of Nylon. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bondy Posted March 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 thanks guys i will make my mind up what to do it seems like its only the bottom decals that are bubble there's no fuel in the tank as i draind it before i put them on however the fuel cap was on so vapour may have don e it but this happened over a week or so i have since took the fuel cap off as its on the self why i service the bike and freshen it up. am going to use Aspen fuel witch is cleaner fuel but ant cheap for the amount off riding i do its not to bad you can mix it with normal fuel but i just use it as is with oil offs. plus you can leave it in the tank for up to 5 years without it going stale not that it would stay in that long but saves keep draining the tank. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchy3 Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 10 hours ago, bondy said: thanks guys i will make my mind up what to do it seems like its only the bottom decals that are bubble there's no fuel in the tank as i draind it before i put them on however the fuel cap was on so vapour may have don e it but this happened over a week or so i have since took the fuel cap off as its on the self why i service the bike and freshen it up. am going to use Aspen fuel witch is cleaner fuel but ant cheap for the amount off riding i do its not to bad you can mix it with normal fuel but i just use it as is with oil offs. plus you can leave it in the tank for up to 5 years without it going stale not that it would stay in that long but saves keep draining the tank. If you ride a bit more frequently premium unleaded has less or no ethanol in it depending which garage you buy it from(do an internet search to find out which) If not i do find Aspen great,it sits in the tank all winter and the bike will start straight away without draining the float bowl of the carb. I used it in my lawnmower as well and there are no real fumes that end up giving you a headache etc. It is expensive but a lot of tree surgeons/gardening contractors are using it now. It is a catch 22 situation,it is expensive so people shy away from it but the price will not get cheaper unless more people start buying and using it. Classic bike owners and infrequent riders are catching on to it now and of course it will not damage brass components in fuel systems and seals etc that are not made of modern materials like viton etc. As for the original point of spraying a plastic tank i find that Krylon paint is pretty good if you key the plastic surface with scotchbrite and wipe it thoroughly with pure solvent first. You will always get fuel vapour breathing through a plastic tank but it will be much better with Aspen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bondy Posted March 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 Hello frenchy yes Aspen is not cheap as you say i tend to just use it in the winter months and on the odd ride i do use shell V power or BP premium think texico do 1 but there ant 1 near me but the Aspen is easy to get there's a stockiest just down the road so that's not to bad. Regarding my fuel tank am Still thinking of what to do it is ok the paint is original and as a few very light scratches and chips but looks ok its the decals on the bottom end off the tank that have bubbles. so may just take them off and leave it bare unless there is away to solve it but i don't think there is a way many have tired and failed so ill keep it as is without the bottom decals its a shame but that's the way it is i don't understand why its not been sorted yet i use to have bultaco and had the same problems however the tank badges was foiled backed and they stayed on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmk Posted March 5, 2018 Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 Almost all plastics will tend to have some portion of the gasoline chemistry permeate through the plastic. You can try painting, it may work well or not. In an effort to minimize decals from lifting, most longterm decals come with small holes punched in the decals to allow the decals to vent, rather than bubble. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmk Posted March 7, 2018 Report Share Posted March 7, 2018 Bondy, you have several topics going regarding the paint to use on the tank, the decals and more. Curious, how bad is your tank currently? A photo would maybe offer insight. Also, are you keeping the tank the original color, or doing a color change? i have a vintage KTM also. That bike came new with a white fuel tank. The gasoline / premix causes these tanks to yellow. Some owners have decided to not go crazy, and leave the yellowing as is knowing that the plastic is saturated with volatiles that may cause adhesion problems for paint. Others though have done as you plan to do, and painted the tanks. The best solution for the KTM turns out to be, a tank skin. This is a cover of sorts, that is white plastic and molded to match the oem tank. Since no fuel contacts the tank skin, unless you spill while refueling, the bright white color remains. Search for 1981 KTM 495 fuel tank and some info should be found. if your Scorpa tank is in good condition, you might consider, and I mentioned this before, perforating the graphics to allow them to vent. Below is one tool made specifically to perforate plastic films on model airplanes. Might be worth researching. On my 73 OSSA MAR, new it had a fibreglass fuel tank. As I did the resto-mod to the bike, I installed a white Clarke plastic fuel tank. The green stripes I made from MX background material. Even with draining the fuel tank completely after each ride, storing the machine with no fuel in it, the decals still bubble. My solution, prior to each event, I spray glass cleaner onto the decal, then carefully push the bubbles out with a plastic bondo spreader. Takes 5 minutes. That said, yesterday, I peeled all the graphics off the Scorpa fuel tank, except the Scorpa logo near the fuel filler cap. Check the link below for a perforating roller. As mentioned, read about restoring the white KTM fuel tanks. Those bikes need to look really good, and with a value being what a new Scorpa costs, the owners most times want the bikes super nice. https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHZ26&P=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmk Posted March 7, 2018 Report Share Posted March 7, 2018 Tank Skin, for reference only as they are not available for the Scorpa. https://www.dcvmx.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17991 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmk Posted March 7, 2018 Report Share Posted March 7, 2018 One of the guys that restored his KTM tank, photos and some info. http://www.ktm495.mxbikes.com/index.htm?REF=other37777.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridgrunr Posted March 10, 2018 Report Share Posted March 10, 2018 You might consider sealing the inside of the tank with something like Caswell Plastic fuel tank sealer before painting. That will stop gas from permeating through the plastic. I did my 08 Scorpa tank as the fuel cap neck was not sealed well to the tank and leaked all the time. Worked great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bondy Posted March 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2018 Hi I thought you could only seal metal tanks with that stuff I will have a look to be honest the paint is original and looks tidy few light chips but nice looking tank its the decals that wont stay on as you say this stuff will stop the fuel getting throw so the decals should stay on am just leaving it for now as I don't want to ruin a nice tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bondy Posted March 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2018 Checked to see if they sell a sealer for the plastic tank they don't only for alloy or steel so that's a dead end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridgrunr Posted March 13, 2018 Report Share Posted March 13, 2018 This is the stuff I used. Worked great on my Scorpa tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bondy Posted March 13, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2018 I have looked on the web cant get it for plastic tanks hear in the uk the stuff for metal tanks wont work on plastic tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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