Rusty tank

[latexeses]

Greetings to you all,
1st time out on any forum. A true newbie.

When I laid eyes on my first XS1100 (80 Midnight Special) I was hooked by the looks of the bike. However by the time I scrimped the money up they were no longer being built. I satisfied the itch with a '82 920 Virago.

I recently picked up a '79 F in rough shape and a 79 SF in pretty fair shape. For some reason the original owner had the SF dressed like a standard???

There was a Special tank in the deal so I will be able to give it back it's looks.

I guess I should get to the point of the post.

The Standard tank had about a gallon of very old gas and not surprisingly---rust.

Has anyone had any experience with the gas tank cleaning solutions like Ruseco or EvapoRust or any of the ecofriendly cleaners. I am not afraid of ruining the planet by cleaning the tank but it seems like a less bothersome way of disposing of the cleaner.
Actually I might enjoy a really toxic method if it would clean the tank! I read the post about the nuts and chain method and might give it a try.
I live in the People's Republik of Kalifornia and there will probably be a new law written by the time I finish this post, dictating how I can work on my bike.

Your forums have been a treasure of information on these bikes.
I am already enjoying the posts on this site and hope to be riding with some of you one of these days.

Thanks in advance for any information you might be willing to share.

Rodger

[ross]

newbie......

hey there latexeses...i hear ya about the republic of kalifornia and all....hell, even your regulations exceed the ones that the great state of michigan has.........not sure the best method of cleaning the tank, but i will be watching this post to see what ideas come outta the woodwork......talk 2 ya later...ross

[latexeses]

Greetings Ross,
Have to read the paper every morning to see if what you were going to do is still legal.

Rodger

[Ken Talbot]

Welcome to the Forum, Rodger.

At the top of the page you'll see a search button. Click this, and look for 'gas tank rust removal'. As you will see, this topic has come up a few times over the years. I think the electrolysis method looks pretty interesting.

[81xsproject]

Search for "electrolysis" and DON'T use the chain method on a standard tank.

[latexeses]

Thanks for all the help!

The electrolysis method is something I just have to try.

Question: Once the tank is clean could you reverse the polarity of the charger leads and substitute a zinc anode for the bent wire thus coating the inside of the tank with a zinc coating?

Anyone tried that?

Thanks again.
Rodger