This bike sat untouched for seven years in South Texas heat. For those of you who've never been here, a typical daily garage temp is ~110 degrees F. At least it wasn't in the sun. But the fuel system - all of it - congealed into its own ecosystem. There was a half-inch thick coating of very hard spongy resin coating the bottom of the tank. I call it The Beast.
At least its oily content prevented any significant rust. I kept pouring the fluids resulting from my carb cleaning process into the tank. The mixture included gasoline, Sea Foam, adhesive remover, acetone, toluene (straight), Denatured Alcohol, and a half-can of carb cleaner sprayed into the tank for good measure. I call it [/b]The Dip
It sat thus for three days with an occasional shake, when I got up the nerve to risk disturbing The Beast. Last night I poured everything out into my recycle can. I thought I could hear shrieking and moaning from inside the tank.
Headed over to the local self-serve car wash under the cover of darkness. Spent three bucks and a half-hour blasting away with the hot soapy hi-pressure hose. The Beast did not take it kindly. As the spray started dissecting down to bare metal, some chunks lifted but far more dug their claws deeper into the tank. At least the battle was confined within its walls, until the fluid level reached the level of the fuel gauge sender. At that point, The Beast
exacted its revenge: I was blasted in the face with hot, soapy water/ancient solvent residues and chunks of amber shrapnel in a surprisingly refreshing blast. I knew exactly how Father Damien felt in that scene in The Exorcist.Anyhow, the tank is about 70% down to bare metal and the remaining fragments of The Beast
at least are thinner. It's back to soaking in last night's carb cleaning dregs and a fresh batch of Dip. It won't give up easy, but neither will I. This time, it's personal.PS: Anyone got a used Aero tank?
