Hey All,

I am a frequent reader but a less frequent contributor.  I have asked a few questions in the past and the forum has always helped me out.  This time I have a question regarding the fuel tank mount.  I think over time due to road vibration the weld on the mount at the bottom of the tank has broken.  After speaking with Suzuki and looking on BikeBandit.com it looks like a new tank will cost me approximately $700 or more.  Due to other issue right now that is a lot to pay.

Does anybody have an alternative to fixing it?  I am having trouble finding a welder who will work on fuel tanks.  I was thinking JB Weld but if the vibration broke the original weld I don't think JB Weld will hold.

Please help me out with any suggestions.

Thanks,

Chris

I have never worked on a tank, but if it were me I would give JB a shot. I would definitely check to make sure that your front tank seats are fitting properly into the rubber bushings to absorb the vibration there. Same for the bottom mounting. Note that the stock bushing have a metal sleeve in the center, so maybe you need to remove these if for some reason your bike is vibrating excessively.  Also, if you did the front seat raise mod the additional rubber stoppers take care of this.

Anyhow, I wonder if you can get a piece of metal strapping and weld it in the shape of a "T" where the top of the "T" is the new tank connector that would need the two holes drilled in it. The bottom leg of the "T" would run under tank for maybe 6" and that's what you JB Weld to the tank?. Not sure of I would sand to bare metal, but at least scuff the paint and clean well for good adherence? Or even better, make a 90 degree "U" where you have two legs running under the tank?  Just have to form it a bit so it fits around any areas of the frame or other parts under there.

Like I said...I haven't done this, just thinking out loud here.

Welding motorcycle tanks is no big deal...they are small and easy to clean out.  Drain it, take the petcock and fuel cap of.....a couple days in the sun and you will be fine - but if they won't do it and you can't.....you don't have much of a choice.

Post some photos of the break - sometimes the break is in a difficult pace to weld.

JB Weld is not fuel proof - so it won't work on a fuel leak.  

How about some pic's?

Sounds like you got a crack in a spot weld.
Difficultly here is getting the weld clean, which is why a professional wont touch it as it is likely to crack again.
The way to fix it is to drill, grind thru the entirety of the crack. then weld the hole closed.  And it may not last forever.

So here is what I am seeing.  The weld itself didn't break but the actual mount broke is a pretty bad spot.

https://ibb.co/n4vvda



verslagen1 wrote on 08/31/17 at 15:05:44:

So here is an update.  

The weld on the mount was not broken but the mount itself broke. (Sorry for the links I couldn't get the images to show up in the post.)

https://ibb.co/k18KPQ

https://ibb.co/gbUhdk

Since I am strapped on cash and couldn't find a local welder that would help me out I decided to go with JB Weld Steel Stick as a solution.  I constructed a new mount to give the JB Weld more surface area to grab onto while keeping the same angles in tact.

https://ibb.co/mitxB5

https://ibb.co/jsrvyk

I sanded off all paint down to metal on the existing mount and the tank and applied the weld.  Left it clamped overnight and then attached it to the tank and let it dry for 24 hours.  Overall it seems to hold pretty well but I don't know how much I really trust it.

https://ibb.co/mdPR4Q

https://ibb.co/gZt8Jk

But in the meantime it is on and I am riding again.  I have had it on for 1 week now and no issues so far.  Hopefully this holds long enough till when I have enough extra income to purchase a new tank.