New FJ1100 owner from San Francisco CA

[ZOA NOM]

Rick, that sounds like a good time; a day at the races. March 16/17 is pencilled in. How about getting some bikes together and taking the horses for a run?

Just say when, and I'll check my schedule.

[Mike Ramos]

Rick, that sounds like a good time; a day at the races. March 16/17 is pencilled in. How about getting some bikes together and taking the horses for a run?

Just say when, and I'll check my schedule.

Gentlemen,

The snow finally melted so I can get the FJ out after six weeks of hibernation (the FJ - not me).  Cylical weather seems to happen about every 10 years or so... strange how global warming works - seems to make things snowy & cold...
 
Anyway, I just asked my parents & they say I can tag along...!

Midget

[ZOA NOM]

You were next on my list...

[andyoutandabout]

Wonder if we can get Randy, Robert and Ryan to bring the legends and give us a lap or two?
Actually, if the weather cooperates, we could have a mini rally here in Napa.
Fluff those sleeping bags

[FJmonkey]

What? A sleep-over (Road trip) at Andy's, I am interested... The last one was a real blast.

[DitchDiggrr]

Thanks for the advice Troyskie. (everyone, thanks for all the advice!!) I learned my way around bikes by getting manuals, tools, and thank goodness for the Internet and forums! I just completed a 89 BMW K100RS.    The tank on the floor is the original tank and it’s loaded with rust! The one that is on the bike is a replacement and I’m thinking of fixing it and keeping it as a spare. The bike also came with another tank that has a different gas cap, must be a FJ1200 tank. If anyone is interested...

I'm just going to throw this out there:

I'm sure some other members here have used this method also in the past but... I had a life changing experience with a tank liner that I try to pass on to everyone I can because I'm still thrilled with the results after three years.

Back story... I have had enough rusty tanks over the years that I have ended up doing the Kreem kit tank liner a few times.
It was a mess and a pain to clean all the loose rust out and sometimes it worked good, but I never ended up keeping the bikes long enough to see how it held up.

HOWEVER... I have a tank that I have had since new, lined it with a Kreem kit years ago right after I bought it to try to make sure rust was never going to be an issue. It has been off a bike and not being used for about 12 years. About 3 years ago I put it back into service only to have the old Kreem liner come loose and plug up my carbs over and over... no matter how much cleaning... it never stopped.
I did NOT want to give up this tank as its one of kind paint job and there was a lot of nostalgia attached to it for me.

I mentioned this to a friend who told me to stop messing around and just get a Caswell kit for it.

He told me that he has repaired tanks that were rusty to the point they had holes in them... LARGE ones... and he said all you do is duct tape the OUTSIDE of the tank for the large holes and continue with the liner process and it makes an new solid indestructible shell inside that will last forever.
OVER THE RUST.
And further... he had used it to repair flaking Kreem liners.

I mentioned it to a local Indian collector/restorer .... who confirmed he used Caswell liners at least 4 times to save some Scout tanks that were complete done for... he said he had one that had holes everywhere and it worked perfectly.
He said he NOW lines old tanks prematurely even before they have started to have rust come lose. 
(I don't think he does that on the high end restorations, but I could be wrong)

This guy is VERY PICKY about his work on his Indians... and he is not the kind of guy who would do something like this unless he was EXTREMELY confident in the repair or modification. 

I bought a kit, and per instructions removed the large and looser parts of my old Kreem liner by shaking a bunch of drywall screws and acetone around in the tank, but having seen how it works now, I don't think it mattered that much, I probably could have just lined right over top of the flaking and peeling Kreem kit. This stuff is as hard as bowling ball and captures EVERYTHING in the coating... even the one drywall screw that I didn't realize was in there still and is now suspended in the clear liner materiel. 

This stuff is amazing.
I can't believe it took me 25 years to hear about it.

My new FJ has a good tank with light surface rust, but I have bought a Caswell kit for it to install next winter for preventative purposes.

If you don't want to mess around with removing ALL the rust and junk and want that tank to be good for the next 100 years... then you might think about this.

My only regret was that I bought a clear kit instead of one of the colored versions like this red version here:

https://www.caswellplating.com/epoxy-gas-tank-sealer/dragons-blood-gas-tank-sealer.html

The clear was a little harder to tell if I had rolled the tank over enough and got all the areas covered properly... but... I still managed to do so and I am beyond thrilled with the results.

So much so that I keep the leftover coating that I had mixed up in the bottom of a coffee can so that I can show it off to people and let them try to break it with a hammer... no one has managed so far!

Anyway, just my 2 cents... I couldn't be happier with the results.

[Motofun]

One way to remove Kreem is to use MEK (methyl ethyl ketone).  The stuff is wicked so you need to use it outdoors and a respirator is a good idea too.  Don't get it on anything you want to preserve.

[jahearne]

Those brakelines from the caliper to the worthless anti-dive units look much nicer when routed on the inside of the fork slider, like they're supposed to be.

Done

[jahearne]

Another chance meeting with an FJ fancier, who would have guessed? There I was in an obscure spot near the Sacramento River when John came over and struck up FJ related conversation. Naturally we went on and on about FJs and I plugged the WCR. I think he is in.

Small world indeed. If the weather clears up, Andy, the first race weekend is March 16-17 at Sonoma. Stop by if you're "outandabout".

Bummer, I'm out of town this weekend! And looks like we're in for some good weather for a change. Rain has stopped...

Good to meet you Andy! Look forward to some rides!!