Preparing a motorcycle tank for painting

A tank that has held petrol must never come into contact with sparks or heat. Empty it completely, rinse it out thoroughly and ventilate it well. Dry sanding doesn’t produce sparks, but it does produce dust and heat – so keep the tank sealed and away from ignition sources.

A tank is curved almost everywhere. Hard tools sand surfaces and edges flat. Work with a soft interface pad on the random orbital sander or a flexible hand block. Bring filler spots into shape with P180 and feather them out with P240.

Sand the primer surfacer smooth with P400; guide coat shows up the dents. Sand intact old paint matt with P600 to P800 for the new paint system, using non-woven abrasive in swage lines and around the filler cap. Degrease thoroughly before painting.

Before sanding, close off or tightly mask the filler cap, fuel tap and all connections. Water from wet sanding that runs into the tank makes it rust from the inside; sanding dust ends up in the carburettor or the injection system later.

Remove badges, knee pads and rubber parts first instead of sanding around them – otherwise shiny edges remain around them, and the new paint won’t hold there.

The edges of the knee recesses and the seam are the highest points and are the first to sand through. Work there last and only by hand with non-woven abrasive.

Under metallic, candy or light-coloured paints, scratches show up particularly clearly. Here, really finish the sequence up to P600 or P800 instead of stopping after P400.