two of four could be replaced without removing the tank

the things you find when detailing someone mentioned it here once...it's hard to do a great job of detailing a bike without also doing a great job of checking for loose fasteners and parts

 

with CanCoat, the feel is part of the process for me....i use two MFs...the application MF and then a clean new MF...i apply and remove the lion's share of the sealant with the first towel, but then immediately remove the rest and buff it out with the clean towel....you can feel a difference and you do have a bit of time to work with it before it cures....about 30-40 seconds....i lightly buff it letting the MF do the work and at first, the surface is a bit more grabby...as you polish and buff it out, CanCoat turns super slick feeling, that feeling and a quick visual with an inspection light tells you you're done

 

Well yesterday was a total cluster…bleep. While tank removal, in itself, is relatively easy, what’s not so easy is fishing out a 2” piece of rubber hose that you dropped in said tank while trying to rig up a harbor freight special hand pump to try to pump some of the gas out. So that happened and it took a good couple hours and a pair of long needle nose pliers, removal of the top plate of the tank, one of those flashlights you strap around your head, and a great deal of patience (which I most definitely am out of at this point) to get it out. I imagine I looked pretty strange in my front yard, sheet spread out on the grass, tank propped up on its side, carhart coveralls unstrapped at the bib and folded down to my waist (because I had to lay across the tank and I was worried the coverall clasps would scratch it) said light strapped to my stupid head, and me bent over the damn thing trying to get just the right angle to see down in the tank and sneak those long pliers in past all the wires and stuff in there. I’m sure it looked like I was either A: Humping my tank, right there for God and everyone to see or B: preforming some type of life saving surgery on this inanimate object. By taking that top plate ring off, it allowed me to pull the unit up and out just barely enough to get in there and get the offending tubing out, but obviously it wasn’t easy. To anyone interested, you can get the ring loose with a brass punch and hammer, if you don’t have the special tool that H-D sells, I found a video online yesterday and it was actually pretty easy.
So after this debacle, all I had time to do was wash the tank off and call it a night, as it was past noon before I even got started. My local dealer had my plug wires though, so at least there won’t be anything holding me back today, except my own stupidity, which usually turns out to be somewhat of a factor!
So I’m up early, coffee consumed, waiting for the sun to come up so I can get started and hopefully bring this project to its conclusion. Hopefully. If I don’t screw something up again. God help me …

 

As a side note , water just rolled off the previously CanCoated surface of the tank, even after scrubbing it with a mitt and foaming wash…the beading is crazy with this stuff. I’ll get some pics of it today, since the tank will have to be polished again anyway

 

Believe it or not, your screw ups are often the best training aid you have!!! At least you'll know what not to do next time!!!

 

Boy ain’t that the truth…speaking of screw ups, I’m pretty sure this happened when I was wrestling with the tank (I don’t think it was there before) but it’s a little spot of chipped off clear coat. I have a touch-up kit from my previous ride, different color but it came with a bottle of clear. I’m wondering if I should put a dab on it or just seal it. I just got done re-polishing the tank, and am getting ready to seal so I might just do that and see how it holds up, I can always do the dab of clear coat down the road. Anyway, here it is :

 

where is that on the tank? I'm having a hard time dialing in on the perspective - don't beat yourself up my friend....I've done some crap to my bike and have some permanent scars to prove it

if I weren't going to have it repaired, I'd probably consider leaving it alone...I'm afraid that if you start trying to monkey with a dab of clear coat, you'll end up with a remedy that is worse than the illness

 

Not my bike, but if it was I would not dab clear on it. The only chip repair stuff I have had any luck with is Dr Color Chip. Im by know means a Pro with it but I can make it look better. Never had any luck with applying clear. If the spot is in a spot where you cant really see it, then sure try the clear. If its in a spot were your eyes go immediately, I would try something else first

 

Yeah I think you’re both right, I just re-coated the tank, not gonna mess with trying to touch it up. It’s at about a one o’clock position from the tank emblem, I might have a pic. In any case, it’s something I’ll just live with. I gotta get this bitch back together. Thanks

 

Just looks like a little smudge here, I was just worried the clear might start peeling because of it