Vinyl for Plastic Gas Tanks?

[Vital Designs]

I have a customer that has a large extended range plastic gas tank for his KTM motorcycle and I am have a hard time finding any material that will hold up on the tank. Within a week or two it is full of bubbles and when you peal them off they are soaked in gas.

I have used the array of convex products and even talked to them and they don't have any answers. I have perforated the materials with no improvement. I have an old YZF426 laying around and even the stock graphics on it pealed off the tank while the other shroud components look good. This happend over years though.

I don't have much use for this but this customer has an enduro based business and likes his graphics all over his bikes. Not to mention, he is a friend.

If anyone knows of any matierial that would work for this application I would appreciate the input. Thx.

 

[jiarby]

Besides the obvious problem of the gasoline eating everything...

The can it self is made with alot of plasticizers & mold release to facilitate the injection molding process. You may be able to flash the surface with a blow torch (only on a new EMPTY one ! LOL!) as is recommended by Plasticade for their A-Frames. Same stuff.

Tell him to quit buying cheap plastic cans and get a metal one that you can work with.

 

[Vital Designs]

Almost all these extended range tanks are made of plastic. He paid over $700 for the darn thing.

The blow torch routine works great for std plastic pieces.

Someone told him at the motorsports show in Indy this weekend it could be done and I am just curios to see if it is a lost cause or not.

 

[HulkSmash]

Are you using conform?

 

[Flame]

There's a trick to it but I sure ain't sharing on an open forum.

And FYI jiarby, he's talking plastic tanks on a bike. You can't get metal tanks. That was what they did back..........um......... in the 60's, not how they make them now. haha.

Overall though, you're screwed. Not much can stand up to that abuse. Think about it...it's a plastic tank full of gasoline. Fumes are bound to escape the plastic (not to mention spilling every time you fill up). These fumes are essentially a solvent. What do we use to wipe off ink and adhesive? A solvent!

 

[stephenj148]

Does the material have holes or slits or anything in it allowing for the expanding/contrasting of the gas tank? Have had many spills on Convex and never found gas to be messing with the material. You need to have vents in the vinyl if its being applied directly to the tank.

 

[jiarby]

I thought he was talking about refill gas cans

 

[Flame]

I thought he was talking about refill gas cans

Guessed as much, still gave ya a hard time

 

[Mosh]

There IS a trick......don't do them!!!! there is nothing that will stay on for years, no matter what anyone tellls you...except for.....that deal Flame is talking about, but that will cost ALOT for a one-off job.