I think I need a fuel tank!

[SamM]

On the maiden voyage of the SS Sammy (Viva) we had big problems. I think she sprung a leak Capt'n.

When I arrived home fuel was pouring from my fuel tank. I had to take the bodywork and rack completely off the bike to get to the fuel tank. Sure enough the tank was leaking. At first I thought it was a hose. I completely drained what fuel was left. The bike was covered in gasoline. Apparently the tank has a separate small piece that attachs to the main tank above the fuel valve/filter. When I touched this piece it fell apart in my hands. The tank and the small piece of tank are both plastic. You can see where they tried to weld or heat the two piece trying to fuse them together. It didn't work! I was going to ride the bike to work tonight. Thankfully, I needed fuel and it happened on my way home instead of on my way to work!

I'm going to send in a parts request for a new tank tomorrow morning! Does anyone have any idea, what would be the best way to reattach these pieces? I'm thinking about either plastic welding it back together or using epoxy on it.

Pictures tomorrow!

TIA

[ob1]

Your best bet is a replacement.

If you must try to fix, plastic welding would be my suggestion. I would also suggest practicing on a similar container, like an outboard boat motor tank.

Your tank is probably made of polypropylene.

http://www.urethanesupply.com/

[ambassador]

Wow Sam, Sounds like you could have had a Ghost Rider situation on your hands, not good... Post some pics of what your talking about so the other Viva owners don't become a rolling fireball... Hope Viva gives you a new tank, seems like they've come through on everything else for you...

[SamM]

It was pretty scary! I could actually hear the fuel sizzling when it hit the hot engine. Not a good situation. I was carrying an extra 2 gallon fuel can full of fuel on the rack at the same time. It would have went... BOOM!

The worst part was when I got the bodywork off and found fuel dripping off the left horn wiring. :roll: Not good at all!

I'm at work now, so I'll post pictures in the morning!

[AZ200cc]

Man that is scary...Makes me love the metal tanks even more.

[culcune]

I hope that Tank stands behind their tanks (pun intended)!

[knothead]

If you try welding the tank fill it with water first! I know welding plastic takes much less heat that welding steel, but it's still enough to cause gasoline residue to vaporize and that's where the trouble begins... Dosen't matter if the tank is bone dry before you begin, fill it with water (as full as you can) first.

[ob1]

Using a soldering iron style welder, there will be no source of ignition.

You need the heat to fully penetrate the plastic, water will keep this from happening and your weld will be at the surface only.

Empty the tank, set it in the sun with the cap off for a few hours and weld away.

[red2003]

Sam, my Roketa tank crapped the bed right where the petcock attaches with those two bolts. I epoxied it and it held just fine. I made a little masking tape "box" around the whole corner of the tank right over the petcock and attaching bolts and filled it righ full of 30 minute epoxy. It worked great. Just make sure you rough up the plastic with some sandpaper and clean everything with a strong solvent. I have since replaced the tank with a Hi Bird tank that I bought from RPM and am keeping the epoxied tank as a backup. BTW the Hi Bird tank is a much better quality tank and a direct bolt on replacement. It was about $70.00 total for the tank, petcock, and shipping.

[SamM]

red,
I think I'm going to call Tom and just order a Hi-Bird tank. Thanks for the info. I seem to remember now, that you had problems with your tank too. Mine broke at the same place your did. Is the Hi-Bird tank a direct replacement? Will my body work bolt up the same?.

Does anyone have a contact number or website address for Tom? I did a search but came up empty on it. There were plenty of hits but I was searching through every post looking for individual posts. Never did find one!

Tanks again!

I almost forgot the pictures! In the bottom picture you can see that the weld was never right. No material penetrated the main body of the tank. It was just a matter of time.

[SamM]

I found Tom's contact information and just called him. He has a tank for me and I have just purchased it for the Viva. I should be back on the road shortly.

Thanks for the help everyone!

Thanks for the tank Tom!

[justjoe]

Wow Sam

Glad it worked out OK and no pyrotechnics(I hate it when that happens)
I'm gonna check mine if I ever get it legal in NJ! LOL

Joe

[SamM]

Yeah, me too Joe! You should have seen me trying to get the bodywork off the bike as the fuel was pouring onto that hot engine. I may still be able to fix the stock tank. I have a few things to pick up in the morning to work on it with. Ultimately, I will be using the new Hi-Bird tank from Tom.

I also contacted Viva today and told them that I needed a new fuel tank and a front hub for the Viva. I don't have any idea if the will honor the warranty now or not. I hear reports on this webste that they are having some issues. We'll see what happens. They have been good to me so far.

[TheOtherRide]

Oh I hope this doesn't happen to mine! LOL, I'm beyond the warranty. Oh well, I used to sell Ocean Kayaks & they had to be welded once in a while, so I guess I'll deal when the time comes!

Glad you got the tank ordered; let us know how it fits.

[red2003]

Originally Posted by SamM

red,
Is the Hi-Bird tank a direct replacement? Will my body work bolt up the same?.

It WAS a direct fit for my Roketa. Not sure about the Viva, but I bet it will be fine.