CB500 Tank prep

— 2 minute read

My tank has at least two dings in it - one I "may" have done on my last track day at Cadwell and one that I didn't spot till I got the bike home when I bought it.

The tank - stage 1
The tank - stage 1

Unleash the flap disk (again)

I didn't have paint stripper strong enough to touch the cellulose job that had been done by the previous owner so I got busy with the angle grinder and got down to metal fairly quickly. What became apparent was that the tank was more like a walnut than I expected with little dents all over.

The tank - stage 2
The tank - stage 2

Fill for England

I decided to get stuck in with filler and try and get things sorted. Unlikely to get it perfect but hoping the main issues can be ironed out.

The tank - stage 3
The tank - stage 3

Get rid of those tabs

As I have my bike in a cafe style there is no need for the tabs that hold on some of the plastics from the original so it seemed a good time to Dremmel them off. It is some of these little things that will make the bike look more complete at the end.

The tank - stage 4
The tank - stage 4

A lick of paint - and then more filling.

Once I had got things tidied I thought it good to get a little primer on and shine a nice bright light on it to see how much was still a problem. There were still issues so more filler went on and more sanding was done.

The tank - stage 6
The tank - stage 6

Not too shabby and ready for paint!

Finally the tank is ready for its base coat of paint. Pretty happy with the result and hopefully once it has a proper paint job and is back on the bike it should look crackin..

The tank - stage 7
The tank - stage 7

Next time... will I manage to replace my shims?