Need repair instructions!!!! Can I do this myself?

[neepuk]

.............................Actual repair takes place on page 6. If you are repairing a paintable KTM 640 Adventure gas tank you may skip right to page 6. All kinds of fun info about different plastics and welding leading up to page 6. What NOT to use too...................

Well S!*t, Yesterday Was FUN and hard on my bike! I went to Clear Creek Callifornia for a riding clinic and came home with a blown fork seal, a sore body, a muddy bike and worst of all, a cracked gas tank........Oh yeah, and a smile on my face that I can't wash off.

Yes, I've checked the bleeping thread index and it seems to be that "plastic welding" is the best way to fix this. Can somebody point me in the direction of "how-to" plastic weld? I used to work in a ski repair shop and have a lot of experience doing "base welds" on skis and snowboards so I think I have the hands to fix it myself. Exactly what kind of materials would I need (minimum required) to do a perminant home repair? Can I build up some plastic to fill in the void space? The crack is on the tab that bolts the tank down so it's got to be strong! A step by step how to would be great.


I drainded the tank last night and have been letting the fumes evaporate. Here's a shot of water flowing like gas!

[creeper]

There is a (plastic) boat load of information here neepuk.

C

[neepuk]

Originally Posted by creeper

There is a (plastic) boat load of information here neepuk.

C

Thanks Creeper. You're not kidding about there being a "boat load" of info. Has anyone else out there had their tank crack in the same place? Which method did you use?

[Rad]

Holy shit neepuk, how did ya do that?

And....Go see Tom

[creeper]

Originally Posted by Rad

Holy shit neepuk, how did ya do that?

And....Go see Tom

Really big nutz?

[Two Dot]

Sorry about the boom-boom neepuck. Good luck with the repair. Hope you are feeling better...

Lets see some pictures...

[neepuk]

Originally Posted by Rad

Holy shit neepuk, how did ya do that?

And....Go see Tom

I went out on a Doc Wong's riding clinic at Clear Creek. It consisted of some very basic and helpful drills in the morning followed by an afternoon ride. There were about 50 riders total and after the clinic session we broke up in to 7 groups. Most of the guys in the "big bike" group were on older "air-heads" and a few newer GS's too. So I joined up with a group af smaller bikes for a ride lead by Phil Douglas of Aftershocks. Sooooo much fun and I was riding well so I decided to follow Phil and a few others through an "optional" hill-climb......... I went down on the left side. I smelled gas and thought that I broke off the petcock. Nope, gas was pouring out from under my seat and the petcock was fine under all the mud. The bike went down pretty hard and just stopped without a bounce so the tank shifted back enough to F it up. I realized today after washing off most of the mud that I now have a blow fork seal on the compression side too.
I'm gonna stop by Gary's plastics on the way over to see Tom in the AM.
Gotta get er back on the road for another ride next weekend. Looks like I'm gonna have to learn how to do fork seals...or find a money tree.

[Donkey Hotey]

Hey neepuk bummer about the tank. Did you have any trouble getting the tank onto the bike when you were swapping plastics? My 97 tank went on pretty hard. I learned to lubricate the rubber mounts with soapy water before putting the tank on. After that, the tank would just settle right onto the mounts and everything lined up. IIRC the first time I put the tank on, it was preloaded at that rear mount (not good considering what's happened to yours). I hope you have some luck fixing it.