paint lift under fuel caps

[DiamondBen]

I have the twin Fat Bob tanks with custom paint and paint saver inserts under the filler caps. I'm getting paint lift (bubbles) right around the edges of the tank where they meet the paint saver. My shop tells me that there is no cheap fix other than a repaint and then to epoxy the paint saver inserts into the tank so that there is no gap between the insert and the paint.

Anyone else have a take on this?

[PTParks]

HD doesn't seem to have a problem with this on stock paint, so why should a custom painter who should be an expert at prep and paint have a problem with paint lift? I'm pretty sure its caused by gas fumes getting under the paint because of bad prep. The tanks may need to be repainted (unless your custom design allows some sort of "spot painting" of the effected areas) but it should be at no cost to you, assuming the custom paint isn't 10 years old or something like that. The paint savers should need nothing more than some silicone to seal them if the paint is done right.

[meatcurtains]

That's right - that's a workmanship issue. The fumes get under that paint edge and lift the paint. More than likely, you can have that bad spot blended in and then the edges sealed to prevent that in the future. Trim the paint at the top edge of the filler hole after painting, then add A nice smooth bead of JB Weld that overlaps the paint edge at the filler hole & it will work perfectly and last until dinasours come back.

Your painter should do this for you at no cost - if you are unable to find someone to spot that in, I do alot of that - blending and spot painting - the whole tank will have to be cleared, but the painted area can be spotted in - looks like it was marbled so that's not too incredibly difficult.

Good luck - and make sure whoever fixes it seals that edge down. Same thing around the little protruding nipples.






www.paintedhog.com

[DiamondBen]

Mr. Parks, you confirmed what the tech at the dealership told me. Things like this shouldn't happen on a bike that cost more than a factory machine.

Mr. Briggs, that is nice work that you do. You are right, a bead of JB Weld properly applied with the paint savers would have prevented this. Unfortunately, the factory paint shop just screwed the paint saver into the tank without any. I found this out when I twisted off the full cap AND the paint saver at the pumps.

It's too bad that the financial troubles of Titan and the associated problems of warranty claims make chasing the factory for paint problems a hassle. I may just leave the pain bubble (as ugly as it is) until it cracks and I'm forced to do something about it, while I decide if I want to stay with the same paint scheme or take advantage of the bad situation and try somehting else. Of course there is the one piece tank with the flush mounted pop up filler, and then I can french the speedo into the tank, and then . .

Hold that thought, Christmas is around the corner and I have to shop for presents this weekend. I guess that I'll ride on Christmas and wait for the rainy season (February) before I take the tanks off the bike.

[Ralph]

I use to paint bikes,and never ran into this problem,but have seen it on other peoples bikes. One problem is the wrong type of primer ( I use epoxy) and painting all the way to the filler spout. I used a plug to keep paint out of the filler area,so it left a ring of metal showing about 1/4" from the hole. This wont be seen with a normal cap on , and the pump nozel won't chip the paint at fill up. You can have a small flame put around the cap areas to highlight the art work. But prep the areas and use 2 part epoxy. You cant get the stuff to come off after a week,even with lacqure thinner.