condensation bubbled petrol tank paint :(

[dizzyblonde]

I'm heartbroken, I covered the bike up over the really cold snap, as its in a nasty dank damp shed. Uncovered her today, and all the usual places for the bike to rot are fine, but all over the tank have appeared bubbled up places, like someones got a hot paint stripper and pointed it at my tank

My loverly perfect bike is a fecking mess, and I'm unsure what I can do

HELP

[snapdragon]

well I know two people who could fix it, one in Rochdale and one in Bristol, but can't tell you why it's happened

[Crap Tartan]

Is it the paint that has actually bubbled up?
ie not something that has formed on the paint?

Is it just on the tank?

This is strange!!!!

[tyremuncher]

omg thats not good at all,never heard of it happen before, has your tank been resprayed at some poiint,or still in original paint,

[dizzyblonde]

I'll describe. It looks like an old rover, when the rust sets in and bubbles under the paint. If you press the bubbles it squishes(don't want to be doing that too often and spreading it!)
Its formed along the bottom nearest the seat in identical places, on both sides. Again further towards the front. Its also bubbled in the ridges on the top of the tank(as in the molding shape)All in corresponding places on both sides.

I'm at a loss to whats happened, I can only guess, with it being covered, that the sheds been so bloody wet(which it is) that the condensation has got trapped under the bike cover and settled where it has It was left uncovered after I rode it in October, perfect, I covered it a couple of months back when it got really snowwy, and it was perfect then. Its been covered ever since.

I'm assuming it hasn't been resprayed. The Cagiva decals on it, aren't stuck on with laquer over, they are pearlescent/metallic sprayed, and the elephant stickers still on it on the top. Its still got all the security torx bolts in all the places it should, as if its not been tampered with.....bearing in mind that this bike was as near mint as dammit when I bought it with 8300miles on the clock, looks like its been pampered in a dry garage and no sign of damage repair.


I wouldn't mind but all the usual places that rot and bubble are all fine and dandy! A slight amount of paint lift on the water pump housing which I expect, as its the first place to go with damp and corrosion. I know I need to replace the front brake hoses as they rust away(original ones still on it). The peg hangers are fine, and every nut and bolt are fine too! Bit of rust on the discs, but its been stood, so I expect that to happen anyway.
I've had the exs VRap in my shed exactly the same for three years, and the two SVs and never seen anything so chronic. Its always been a horrid damp shed.....but its bloody getting knocked down and built in block bricks this year....any volunteers

[Red Mist]

"Its always been a horrid damp shed.....but its bloody getting knocked down and built in block bricks this year....any volunteers "

Well, I can come and knock it down....

[tyremuncher]

i always spray my bike completly with a water repellant spray if its going to be laid up in the shed for a while,even use the whole can if you live anywhere near here,scottish borders,just give it a good wash off when the weather gets better,i know this aint much help now,i can only think that condensation has done its worst,i am a bricklayer but just a bit to far for me im afraid,

[dizzyblonde]

Oh living in grim Yorkshire, I blather alsorts in ACF50, use SDoc100, Super resin polish. God the bikes get more pampered than my hair...
Like you, can't really take many chances here, as you may come back to a plie of plastic and rubber, although didn't expect to find the whole bike and no plastic

Tiz funny as the big old bus ZZR1400 has been stood outside two years on the trot now, with a Stormex over it, and its only just got a tiny bit of furry stuff on the peg hangers!

[dizzyblonde]

well I know two people who could fix it, one in Rochdale and one in Bristol, but can't tell you why it's happened

Who are these people, and can they make it better

[RaptorJo]

Can't tell you why its happened, but I had a similar thing happen 2yrs ago, it only happend around the fuel cap it kinda just wrinkled up, had to have just that area resprayed and blended in, but its not an original paint job, so I just put it down to a previous bad job. Gutted for you to find that

[shedmonkey]

Hi could it be that it has been resprayed and the paint is porous and damp has gone through the laquer, but not an expert. Good luck

[snapdragon]

Hi could it be that it has been resprayed and the paint is porous and damp has gone through the laquer, but not an expert. Good luck

nod nod, sprayed a shiny top coat without keying it properly?

Who are these people, and can they make it better

t'Dragon (used to teach vehicle storage) reckons possibly the wet (condensation as you said DB) cover sitting on the paint allowing damp to seep through the polish and into the paint layers
not sure it could be fixed without a rub back and respray. My bro does 'car medic' in Rochdale I'll give him a bell and ask what he thinks. Ace of Sprays does clever resprays he's in Bristol. In the meantime maybe shed, or cover, but not both?

[dizzyblonde]

yeah, I left all the bikes uncovered in there yesterday with the doors open until it got dark, to air off. Filled up a million moisture traps and plonked them under all of the bikes too.

DD got back to me this morning, as a friend of ours had a similar problem with her SV. The person who did KKs purple Raptor, was the person our friend contacted over the issue. Apparently (as I am hoping) the cover formed a tight barrier, and water condensation etc has built up where its been in contact with the bike, its started to warm up in there and dry out, but its had nowhere to go, being tightly covered so has somehow got under the paint.....hopefully, as its airing, it MIGHT disperse. Quedos's SV did the same, and eventually on drying and airing, the bubbles magivcally disappeared and never came back


Fingers and toes crossed, its a long shot! or expensive respray and a bank robbery

[dizzyblonde]

yeah, I left all the bikes uncovered in there yesterday with the doors open until it got dark, to air off. Filled up a million moisture traps and plonked them under all of the bikes too.

DD got back to me this morning, as a friend of ours had a similar problem with her SV. The person who did KKs purple Raptor, was the person our friend contacted over the issue. Apparently (as I am hoping) the cover formed a tight barrier, and water condensation etc has built up where its been in contact with the bike, its started to warm up in there and dry out, but its had nowhere to go, being tightly covered so has somehow got under the paint.....hopefully, as its airing, it MIGHT disperse. Quedos's SV did the same, and eventually on drying and airing, the bubbles magivcally disappeared and never came back


Fingers and toes crossed, its a long shot! or expensive respray and a bank robbery

[AZ]

If they are micro blisters then they might disperse but any that are on the slightly large side will not and will have created the problem of no adhesion between the paint and tank which can only be remedied by rub down and repaint.It is likely that the damp and extreme temperatures we`ve had have done it and because of how the paint and plastic have different expansion rates then it doesn`t do any good really.Metal tanks can also suffer the same and it all seems to have something to do with condensation freezing in droplets on the tank and creating lots of cold spots which can be worse where a cover holds the moisture or it collects on a sadge or even where the fuel is in the tank which causes condensation on the tank surface as the temp changes and then it freezes.
That`s the simplified version but still as boring.It`s more common on tanks as they tend to get colder on the outside because of the fuel an air trapped inside.
At least it isn`t an early Buell they do this because the fuel is trying to push the paint off from the inside out .I only know this because i`m a painter for a living and have come across this before.You need to keep moisture down and the temp constant.It doesn`t happen so much outside because of air flow carrying moisture away.