Tank rusting?

[Steve_k]

Hi I have just been giving my bike a good clean and removed the seat for the first time in a couple of months and noticed some rust on the seams and brackets on the tank under the seat the rest of the tank looks ok is will this be covered under warranty the bike was new in Nov 07 and has done 7500miles?

[Boomer]

No rust on mine but then I didn't ride it through the winter.
All the salt they bury the roads in will eat almost anything!

I have kept my old 19 year old, 170,000 mile GTR1000 for winter use as it's fairing is WAY better.

[philipintexas]

I had to replace the tank on my old Concours at about 24,000 miles. It rusted through all around the lower edge. I guess Kawasaki didn't learn anything. It might be worth the trouble to treat the inside of the tank with a waterproof coating. I did the new tank but I can't remember the name of the product. It left a white coating that protected from rust. I also used it on the tank of my 73 Pantera since you had to pull the engine to access the gas tank.

[CJM]

Hi Steve

I have the same problem. I don't think its due to salt. I think water tends to pool around the top of the tank. I have carefully remove the rust around the seams and sprayed it with WD40. I have only done 1000 miles so far. I will keep a close eye on this. If it appears again then its off to the dealer.

[Steve_k]

I have just been to the dealer and he thought its a strange place for it to rust and is contacting Kawasaki about a warranty claim I will post the outcome when he gets back to me.

[kwackerken]

Hi CJM.

Best anti-rust product is ACF-50, used on aeroplanes and much better than WD40.

Costs about £12.50 a tin but is worth every penny.

[dhtmbowen]

Me too!

I took the tank off / nearly off for the first time to remove the butterflies and there is rust on all the seams underneath.

I have the bike in for warranty work on the panniers June 3rd so will tackle my dealership then.

Anyone else had any success on the warranty front?

[Steve_k]

The dealer has asked me to send him some pictures to forward to Kawasaki I have done this and are now waiting for them to decide what they are doing next.

[motorman2406]

My tank is rusting in the exact same location. I am also curious as to what KHI says about this.

[uhjeen]

Hi

the same problem here, houston! While visiting the german 1400GTR meeting, i was alone with that trouble, but i have already spoken with my dealer. If i have news, i will let you know!

regards

marc

[Breeze07]

The ZZR1400 (2006, 2007) had the problem related to the fuel tank.
Especially, the problem that water flows into the fuel tank was serious.
The dealer announced the recall in April, 2007.

I was anxious about a similar problem because the fuel tank of the 1400GTR looks alike to that of the ZZR1400.　(>_<)


________________________________________
I love Kobe.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Voyage to the future

[uhjeen]

Rust and some other nice pics ...
















Have fun, i haven't any more ....

marc

[JiMpiSh]

looks like a whole lot of oxidation forming already for a bike that's less than a year old... almost disappointing to see this kindof stuff coming off the latest models...

[Gale_osijek_zx10r]

very ugly, for one kawasaki...

[Sniper1977]

Wow! being that I live in the Tidewater area of Virginia I'd better check mine for rust. I would think this would be covered under warranty. By looking at the pics thats a lot of rust.

[Steve_k]

I rang the dealer up today and they are waiting for Kawasaki to come back to them so still waiting.

[Breeze07]

I have read some reports on “rust under the tank cap” of the ZZR1400 such as photos.

It is regrettable that there are such various rust problems.　(>_<)


________________________________________
I love Kobe.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Voyage to the future

[platypus]

Originally Posted by uhjeen

Rust and some other nice pics ...




Have fun, i haven't any more ....

marc

Holy Crap Batman! Are you sure your commute to work each day does not include a mile or two along the beech? It looks like that is what is happening. That is terrible and unacceptable. Apart from the horrible looks, where those axle seals meet the metal will start leaking oil/grease pretty soon once the rubber chews up from the corroded metal.

Looks like they should swap out the whole bike for you under warranty.

[Boomer]

Uhjeen's corrosion is almost certainly from the rocksalt they bury (yes bury, we have mounds of the stuff builds up at junctions) the EU & UK roads in every winter. If you are going to ride a bike year round here you REALLY need to cover everything in WD40 or some other protectant. You also need to wash the bike as often as possible.
Me, I use my old rusted GTR1000 for the winter as it's already a corroded as it can get.

Uhjeen, I'd be very surprised if Kawasaki do anything under warranty for that.
They will say that you should have washed it after every ride.
Stupid I know.

A friend has a BMW R1150GS Adventure that has corrosion everywhere and rust on the tank and elsewhere and that is on a bike that is designed to go offroad. It has 45k miles and is 4 years old.
These days it seems everyone only makes bikes for Sunny Sunday riders.

[bigmac]

I have my bike in with George White reference a big warrenty clain for rear braking system. Whilst they had it I asked them take photos as similar to recent colleague showing rust . . .the answer is no they wont be replacing the tanks but will clean the areas and colour match spray and lacqour over the top. This sounds like a solution that will only cover up thhe problem - the base / seat of the rust, which will surely eats way
through this temporary stopgap measure. If as a group we can find some person accredited in these matters to right a short report - as a group of consumers I feel we
have a greater chance of success and what we justly deserve - a clean rust free bike
Looking forward to earing back from you