When I started to install the tanks, I noticed a lot of rust. There was some rust inside when the tanks came back from Ryca last year, but now there was a LOT.  

So, I made a block-off plate for the petcock hole.  I poured in half a bottle of that stinky pink rust remover, and a cup of water, then chucked in 20 small bolts.  

I agitated each tank for an hour or so, hoping the rust remover would dissolve the rust and the bolts rattling around would do some scraping of sorts.  Arms get rather tired doing this.

From the little bit I could see, it got rid of a lot of the rust.  I dumped out the rust remover, shook out the bolts, and flushed the tank with water three times.  

Then, after getting out as much water as possible, I dumped in a half bottle of alcohol (80 cents a bottle at Walmart), and shook it around to combine with all the remaining water, to make sure it rusted as little as possible for the next few days while the bikes are finished up.  

After an hour or so for the alchohol to dry up, I shot in a few tbsp of WD-40 to further protect the inside and sloshed that around some, to coat the inside.  I can't stand rust, so I wanted to do whatever I could do coat the surfaces with some oil that displaces water and tends to make it hard for rust to form.

Hopefully those tanks will have some gas in them within the next few days.

UPDATE: 3 Mar 2019.  Both our tanks have a lot of rust.  The fuel filters are clogged and Jud's carb was so trashed he installed a Mikuni VM38-9.  Make sure when you get the tank from RYCA you derust thoroughly.  Operate the bike with clean gas often, and use one of the alcohol-based water removers in the tank occasionally.  Consider coating the tank with a tank sealer inside.

Cavi Mike wrote on 08/30/12 at 22:40:14:


It evaporates slowly.  I did this last week and both tanks are still wet, with a small puddle of the stuff at the low point.

Dave wrote on 08/31/12 at 08:27:30:


Yes.  Modern fuels can have more moisture, which leads to rust.  That is one reason I pour in a bit of alcohol periodically.  If I have some on hand, I'll use Drygas, or Heet, or Valvoline's Water Remover.  Those items are mostly alcohol anyway.  They can be bought at typical auto stores like Autozone.

I've never used a coating like that.  If I build a fiberglass tank, I wonder if I could coat the inside of it to keep the ethanol in today's gas from attacking the fiberglass resin.

UPDATE 3 Mar 2019 ............. GOOD IDEA!!!

Well,... one of the Double RYCA Build bikes is running.  We decided to put them together and operate them for a bit before doing the final paint.

Check this out!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!
Hopefully I'll be doing the same myself in a few weeks...

Glad you're on the road and I hope you enjoy it.

I can hear the blat of that Emgo muffler.  Those things are loud.

I had one on my non-Ryca Savage.  Stuffed it full of packing, which didn't take long to blow out.  It had a good sound, but it was just too loud.  After about an hour of riding, it became obnoxious to me as the rider, especially at highway speeds.

I went back to my Sportster muffler, with its strategically-placed 1/2 inch hole in the baffle plate.  Just a little louder than a stock Sporty muffler.