Resurrecting a bike that's been stood for 20 years

[Jazzy Jag]

After having my Yamaha TT350 stood in the corner of the garage for about 20 years, I decided to get if running and sell it.

I have had it running after replacing a few parts but I am struggling to get rid of the stale petrol varnish from the tank.

I have cleaned the carbs out several times but it's in the tank.

Does anyone have any recommendations for getting rid of the horrible waxy stuff from a plastic tank?

[Biker 1]

Take off tank & have a specialist steam clean it....

[Biker's Nemesis]

Brown vinegar. The cheaper the better.

[Jazzy Jag]

At the moment, my trying boiling water and a dishwasher tab.

I have a small steam cleaner so will give that a go.


Where can I get 2 gallon of brown vinegar ?

Hmm..

[Rubin215]

Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).

It's suddenly become popular as a leisure drug (seriously, but don't take more than 3ml to start with) so prices from dodgy-fks have gone through the roof, but you can still buy it as an alloy wheel cleaner.

It will dissolve petrol varnish with a bit of time but has to be rinsed out pretty thoroughly with water as it will eventually attack the plastic.

[Jazzy Jag]

Rubin215 said:

Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).



It will dissolve petrol varnish with a bit of time but has to be rinsed out pretty thoroughly with water as it will eventually attack the plastic.

That's my biggest concern.
Wreck the tank and its game over.

[Rubin215]

Jazzy Jag said:

That's my biggest concern.
Wreck the tank and its game over.

It's fine for short-term use, just don't leave it in for weeks on end.

Pour a litre in,wash it around for a couple of minutes then empty it out.

Rinse and repeat every few days until you are happy.