Guys, was doing some maintenance today, & was not very happy with what I found.
Found on the front of the tank, under the top cowl.

Rear underside of the tank, this is where the tank meets the rear mounting bracket.

Rear underside of the tank.

Seat mounting tabs, rust on both sides of tank.

I have contacted the dealer I bought this from, it will be interesting to see what they do about this, still under warranty!

So check the undersides of your tanks guys!

Neil

* Last updated by: Neilp on 5/23/2013 @ 10:40 PM *

Thanks Neil.Glad ya caught that...I'll check mine next tank cover removal....good job!

TANKS, Neil. I think I have some bad and some good news. Which do you want to hear first? WATT? OK, the good news. Take some paper towels and some vinegar. Soak the towel and run the tank upside down so the soaking/acid bath begins. Then, lift up the blankie, see if the good fairy left with the copper kettle kind of looking all like a baby's asssomeone cleaned it up.

Then, with a clean paper towel, we soak that with water and rinse said acid out of the nooks and what didn't get sprayed? Let me get a brand new tank; bend the areas you see so there is now a tunnel for some more paint to reach, I'm going to warranty that and hit happens again?

Bad news I'm afraid. You have some old nail polish hang nailing around? Take the brush and shove a shit load up there is raise the tank so it flows downward. There is your warranty! We cover warranty at the finish. If we turned the tanks upside down, we might warranty that if we made the vacuum to seal out vapor?

But does not the tank live between a vapor of hot air? No matter how much they want to cool the tank off, you turn the key off and guess what happens? Condensation? We do not warranty condensation is move to a different climate if you are anal with a little rust. We are not selling hand made welds made flush to the metal so there is no seam? We are production and is your tank all rusting out at the paint's surface on the sit side? Not the lift my tank oh look at nature eat my bike down to what it was to begin with? War & Tea me over the next tank that does it over and over is warranty your tanks forever?

you live in australia, warmer dryer air, im afraid to look at mine, but i will, its always fukn damp /cold here, conducive to condensation

This is a bit off-topic but I remember that my 1998 ZX-11 had such severe tank corrosion that it ultimately developed several holes at the low points. Kawasaki covered the tank replacement and all decals and emblems out of warranty with no cost to me.

My tank corroded from the inside out where moisture would settle at the low areas. Unfortunately, corrosion (rust or any form of oxidation) is a cancer and won't stop on its own. If Kawasaki won't replace the tank on their dime then I'd certainly look into having that area of the tank treated and repainted.

Best of luck!

* Last updated by: Fowvay on 5/24/2013 @ 5:32 AM *

Got word back from my dealer today, Kawasaki will replace the tank. The only problems now are how soon it will get here, & how do I get my carbon fibre tank protector off in one piece!
I have asked the dealer if I can take the new tank away, when it arrives to coat these areas of the tank to stop this from happening again, & they have agreed to this, they will then fit the new tank for me at no cost, so it looks like a solution has been found!

Neil

* Last updated by: Neilp on 5/27/2013 @ 12:33 AM *

Great to know Kawasaki Australia have come to the party! Going to get my mechanic to check mine next service.
Cheers Scott

I love happy endings!

Yep my ones been replaced under warranty to, that,s two in Australia!

Woo Hoo, Received word back from my dealer yesterday, the new tank is here come & pick it up!
Does anybody know or recommend any paint or preparation I can put on the underside of my new tank to protect it?
Any suggestions for getting this off in 1 piece?

I am thinking, some gentle heat from a hair dryer to soften the double sided tape, any ideas welcome!

Update The heat from the hair dryer worked a treat! only took a little over 5 minutes to remove.

Neil

* Last updated by: Neilp on 5/31/2013 @ 7:01 AM *

Hair dryer might take to long to warm it up quickly, for me in the same situation Yes but my Heat gun instead

All I can say is take off the seat and dry up the foam on the tank from here on in. They all rust there from bathing or rain rides....I try to remeber to lift the seat and dry it out over night.

All I can say is take off the seat and dry up the foam on the tank from here on in. They all rust there from bathing or rain rides....I try to remember to lift the seat and dry it out over night.

NeilP, a excellent corrosion inhibitor that you can spray on the underside of your tank would be a product call "Cor-Ban 35". Mask the areas that you want to treat and apply several light coats of the Cor-Ban 35 just as you would a spray paint. The product will cure with a pinkish hue so don't get it on anything that you don't want visibly ruined.

The product goes on wet, stays tacky for several days, but ultimately cures just like paint. You can buy it on-line from aviation stores or you should be able to get a 12 ounce aerosol can from a local airport FBO parts counter. I personally use the part number 004675 because it's a few dollars cheaper than the black label 'undyed' product. Expect to pay $12-$15 per can.

Guys, I just received my NEW tank. I am not surprised they go rusty! On the underside there are several places where there is no paint at all! At the rear of the tank where the mounting bracket is welded to the tank there is a hollow section that receives ABSOLUTELY NO PAINT!
For the guys with 2012 - 2013 model bikes you need to pull your tanks off to check!
These tanks are painted by a robot, so they will all be the same!
The only part that I believe is better painted is on the sides where the brackets for the seat are located, the paint looks thicker and better applied than on my original tank.
I think this will be a major headache for Kawasaki as there will be a lot of returns for these.
I am so glad my dealer was good enough to let me get this fixed, before the tank is fitted to the bike!
No pictures as it is very hard to show the unpainted areas, but if you look at the 3rd picture you will see the area I'm talking about.

Neil

* Last updated by: Neilp on 5/31/2013 @ 6:47 PM *