Swollen Norge Tank

My Norge tank was swollen - Ethanol in the gas I assume. I took the Tank off of the Norge in December and gutted it. Last Saturday I test mounted the tank and it fits perfectly.

The same thing happened to my GRiSO and Guzzi replaced the tank under warranty. I had the new tank Coated by a company in California (GTL Advantage) and had no problems with the new tank. Sold it to a friend and he has not had any issues either. GTL Advantage has been hit hard by the pandemic. They're backed up and don't expect to clear the backlog until May at the earliest.

I'd like to coat the tank myself and am looking for advice. The biggest question is about adhesion to the plastic... The next issue is possible cracking of the epoxy lining. I've searched the internet and found tons of information.

Has anyone done this? Any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

Hi Eric. I hope you are enjoying the Norge, aside from this problem. I often miss it.

Ethanol is undoubtedly the culprit. In California, where I buy gas makes a huge difference. I try to stick to Chevron, Shell, and 76 in that order of preference. I avoid the discount/generic brands like the plague. The cheap stuff clearly has more ethanol and will always cause tank deformation if I let it sit for any length of time. For me the problem has never been bad enough to coat the tank. I just can’t imagine any epoxy adhering reliably to plastic when immersed in fuel. Though it sounds like this GTL outfit must have some secret to make it work.

You might also find some ethanol free gas near you on this website, if you haven’t already checked it:

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why don't you ask GTL Advantage for product info?

I’ve done it on my 2014 in about 2015 and it’s been fine ever since. I used Caswell expoxy for mc tanks.
I bought it direct from Caswell but you can find it on Amazon for $45. The kit will do up to a 10 gallon tank. It’s a two part expoxy. I’ve never done anything like this before, so no experience, and it worked out fine. It come with instructions but I watched a few YouTube videos of guys doing it to their plastic tanks. I ended up buying a tank from a 2013 since mine was swollen and I didn’t want to wait months for it to go back into normal size. I lined the new one myself and took it to my shop in Houston (MPH Cycles) and they swapped the tanks for me. I only had the bike a year and was nervous about taking it apart-plus I think it was still under warranty. I inquired about a new tank but was told MG wouldn’t do it, which I believe was wrong information. You can probably find other threads here about this issue.
Anyway, scuffing up the tank is needed for prep. They tell you to dump in a couple kept handfuls of drywall nails and shake the crap out of your tank. I also could get my hand in and sand where I could reach. You cover up the holes of the tank-have to be careful here, and pour in the mixed expoxy and turn your tank around until it goes everywhere. Then you pour the remainder out the top and let it dry for 24 hours. The expoxy will dry very quickly in warm temperatures. It’s a little more complicated than that. I’d be willing to talk to you about it if you want to send me a PM for my number.
It took my old tank at least 4 months to go back to normal shape. I could tell by the tape stripes that it had distorted. Good luck.

Hope to get around to this someday as well (same problem with my Tuono of course), but likewise have to research methods as it would be a mess to deal with a failed coating. For now, timing rides to end up low on fuel and simply evacuating the tank if it's going to sit for any length have worked fine here. I also drain fully and allow to air out over the winter months. Fortunately, I now have easy access to non-ethanol fuel in my area, and can confirm that my GRiSO not only runs a bit better, but the tank goes on and off perfectly (though I still don't allow the tank to sit for long full of fuel).

Anyhow, glad to hear that the tanks can be coated successfully at home.

After reading the directions for several coating products, I decided that my skill level and confidence were subpar and chickened out.

I now have two tanks each for my GRiSO and Norge.

Failed to switch 'em out this year, but did last year.  Drained, rinsed, and dried over winter.

Bill

Have you checked the pure-gas website linked below for E-free gas near you, Bill? With 446 stations listed in your state, the odds seem good there may be one near you. It also appears that the prices are pretty good there. The details link at the far right of the list has updated info and often prices for the selected station.

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I am so glad we have ethanol free gas again here in Idaho.  It was taken away several years ago when the Legislature eliminated the tax exemption on it.  The pupblic demand for it finnally convinced the gas station owners to bring it back at 30 cents higher to cover the extra tax.  Which is actually 26 cents.  So win/win for all of us.

Well I've rolled the dice and ordered the Caswell product. I'll let you know how it goes... Thanks to everyone for the commiseration and advice!

I did check the pure-gas website - the NJ info is a bit outdated. The airport they list near me is probably viable, but it would not be very convenient.

Eric