www.zxrworld.co.uk

I believe its for the breather pipe sir

That looks like a second fuel filter because the original one is still there.............and the fuel pipe is not standard


That second filter would suggest that someone KNEW about the rusty tank internals and that a easy bodge fix had been attempted. Trying to control the symptoms rather than actually fix the problem.

I reckon the seller knew damn fine that tank was rusty and you should have been told.
I'd be looking for some help with the cost of sorting out the tank.

The bike was sold on the strength of it being very low miles and you would be entitled to expect it to be near perfect...............the non standard screws are a worry too. Why are they there I wonder.........................I'd be concerned that there is more to find. Is the mileage on the clock backed up by MOT certs ?

Yeah I saw the orig filter and suspected the same. Ill never know if they knew or not and chances are they arent going to own up to it if they did. What matters most is they pay to fix it which sounds like they might so that could be a slight admission of guilt.

Also wondered about the bolts too, so will see whats underneath soon enough. Im hoping its simply a case of being lost at some point.

as for mots there is only the current one. I dont know if it was the same in the early 90's but were they exempt from mots for the first three years like they are now? I have the service book with only the first service stamp but that says nothing like an mot would...

RedexRobB wrote:Yeah I saw the orig filter and suspected the same. Ill never know if they knew or not and chances are they arent going to own up to it if they did. What matters most is they pay to fix it which sounds like they might so that could be a slight admission of guilt.

Also wondered about the bolts too, so will see whats underneath soon enough. Im hoping its simply a case of being lost at some point.

as for mots there is only the current one. I dont know if it was the same in the early 90's but were they exempt from mots for the first three years like they are now? I have the service book with only the first service stamp but that says nothing like an mot would...

Yeah you're right it wont have been due an MOT until it was 3 years old. The mileage may well be genuine then but I'm still suspicious ( it's the cynic in me)

I defo think paying to sort the tank is an admission of guilt. The panels might have only been off it recently so that the extra fuel filter could be fitted...............you could be right about the screws being lost or maybe the panel was off a long time ago and only recently refitted again with non stock screws and again because stock ones were lost.

That stuff KawakKwak used on his tank looked impressive to me................he took his time and followed the instructions to the letter.

Hi ya.just thought you might be interested.your new baby was featured in last novembers practical sports bike magazine.as a zxr vs CBR test. Hats off to you its a nice looking machine.I'm in the middle of a full nut & bolt ground up rebuild .on my blue l1. The reason I bought mine was because they will become future classics and worth a bit. I was a die hard 350 ypvs fanatic.but during my time out of the bike scene.they have risen so much in value,I couldn't afford one.so the next best thing was a 400.as they have to be ridden just like a stroker.plus it was the only bike I never had when I was young.I say well done and ignore the jealous jibes.

Well there you go Rob.................sometime last year someone opened that fuel cap to put fuel in that rusty tank.

Now you know why the quick fix fuel filter was fitted.


Never ever trust a journalist................................they get paid and if you pay them enough they will write what you tell them

I hope at some point you can read that article.I agree with cargo you pay someone enough and they will say anything.there is no way on gods earth that the CBR is a better bike.everybody knows it was always between zxr an the nc30.the CBR is no where near the vfr.I'm sure you can get it back to show standard.

Thanks for letting me know. Thats very interesting! Ive just bought a back issue to have a read.

What intrigues me most is it was last taxed early 90's apparently. Im assuming the test was done last year? Not looked yet but is there anywhere you can find out when a vehicle was last taxed?

Edit. Would you adam and bloody eve it! Just found it in the article section! :wanker

Oh well. Funny how they value a mint example at 3k. Very interesting read and ill see what the sellers say after they have ed up for sorting the tank. The bikes had 200 extra miles put on it compared to the advert. I assumed they took it for a good run but this looks like the reason and they havent mentioned it.

Rob, you can check the tax status of any vehicle,nobody's safe now.go to direct gov website follow the link for road tax.enter details its that easy .its a good job half the nosey,curtain twitching coffin dodgers don't know how to do it.otherwise there'd be a lot of clamped and towed aways.I would appreciate it if when you find out 100% what that hose guide is for .because there's one on mine but there's no pipes that reach?

Yeah ive seen that but tells you the status now. Not its history...

Had a quick look in manual for pipes but cant see anything at the moment.

Hey, just to say there are various ways of de /rusting a tank that don't involve lining it. Google it, most involve copious amounts of vinegar then neutralise. I've done it on several tanks and it works. Make sure u neutralise properly tho, especially if you leave the tank empty. Most tanks are mild steel and will always rust very quickly when left empty. Yours only looks like surface rust, I've seen some with large flakes that were easily repaired. Hope this helps

Thanks. Ive bought myself a tank de-rusting kit from bilthamber. Got the week off after tomorrow n hoping to get it done. Ill let you all know.

Time for a bit of an update, been up to a few bits.

Pleased to say the tank came up beautifully:

before


a sample out of the carbs:


during the first stage of cleaning:


The crap that came out:


after second stage:


The tank de-rusting solution was a doddle to use. Simply use the pre-cleaner to remove oil, petrol etc, and leave to soak for a few hours. I used hot water as this speeds the process up. Them mix in the rust remover with hot water and leave to soak for 24 hours. within minutes the surface started to clean up. I also filled the tank up full so all surfaces were treated, and then all I had to do was agitate every few hours. Lovely job.

Also been up to a few other jobs, replaced a few nuts, bolts and screws:

Rear panels screws:
Before


After


Indicator screws:
before


After


Panel screw
before


after


Fuel filter (along with a new fuel line to replace the length of garden hose that existed before it)



tool tray, someone saw fit to cut the sides out to fit what I assume was a puncture repair bottle (going by the article in practical sports bike)
before


After


Im having some running issues and last time I had it running the revs were hanging big time so a change of the inlet rubbers was made. My L1 has the older type, I reckon the newer inlets would probably fit however, I want to keep this is original as possible. They are a pig to fit into the clamps so a few minutes in some hot water made things a lot easier. I also noticed once fitted the air box was so much more solid and didn't move around so much.

New (left) old (right), clearly a difference in the surfaces and no doubt leaking.


the assembly


Still hasn't sorted the running issue mind, so my next course of action is to clean the carbs!

Great work there and what stuff did you use on the fuel tank as I wanna do mine whist it's off the bike

I used a de rusting kit from bilthamber. Search the forum someone else here has used it