Home
Ren's Biking Blog
Magnetic Tank Bags, Scratches And A Solution
Blog Date - 03 May 2016
Tank bags are great. I have a small one for my mobile, my wallet, my e-cig and my make up...er...I mean glasses. I have a larger one for travelling. Both are magnetic which facilitates fast and easy fitting then removal. There is however one small problem.
Both bags have upon them a material that is gentle to the paint work upon contact. It is quite effective but...but over a long period of use even a soft and fluffy or delicate material will inevitably pick up the odd microscopic grain of sand, piece of swarf or sliver of grit. And so over many years of use and countless thousands of puttings on and takings off the paint on the tank will get scratched by the contact surface of the tank bag.
Scratches. If you use your tank bag a lot it seems inevitable eventually.
My CBF125 has suffered this. It bothers me not one jot as the old workhorse is dirty and rusty and resale value is of no concern. However the new CB500X is not ruined (yet) so I've decided to take the precautionary step of putting some clear plastic on the tank.
It looks better in the picture than it does in real life...
I know this is hardly a professional quality job. I've never done anything like this before and it has been a battle of wills, scissors, sticky stuff and stanley knives to achieve even this remarkably ordinary level of achievement. Despite my lack of skills the fact remains that the tank bag can scratch away at the plastic coating all it wants while the paint beneath remains intact - and that is what I was aiming to achieve.
Yeah, that'll do the trick thank you.
In case you're wondering I've used "3M Paint Protection Film". 3M is a trusted brand, they allege that it is designed to be removable later without taking the paint off and -ahem - it was cheap enough for a strip off Fleabay. Don't be fooled by the promotional shots making fitment look so easy. With the tank being bulbous, rounded, curved and shaped it's a goddam nightmare. I've used small manageable segments. I'm sure more patient and skilled people could do a better job.
I'm happy and that's all that matters.
Reader's Comments
Monk said :-
Would cling film work? Just er fort.
15/06/2016 22:36:37 UTC
Monk said :-
New blog category...'Ren... and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'.
16/06/2016 15:43:06 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
No Monk cling film is for fetish use only, don't put it on paintwork. As for motorcycle maintenance, Pirsig would just be bewildered by my bodges I'm sure. Have you ever read Lila?
16/06/2016 19:57:10 UTC
said :-
By Marilynne Robinson? Not yet but I will at some point it's a touch too close to home, in many ways, for me.Have you read 'Dibs:In search of self'? It's really about play therapy. I read it during my social work days...fascinating read.
I'll scrub the cling film idea! Thanks for that.Take care and enjoy your trip.
16/06/2016 22:01:49 UTC
Monk said :-
Oh hang on I had my ex-social worker hat on you mean Lila by Pirsig. Again, no, but I'll get round to it, I've got a mound of books to get through, big book worm me, I'm currently reading a biography of Henry Cooper.
16/06/2016 22:09:00 UTC
Ian Soady said :-
"Have you ever read Lila? "
Yes and I was sorely disappointed. Zen on the other hand is a constant source of inspiration. Although the use of a Whitworth spanner on that edition's cover, when the bikes referred to in the text both have metric fasteners, always irritates me.
17/06/2016 09:06:25 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Ian - I thought Lila was every bit as good as Zen, we'll have to agree to disagree on that.
As for noticing the whitworth versus metric, the nerd in you is showing. I guess it's that level of attention to detail that makes you handy on those restoration jobs.
17/06/2016 17:24:28 UTC
Monk said :-
Perhaps I should just stick with the Henry Cooper tome then?He wasn't called the 'spanner' but he did have an 'Ammer.
18/06/2016 00:24:45 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Hammer - one size fits all.
18/06/2016 05:34:30 UTC
Monk said :-
Yep...from my perspective, Henry was always the greatest.
18/06/2016 16:50:11 UTC
Monk said :-
Yep...from my perspective, Henry was always the greatest.
18/06/2016 16:50:12 UTC
Monk said :-
No idea why that posted twice I only pressed once...Karma?
18/06/2016 16:51:07 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
I suspect you got a little over excited Monk
19/06/2016 05:53:51 UTC
Monk said :-
It is true Ren... I do find Karma exciting!
19/06/2016 23:07:09 UTC
Tracie Daily said :-
So, don't use them on my brand new motorbike then? The tapes don't look great but I require a phone holder. However I don't want the phone to bounce off and break, and I like the idea of more storage... Not a fan of flaky paintwork...
Wonder if there's a way to use a different adhesive and just zip and unzip the bag? Something which stays more permanent but comes away without damaging the paintwork..
Www.mrtraciedaily.wordpress.com ...
23/09/2020 19:48:46 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Tracie Daily - yeah a regular magnetic tank bag will over time scratch the tank even if you are very careful. Depending on the bike there's a company called Bagster (used to be Baglux) who do covers that protect the tank and have matching tank bags. Givi's TankLock system works well too, Sharon has one on her Kawasaki.
Both these options are great, there' similar stuff out there too. Otherwise you could create your own system or device using zips and clips. A little bit of ingenuity (or a bit of cash) and you'll be sorted.
23/09/2020 21:05:40 UTC
Name
Comment
Add a RELEVANT link (not required)
Upload an image (not required) -
Uploading...
Home
Ren's Biking Blog