2000 SV not used 3 years > rusty tank internals - any help?

Hi All. Not been on these forums since I stopped riding my SV about three years ago!

My bike has been kept in a dry garage since then. This was never the intention but I never got round to riding it again due to various circumstances.
Unfortunately this means my bike was never prepared for long term storage and when I last had a quick look (had to move it for my parents to shift a freezer!) there is at least one major problem.
There is quite a bit of loose rust in the fuel tank. I haven’t checked the engine yet but am worried there may be some corrosion.

Externally everything is fine its just the internals I’m worried about.
Obviously, I’m gonna avoid starting the bike until I know its not going to do any damage.
My intention is to sell the bike off, not sure whether to sell it as is to someone who wants the job of getting it back on the road or get it sorted out first.

Anyone have any suggestions / recommendations as to how best to solve these problems. Will I need a new tank etc or is this something I can deal with?

Cheers guys

[timwilky]

Oh dear, usual culprit is the water drain through the tank corroding and letting fuel drain instead.

take it off, swill it out, fill with water and look for any leakage, if there is non, drain it and leave to dry and then refit and fill.

whilst off, drain the jellified fuel from your carbs etc.

Thanks for the reply, i'll have to look into this, however, I think I may have misdescribed the rust. It is all round the inside of the filler cap and I can see the internal base of the fuel tank rusting in places. Its not just some loose rust in the fuel.
Dont know if thats what you are thinking or not.

This engine has not been started up for probably a year or even two and even then only for a few minutes.
I'll lift the tank at the weekend if I get a chance.

What is the likelihood that the engine internals are corroding? Any idea or am I just asking people to take a guess as there's no way of knowing without looking?
Cheers

The engine internals themselves (piston, bores etc etc) are not likley to rust, so dont worry about that my dad has a VFR400 - it wasnt run for over 11 years, and the oil had petrol in it and it was a terrible mess. Fired up first time and ran almost wonderfully. He had the engine apart to replace the head gaskets, and inside it was almost factory fresh

We drained the tank out with petrol - put a bit in, swilled it about, drained it, repeated and repeated until no more crap came out.

If your SV has been sitting for "only" 3 years, i expect that, with a cleaned tank, fresh oil and fresh coolant, the bike will run reliably again

Matt

[Biker Biggles]

If its got oil in it the engine internals are usually ok but the petrol tank is a different matter.You get rust inside and this gets in the fuel and at best clogs the filter.At worst it gets in the carbs and blocks them up.On the SV you can also get the rusted drain pipe as in Tims post,and you can get the tank rusting right through at the bottom.New tank required if this happens.

Thanks Matt, that restores my confidence a bit. I'll get it down the garage for a full check up.

BikerBiggles, i'll get the tank off and cleaned out, hopefully its not so bad that it needs replacing. Engines not been run so hopefully no crap has left the tank or at least only got as far as the filter!

Thanks guys for the responses, most helpful!

You might find it running rough at first - was there any petrol left in the tank and in the cabs? this may have gummed up a bit. Ask about any fuel additives to clear this out....although it may require some physical proding in the jets etc to clean it out properly.

Good luck and keep us informed!

There was fuel in the tank, maybe a litre or two at a guess. No idea about the carbs. Literally all I did was push the bike out of the garage and round the back of the house.
I tried to start it up but I think the batteries dead. Lights on dash would work but headlights wouldn't and starter motor just 'hummed' when trying to start.
Think it needs a generous bit of love and attention oer the weekend, though I doubt i'll get much time for a couple of weeks.

Thanks again

buy an optimate charger to see if it can be resurected (probably not...but an optimate is a great accesory for any bike anyway).

check that nothing has found tis way into the airbox and made a nice home for itself