How To Clean A Harley Sportster Tank

You can learn how to clean a Harley Sportster tank. Take your time and follow the instructions and you will be able to clean out your Harley Sportster tank. Motorcycle gas tanks will accumulate dirt, rust, and other debris over a period of time if the bike has been sitting up. Also, you may want to think about seeing if the tank is available at your nearest Harley-Davidson dealership. Some tanks may cost a few bucks, but most likely you’ll find out that a Harley Sportster tank can be expensive.

 Things you’ll need:

• Harley Recommended solvent
• Blower to dry the tank
• Basic tools to remove tank

1. Find out as much information as you can. Decide how you want have you Harley Sportster tank cleaned. Consider taking the bike to a certified Harley Sportster mechanic if you think you can not complete this task because you do not want to do more harm than good to your bike and then you will have to spend more money on repairs.
2. Shine a flashlight into the gas tank. Look to see how much dirt, rust, and debris is in the tank to make sure it needs to be cleaned. Remove the tank from the motorcycle. Disconnect all components from the bike’s tank. Shake and empty all the gas and chemicals out of the tank. Use a water hose at a high speed to flush out the tank and then wipe the inside of the tank out with a dry cloth. Make sure that the inside of the tank is cleaned by rising and drying.
3. Contact your local Harley-Davidson dealer. Ask to speak to a Harley Sportster engineer or mechanic at the dealership and ask him what solvent you can use to clean your Harley Sportster tank and you may have to call several dealers before you can get an answer because they want you to bring your bike to their dealership. Keep trying until you get an answer.
4. Use duct tape. Seal the tubes off at the bottom of the tank with duct tape as well as the threaded fittings for the petcock. Do not tape the gas cap opening and all other holes should be taped. Pour the solvent that was recommended from the Harley-Davidson dealership into the tank and make sure you use at least one gallon of the solvent in to the tank. Read all the direction on the solvent bottle.
5. Enclose the tank.  Shake the take so that the solvent will be able to reach all areas of the tank if you do not have enough solvent to fill the tank. Keep the solvent in the tank for at least one day. Remove the tank cap and pour out the solvent in a bucket. Use the water hose again at full speed and you will have a very clean Harley Sportster tank.