Motorcycle gas tanks generally get a lot of wear and tear during use. This weathering often takes the form of scratches and even gouges in the tank. While serious and deep gashes will have to be repainted, most minor scratches can be removed with a little patience and a lot of elbow grease. In no time, you will have your motorcycle looking like a garage queen even if you ride it every day.
Clean the tank thoroughly. You will not effectively be able to remove scratches in the tank if there is dirt and grease in the scratches interfering with your compounds. Use a wet rag with five drops of mild dish detergent on it to wipe down the tank, paying extra attention to the scratches. Just removing the dirt and grime can go a long way toward making those marks harder to see.
Polish the entire tank. Apply a good smear of the fine-cut abrasive polish to a clean, dry rag. Use circular motions and gentle pressure to polish the entire tank. Replenish the polish whenever it starts to run out, and switch to a new rag if the old one starts to look dingy and dirty. As you polish, the product will start to buff out the scratches.
Polish the tank with a clean, soft rag. Once you have applied the polish, some products allow for immediate removal while others require you to leave them on for a few minutes. Check the instructions to determine the proper course of action. Once the polish has been applied, you will need to buff it off again with a clean, dry cloth. You will notice that your scratches are nearly gone, but that the tank may still have a "swirly" appearance as if it is not quite clean. You will get rid of these final remnants next.
Apply the swirl remover. You will use a specialized series of motions to buff the swirl remover into the gas tank. Smear it on the cleaning rag and apply it in a circular motion much as if you were polishing the tank again. Then rub it in horizontal motions, then vertical motions, then back to swirls. There should be very little evidence of the swirl remover or the scratches once you are done. If you can still see remainders of the scratches, swirl remover can be applied three more times.
Buff the tank. Use a clean, dry rag to buff the tank and remove any remaining products. Do not use a wet rag or you may undo the hard work that you just did. Now, get ready to enjoy your beautiful new gas tank on the open road.
