4 ways to pop a dent from a motorcycle gas tank

[@Krasim765]

That blood pressure thing is just genius.....this 7 year old video is one of those that people are probably still going to be referencing in 7 years from now.....so cool, thx dude

[@dirtdog511]

It is now 4 years and I just needed to referencing it

[@rmb9812]

@@dirtdog511 im needin this trick today

[@UwU-rp7vi]

9 years ago and still referencing the video

[@jonahdittenber9320]

9 1/2 years and I just stumbled across this gem. blood pressure cuff is genius

[@mikeatv]

im goin on ebay right now for the blood pressure thing....

[@sephiroth1386]

The McGuyver of tank repair. Thanks man, I took a nasty spill and you just saved me $800 for a new tank

[@mrmaxstorey]

Any of these methods alone will do the job. This was just a demonstration of the 4 techniques that I use. Oh, and teaching someone a new skill is never a waste of time

[@TechnMoto]

Cool ideas. I’ve seen a few folks try the heat and cool method but haven’t seen it work. The hammer trick and the cuff was genius

[@agentblaque1971]

Great video. I would have never thought the BP cuff would have actually worked.I'm going to try the glue and hammer handle one for my dent. Thanks again.

[@holdenmagroin8613]

Stay Thirsty did it work?

[@rmb9812]

Rumor has it that he is still thirst.

[@oursexbecameaboxer]

I’m sure dehydration has set in by now.

[@rustynutz4493]

Rapid taps at stretched metal peaks with a plastic hammer while inflating/pulling glued implement helps inverted/dent to pop out and metal memory is locked back in close to original :)

[@yindyamarra]

looks like my 93 year old mums blood pressure pump is going to go missing ,lol

[@Xelahgohn]

Sweet! Thanks! The blood pressure cuff is a great idea! Definitely going to try that as well.

[@gphilipc2031]

I had a similar baseball sized "wop" in my tank. Used a wood dowel as a puller with hot glue on the end. Stuck it to the tank and gave it a quick yank. Took 5 tries but it did pull the dent out to where it was barely noticeable.

[@robcorbett4136]

Like that blood pressure cuff method, nice work 👍

[@AsILayDyingBFMV]

"Gonna take this bikes blood pressure" hahaha

[@DragonflyHustler]

great video ...i used the blood pressure cuff...it works the best...i think a thin rubber band wrapped around it to get it in the tank works best

[@TheYummyCandyman]

Does your tank need to be empty for that

[@mrmaxstorey]

***** Yes

[@moncorp1]

Yeah, works great until you can't get the busted rubber band out of the tank.

[@Vagextrol]

After seeing this video, my suggestion is that I would have used method 1 and 4 together. Heat/Freeze with the BP cuff already in place. Thanks for the tricks!

[@davidreynolds4684]

Close of the gas valve fitting. Make sure any vent tubes are capped air tight. Fill the tank with water. To the top. Close the gas cap. Freeze. Keep checking on it periodically. The water will freeze. Expand and push the dents out.

[@jbruell94]

This is the most underrate video haha. Loved it

[@kenmay4468]

you forgot one method that I use is to build a fuel cap that excepts a air valve like you use in a tire blow the tank with air should hold 120lbs then take a hammer and tap around the edges of the dent and the air will pop it out in most cases

[@johnh1001]

Use the British method . Step 1 : This would be to neatly cut 1 or 2 holes in the under side of the gas tank about the size of a regular business card . The holes of course would be directly in line with the dented area . Step 2 : Next , go into the tank via the holes that were cut and using flat faced punches tap out the dents . Step 3 : Next drill up to 4 holes at the corners of the piece that was cut out . Step 4 : Next, screw in sheet metal screws approximately half way into those holes . The screws will be used to push or pull on for positioning purposes during final brazing . Step 5 : Next , support the gas tank on your work bench with the hole side facing upward and fill the tank with water as far as you can go . Step 6 : Next , hold each screw by finger or with tools to help position the piece back in place while brazing all around the perimeter . Step 7 : Remove the sheet metal screws and braze over the holes . Step 8 : Use files or power tools to shape the brazed areas to the desired contour . Step 9 : When all brazing repairs are finished turn the tank right side up and fill 3/4 or more with water . View all the brazed areas closely for leaks . Wah La ! Your gas tank is now repaired ! Any minor imperfections on the outside of the tank can be easily repaired with automotive body filler .

[@drorgensler8453]

came looking for a trick- you gave me four. Boss.

[@1Man1Band34]

what is the product you're using for the cooling effect? "compressed air"

[@TommyTucker0]

I got the dent out of a 1980 Z250A tank by using the sucker from my satnav cradle i attached it to the middle of the dent and pulled........pop good as new :)

[@CameronBFunny]

(Finishes spraying coolant) "Cool"

[@owensparrow62]

Brilliant vid, thanks very much for taking the trouble to post it.

[@mrmaxstorey]

I hear ya man, its not the bondo that I mind so much, its the prep, sanding, waiting, painting, etc

[@Michiganborn1969]

Awesome Stuff Max. Get that Garmin suction cup while they last lol. GPS is soon all going to be just a simple app on your cell phone.

[@1bottlefed]

Race drag cars in a class (outlaw pro radial) that does not allow wheelie bars so we often dent/crush headers. I use a similar technique where I cap and pressurize the tube to about 30 psi and heat the dent with a torch, by carefully working the flame along the crease in the same manner you would doing hammer and dolly work you can repair even the worst of dents to a like new condition.If doing a gas tank with a torch I would try C02 on a gas tank as you sure would not want to use anything that supports combustion LOL

[@Bigfootstalker]

This video is full of awesomeness! I'm going to try this on an identical dent on my v star.

[@formegolf]

You are a genius Max! The Motorcycle Doctor is in....next appointment please :p)

[@canfaller]

one way we did it once was to fill the tank with water and freeze it but you have to have the cap closed and you need to keep an eye on it or it can burst your tank open, and that will work only with single walled tanks.

[@SekTauBand]

They also sell inflatable bags for locksmiths in different sizes that operate likeca blood pressure cuff. For some reason i never thought to use the one i have for this😂.

[@mrmaxstorey]

Yea its a good little trick, I havent had any luck at all on creased dent, but it will be pretty effective on lots of uncreased dents

[@metalmoto]

Toss a M-80 in there and close the cap. That will get the dent out real quick!

[@kenmay4468]

I have done that on a few dents but the m80s now are week and dont do the job as good as they did in the 70s

[@josephbrandtner7713]

I think that the BP pump + the hair dryer would have been the quickest.

[@johnpreston4934]

I wonder if you jb weld something to the dent and pulled if that would also work

[@frankcarlo7]

Dude I just put a dent in my 2020 slim any advice on fixing this before I get reemed a new one from the shop to fix???? Any tips?

[@dropfry]

That hot glue gun + hammer trick worked like a god damn charm.

[@someloozer2573]

What was the first spray can stuff that froze it..? The blood pressure thing might work for me too..thanks

[@buddhudd1054]

Love the BP cuff idea... great vid man. inside that tank looks a lil rusty!

[@TheDrloboski]

Mr Max, am a subscriber of yours here for some time., Let a old farm boy tell you how to do it the right way and for under a dollar and a whole lot faster.. Here's what you have to have. First of all, you order or run by a dairy. You need to get one of those Rubbers they put on a cows tit they use to get the milk with. then a air compressor.. Have a hand squeeze control on the air hose. then collapse the rubber and push it in the tank. then take the air stem and stick it in the small part on the milking cup, Just hold them together, no need to clamp then together unless your making a career out of doing this..the big in that fits on the cows tit go's in the tank. Once its in the tank it go's back to its normal size. pull up to make a seal and squeeze away don't go crazy with high air as your tank may hold a gallon more of gas, or worse, blow a seam. make sure the petcock is off to. just keep pressurizing a little at a time. Not to little either as it will pop but still leave a small dent.. Really for my self, When I see the dent start to move I add more air fast to make sure it pop's hard. Most important thing is to have as little gas as possible in the tank as liquid doesn't compress to make pressure as air does. You pull in with a dent on the side Ill have you out in 45 seconds.. and am talking out the driveway. Note, if you drop a hammer on the tank, live with it, If its just a soft dent from your knee falling just stay easy on the air all the way. If you have a dent as Mr Max is showing here, you have to be a lot more aggressive. If your not sure you can handle this, go buy a old used tank first and put a dent in it. AND ALL IN CAPS. MAKE SURE YOU PUT A JUMPER CABLE ON THE FRAME OF YOUR BIKE TO ANY KIND OF PIPE IN THE GROUND....... My self I never used one, Let er blow. but just so you don't create static and have a real issue do it and stay on the safe side.. The Katana Banana.

[@114wildfire]

Air bladder plus heat and ice. Super dent fixer

[@jean-francoisboivinpsychol2408]

Nice trrick with the blood pressure pump :)

[@shodannn]

use compressed air, plug gas tank filer hole, and petcock with meatl and rubber using exsisting nutplated located inside tank. After heating the whole tank up in the summer sun, apply heat to dent area, then fill gas tank with compressed air until the dent pops out. Careful not to over inflate tank and blow seams apart.

[@dave1283]

Next time I dump my bike I'll make sure the dents are in a perfect place.

[@mrmaxstorey]

you do that

[@michaelslack5269]

What about dry ice with a lil water (to get the gas process started) inside the tank...when done just bleed off pressure through petcock before opening main tank cap. Should work I think...just a thought.

[@alanheath6901]

Thanks have a Bultaco tank will try heating with hairdryer but no spray so try a block of ice or a old deodorant spray then last resort hammer as spraying tank so needs sanding

[@Joe-hg7yp]

I wonder if filling it with some water and then putting dry ice in then gas cap back on would work.

[@mrmaxstorey]

Haha I have no idea. Each of these techniques should be able to get out this dent on their own, I was really just trying to demonstrate them all on the same dent. Never thought of combining them however, next time I'll give it a shot.

[@chazwikiwiki4636]

have a 2004 Honda Hornet 599 do you think any of these will work

[@senhorcabramacho]

Thanks for the ideas dude!

[@marlo916]

you can use a slab of dry ice and leave it on for a while... they do that on thick car doors, it should work with this.

[@dvperr]

One trick I've used to pop dents in tanks (also works on exhaust cans which was where I first learned to do it) is to fill with water and freeze. With a fuel tank a few people have said doing this deformed their tank, I have never had this issue, but I have have become more careful about how much water I add and I keep an eye on the tank while freezing.

[@apwilliams30]

Good video, as always.

[@JhonWeslyDelgadoQuevedo]

I couldn't hear what is that spray u used at the beginning, what is that product for? And, what kind of air bomb is able to put inside a gas tank?

[@mrmaxstorey]

The spray is keyboard cleaner. I put a blood pressure cuff inside the gas tank.

[@erickawalsh5479]

You said if it has the crease from greater impact that the first method wouldn't work.. I have 2 dents on the curve with a crease and really don't want to use a professional.. Which method should I use? I will be sanding and repainting as well

[@mrmaxstorey]

If you will be sanding and repainting, then just fill the holes with bondo and sand smooth

[@erickawalsh5479]

Thank you!!

[@TheFawawa]

@mrmaxstorey they actually make dent pullers that are pretty cheap on amazon.

[@mrmaxstorey]

If the crease is sharp, sometimes all you can do is fill it in and repaint

[@BertrandBarraud]

if it's not too bad, like no scratch inside the dent, that it would be possible to just fill it with clearcoat to prevent the light from bouncing in the curve and show the dent ?

[@mrmaxstorey]

Might work, I liked the bp cuff though because it was basically a square shape and expanded relatively predictably. It would suck to be pumping and pumping on an inner tube only to find it bust open the seam on the other side of the tank

[@lonestartropicalstx]

You totally rock, dude!

[@SalRuggiero]

Wow !!! my dents are not that big on my Honda cb 750 , I will try the BP trick first and see what happens .

[@mrmaxstorey]

The tank has a hump in it that runs up the middle so it can hug the neck of the frame, the bp cuff pushed off of that

[@mrmaxstorey]

If it is too close to the fill hole you might be SOL, maybe a little bit of bending and pocking out form the inside can get it better. If it is not connected to the hole then you might be able to bondo it, as featured in my cb550 video

[@44357514]

What about the Old Toilet Plunger Method? Do you think that would give similar results as the Hammer and the Super Glue? Or how about the Method of drilling several holes in the dent and then screwing in screws part way and then pulling on the screws with a pair of Pliers or Vice Grips? Of course with that method then you would have to repair the holes in the tank that you drilled by Welding or some other method. And Finally - Do you think the Blood Pressure Cuff Method would have worked on your dent from the beginning without using the other methods??? Thanks for posting your video, I enjoyed it.

[@mrmaxstorey]

Yeah this was a demonstration of the 4 methods I think that any one of them would have done the trick by themselves given enough time. Im personally not a fan of drilling holes in the tank but there are lots of other ways to get dents out as you described.

[@ivantoxie]

hey how come the air didn't simply come out of the opening of the tank? I didn't see anything filling the gap between the blood pressure thing and the rest of the opening.

[@mrmaxstorey]

+ivantoxie The blood pressure cuff is like a thick rubber balloon that I jammed down in the tank. It is not filling the tank with air, just expanding itself inside the tank

[@TreuNorthExplorers]

@Mrmaxstorey doesn’t the cuff shrink and not expand though?

[@mrmaxstorey]

How small? If they are pinholes you can probably seal them by using POR15 on the inside of the tank. If they are any bigger than that you should probably get it welded if you can find someone who will weld it

[@mrmaxstorey]

You'll probably have a harder time with exhausts, they are usually harder steel. But give it a shot, can't hurt

[@ericwilkes238]

I think the best way is to make a cast of the opposite side larger than the dent with a vent tube let it harden .then remove and place over the dent and pull a vacum dont know if it will work.just saying.

[@KaliKavala]

Nice video. Wish you showed plan C how does it work. Glue it and then.... is it just ripping it off or slowly pulling it, etc...

[@tremismike]

i have a dent right near the neck of the tank, not very deep, barely noticeable, which method do you suggest?

[@roymcmasters1257]

You got any Honda parts for a cb 750.

[@slimjim7411]

I use high temp hot glue, and the big end of a drumstick. The BP cuff trick is great though $10 at walgreens will have to try it...hopefully never ;)

[@jwjarv1s]

what if the i have a pretty bad dent next to the gas cap in my 83 nighthawk...what do you think would be the best route to take?

[@snasdaed1951]

Flipped my 250r and have a MASSIVE dent from my leg. Repair dude said it’s a lost cause so if the pressure pump could work I might need a restraining order bc I could kiss you for that 😩😩😩

[@mrmaxstorey]

Let me know when it's time to pucker up

[@J1I9M7M4Y]

How about filling it with water and pyt in the freezer?

[@mrmaxstorey]

J1I9M7M4Y Some guys do that but Ive seen it bust the seams on the tank, so I don't generally use that method

[@giwtwm]

and not everyone have a freezer that can fit a motorcycle gas tank

[@theeroom]

Great video!! enjoyed it clever ideas!!

[@TheTman47]

hi, great vid btw, very helpful How exactly did the blood pressure cuff work? did it fill the entire tank and push the dent out? or is the tank divided into a half so its easier to push out? thanks

[@mrmaxstorey]

POR15 is meant to be used to line gas tanks

[@dmjbj1]

what technique can U use if the dent has creases around it and it's along the rounded parts of the tank? I had an accident on my 2007 Triumph Rocket 3 this past September and I don't want to spend $800 $1100 for new tank.

[@mrmaxstorey]

@theknivjocke Unfortunately I dont have the resources to paint. I just spray can it if the bike is a rat bike, or sand/primer it if the bike is nicer and get a friend to paint it professionally

[@mrmaxstorey]

Not required if the tank was not punctured, if it was use POR15 for very small pinholes.

[@Pitbulllover79]

I just bought a 78 Kawasaki kz400 and need a few parts. Where can I got to get them?

[@mrmaxstorey]

ebay, the kz400 forum, or bikebandit.com

[@Pitbulllover79]

Thank you.

[@Oldrides53]

Awesome! I've been a body an paint man for along time an have used these tricks. Anything to get out of spreading bondo. Lol

[@gerrie7407]

as always Max your a fricken Genius, I am going to try this but I have a bicycle inner tuber I'm going to try, my dint is much lighter than yours on this tank so I will let you know. just wondering if I should do the hot air and compressed air whilst the tube is in and pop it out whilst the air is still defrosting, I'm sure it will work, thanks again

[@bradrobison2181]

How did you get the blood pressure pump in the tank? I understand how it expands and pops the dent out from the inside but how exactly did you go about doing it? Did you try and get it close to where the dent is located or did you leave it at the top?

[@mrmaxstorey]

I rolled it up and sent it down thru the top opening, down the side to where the dent is

[@TreuNorthExplorers]

@@mrmaxstoreydoesn’t the cuff shrink and not expand though? I don’t get it. 1956 BMW R26 has a little dent on top and getting after it.

[@mrmaxstorey]

@@TreuNorthExplorers the cuff blows up like a balloon and pops the dent out

[@soulquesting]

what kind of compressed air did you use?

[@mrmaxstorey]

it was keyboard cleaner

[@Jamie81989]

I got a 1971 Suzuki TS 90. The dent is right over the bolt on Suzuki decal. I think I can only fix it with Bondo. What u think? It's a shame too cause it was all original paint. It tipped over on my trailer right when I bought it:(

[@mrmaxstorey]

They are really rare, last one I saw for sale was like $7000 I guess you could find them cheaper, but I just never see them

[@Xelahgohn]

Resealing the fuel tank required? Dent caused by the bike tipping on trailer. Rounded bar put an elongated dent in side of tank.

[@ricksimpson2167]

Heating the tank to 180 degrees and using a laser heat gauge clear silicone on each end of a broom handle and let it dry for a day and a half don't shove it into tight. Silicone on a suction cup.!!!!

[@jbaillio19]

Great info!

[@mrmaxstorey]

@canfaller Right on ive done that with exhaust pipes, id be too worried about bursting the seams of a tank tho

[@bradrobison2181]

Is the blood pressure pump ruined after this?

[@mrmaxstorey]

Not unless it rips

[@ChristianNeff]

*****No fucks were given about the paint during the making of this video.*****

[@killeryotes]

What about a innertube ? Like off a 4 wheeler or bike ?

[@crasy4lifes]

hm :/ how much does they go for in the us ? i know you can find them for about 1500-2500 dollars here. and you can find dnepr for 400-1500 dollars here.

[@mrmaxstorey]

I would like to own a Ural someday, but over here they are pretty expensive

[@MrKexKakan]

i have a yamaha dt 175cc with a dent. its 1992 do think the tank is that old enough?

[@mrmaxstorey]

You can if you want but its not required

[@VashSpiegel]

Couldn't you just close the fuel cap and pressurize the whole tank through the fuel line? Assuming you have access to it.

[@mrmaxstorey]

Not without running the risk of popping the seam and destroying the tank

[@frankiebpr]

Max, what if you would have reverse the procedure, by tis I mean, insert the presure bag in the tank, then heat the gas tank and then spray with that cold air.

[@fenderscafe]

If you put the cuff in, then heat the dent and use de can of air?

[@TheFawawa]

I actually used the garmin gps suction cup to my kz440's tank with just one pull my dent came right out.