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✔ Article reviewed by Ethan Orenstein. Bringing motorcycles back from the dead since 2013. Learn More.

Motorcycle Gas Tank Dent Repair

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If you’re working on a project motorcycle, the gas tank is often one of the main parts that will need your attention.

Sometimes you’ll get lucky, and find a bike with a perfectly clean, dent free tank. Other times, you’ll have a rusty gas tank with dents all over the place.

If you plan on painting the tank, removing the rust and the fixing the dents will be your first order of business.

Options to Repair a Dented Gas Tank

You’ve got a few options when it comes to repairing any dents in your tank, these include:

  • Getting them fixed at a professional body shop.
  • Using Bondo or body filler.
  • Using something inside the tank to punch out or expand the dent.

In most cases, those dent removal kits you can find at your local auto parts store is not going to do the job. These may be able to get a dent out of a car’s body panel, but dents in your motorcycle’s gas tank won’t usually work.

If there are only a few dents that are shallow (less than about 1/4″), using Bondo body filler is typically the less expensive and easiest option.

To patch gas tank dents with Bondo, you’ll need to:

  • Clean, sand, and prep the surface of the tank.
  • Apply the body filler to the dents and use a squeegee to smooth it out and fill the dents evenly.
  • Allow the filler to dry.
  • Sand down the excess and ensure the filled dent is flush with the rest of the tank.
  • Prep and paint your tank as desired.

Motorcycle Gas Tank Dent Repair Cost

The total cost of repairing dents in your gas tank will vary depending on which method you go with.

If you’re repairing and painting the tank yourself, you can expect to spend anywhere from $50 to $100.

If you take the tank to a professional body shop, you’ll likely spend at least $200 to $300.

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Content Editor: Ethan Orenstein

Ethan is not just any motorcycle enthusiast. With a decade of experience riding, maintaining, and restoring a range of motorcycles, Ethan brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Many of the tips and tricks shared on this site are born from hours spent wrenching on personal bikes. Paired with his experience as a journalist covering DMV & insurance topics, MotorcycleZombies.com is a must-visit site for any home-mechanic. Every article has been carefully reviewed and edited to ensure accuracy, authenticity, and simplicity - all to help bring your bike back from the dead and onto the road.

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