Tank Removal but what about...

[Kscreations08]

Falling asleep at work tonight so I figured I would post.
March is rapidly approaching and with it comes the work that the bike needs.
I have a few questions to start and will probably have many more in the future.
First, some history on the bike:
My babymoms bought this bike back in 2009, brand new from the dealership. Her goal was to learn to ride. Her husband, at the time, told her to roll the throttle and get off the clutch. Well, she popped the front tire up and scared the **** out of herself and decided she would never ride it. So he took the bike for himself. The now ex-husband was an abusive drug addict who beat the snot out of the bike because he hated that it was a 250. This may lead to future problems but that is a bridge I will cross when I get to it.
Long story short, I rescued a damsel in distress and as my prize, I am gifted with a wonderful woman who really appreciates me and is now 14 weeks along with my child, and as a bonus, I got a glorious steed that I will be naming Neener
Now, the question:
Because this guy is such a (add offensive explicit term here), the lady is worried that he messed with the bike when she told him she was leaving and taking it with her. She wants me to take off the gas tank and flip it to make sure he didn't put anything in there.
Now, I had the bike out for 15 minutes back in November. It was the day she finally left him. I was helping her move and I had to get the bike and myself away from that place fast. Crash course in learning with no crash. Was pretty proud of myself.
Side note: I was so uneducated on motorcycles that it took 15 minutes to realize the choke needs to be on for a cold start and if the foot lever on the right side is a kick start then it has to be jammed (learned later that its a rear brake! like, bikes have those?)
By the way, you have no idea how much I appreciate the knowledge I have gained here lol
Anyway, before I can ride it again, the tank needs flipped. I am almost positive I saw a thread for removing the tank, so that shouldn't be too hard. I've worked on cars a bit with my dad back when he was alive, so mechanically, I'd say I'm pretty handy. My issue is what if he put something in there. Like, what could go into the gas tank to hurt it and if I find something, what should I do?
Sorry for the really long post but you guys are keeping me awake right now lol

[csmith12]

Well now....

There is a DIY for removing the fairings and tank in the Tech section found here. If a liquid or semi-solid was put in the tank then your pretty safe by just flipping it.

Good luck with the bike and everything else.

[adouglas]

The most common myth about stuff that will kill your engine is sugar.

However, the Mythbusters tried to kill a Cadillac years ago and the darned thing wouldn't die....

... until they poured in a jug of bleach. That finally did it.

Anyway, of course it would be better if nothing had been done. If the guy was a drug addict he probably didn't have the wherewithal to be sufficiently devious to try and sabotage the bike. A drug addict would probably just try to torch the thing.

Heads-up about taking the tank off:

- Go to the auto store and get a siphon/transfer pump. Cheap item with a plastic bulb that you squeeze to create suction. Get as much of the gas out of the tank ahead of time as you can. That will make removing the tank MUCH easier and safer.

- Set up a couple of 2x4s to rest the tank on. You cannot safely set the tank down otherwise, because the fuel valve pokes out of the bottom and it's delicate. I found this out when I took my tank off the first time and there I was like an idiot with my hands full of tank and nowhere to put it except back on the bike.

- Even if you flip the tank you're not going to be able to get every last drop of fuel out, because the filler is recessed. AFAIK the only way to do that is to remove the petcock... and if you do THAT you'll need a fresh gasket.

PS: Don't worry too much about sand or dirt getting into the engine. There's a fine-mesh finger strainer attached to the fuel valve to keep crud like that from getting into the carbs.

Good luck! And go take the MSF course... learn to ride the right way.

[flitecontrol]

Another vote for the MSF training. It can help keep you safe on the streets.

If he put something in the tank prior to you riding the bike, it probably would have done what damage it could during that ride. I would siphon/pump as much of the old gas out of the tank as possible as described above. If you can't siphon as much gas as you'd like, tie a string to a rag and poke it down into the lowest part of the tank. When saturated, pull it out by the string. Once you have all the old gas out, put in fresh gas and ride it.

[Kscreations08]

Thanks so much for the help guys. I have a whole list of stuff that needs to get accomplished in the next month, including getting the permit. The MSF will come as soon as possible. I definitely agree that it is extremely important. I gotta get gear to. I found a thread on here for ratings from squid to gear whore lol I have a fullfaced helmet... with no visor. so theres a lot of money right off the bat because gear is very important to me. My dad passed away on a bike. Don't ever drink and ride guys...

[misfitsailor]

Another way to drain the tank is to use a transmission funnel on the gas can.

You turn off the fuel at the valve under the tank, disconnect the fuel line at the carb, position the fuel line into the funnel and turn the fuel valve open again.

adouglas is right, don't remove the tank with gas in it.