Rotten XT frame after 9 years
 

Sad times.
My Tenere started dropping a bit of oil when parked up, and I inspected further and found oil along the down tube and the front of the engine.
After spraying with a good degreaser and hosing down I waited to see where the oil was coming from. It appeared to be coming from the headstock area so I then stripped the tank etc. off and inspected further.
The leak was coming from the oil tank behind the head steady.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/860/2...23829fd7_c.jpg

Which was a pisser.

After setting to with a wire wheel to clear the rust off and then coating with zinc primer I discovered the first pinhole

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/841/2...4cd0bfc1_c.jpg

and then after cleaning the primer off and degreasing spent about an hour chasing the paper thin metal with my tig welder to clear all the other holes up.
Neither Yamaha nor the franchise I bought the bike from were interested in assisting.

I've got to say I'm really disappointed in the build quality of the bike. Last year I had to have the wheels rebuilt with new hubs and spokes after they were too corroded to be safe.
This is a bike that gets regularly used, but also regularly coated in ACF50 and waxoyl.
This post is a heads up to other owners to have a good look around that area and make sure it's as corrosion free as possible.

I've a feeling in the not too distant future I'll be looking to mount a remote oil tank, or cut the old frame section out and try and weld a new tank in situ.

Long time Tom.... it was probably that spill down the road all those years ago that started this..:rofl[1]:

Joking aside though, this is the second occurrence of a rotting oil tank we've seen on the forum. Jon had to rebuild his too, and he's only just got his bike back on the road, and it's much younger than yours.

Mines in the process of a suspension rebuild, the fronts' done I did check what I could see , even repainting the frame area behind the front wheel, but I think I'll whip the tank off and take a closer look :Nurse_KGBJ5I:

That looks so similar to mine it could be a picture of my bike. This is poor workmanship from fhe Italians. A used frame is practically impossible to source. Mine is a blue 09 bike. Hope you get it sorted.
Mine was also very corroded at the bottom of the frame behind the lowest front engine mount where oil is fed too to the engine.
Good luck with it. I feel your pain matey.

Wow, that truly is shocking and disappointing. I just don't have any welding skills although I have a stick welder and have used it to burn holes in many a project. I tried to weld the aluminium brackets on my Adventure Spec sump guard since they both failed after a minor tiuch. No that truly is a dark art. I ended up fabricating a bolt-on bracket instead.

Hope you get the frame sorted.

What's the best 'preventative ' measure to stop this happening. ..? My Tenere is a keeper. ..! Steve

I guess stripping the area down to bare metal and applying something like Loctites rust remover/converter and refinishing

both bikes have rusted in the same area... the only thing diffrent to this area compaired to the rest of the frame is heat from the oil...

wonder if the heat is causeing condensation in this area under the paint
as the tank cools ... maybe even inside the oil tank... the hot steel
could be pulling moisture from the oil...hot steel will take up moisture
as it cools..." heat a bit of cold steel with a gas torch & watch the water come out"

I think the issue is also linked to your climite....
I am sure it is not a issue you would not see with bikes in warmer
climites Oz / nz etc..

maybe a oil cooler in the return line to drop the oil temp
in the tank ... might only be a few degs thats needed...
"might not either.. just a idea"

Wonder what oil these bikes are usiing... maybe some oils are able
to take up and carry moisture/water better than other oils...

...

Hey GULGO. Yup still here lurking ;)
I rebuilt the rear suspension linkages this year too.
I noticed the fork preload adjusters are corroding away in the Allen key recess.
Jon660z the bike is all repaired now and back in use. I think if it goes again I will mount a large volume oil cooler in place of a tank. Oh and I had to replace the bottom oil hose after the male ferrule inside the hose corroded and cracked.
Ref oil: I always use Silkolene Super 4.