[Parity]

Hey everyone! I hit a deer back in May and managed to dent the left (clutch) side of the tank pretty bad from the ground impact, along with a large scratch on the top right side from the bike being dragged onto a flatbed, amongst other things (headlight assembly, fairing stay, left clip-on, radiator, mirrors, etc.). I was able to rebuild the bike after recovering from surgery and managed to ride for the rest of the season (September to November) with the tank still dented.

I'd like to get the tank addressed while the bike is stored away for winter. I've considered three options:

1. Buying an OEM black tank (13S-WK241-01-P3). An OEM tank seems to be around ~$1000, which I'd consider if there are no other cheaper solutions. Revzilla, Bikebandit, etc.

2. Repairing it if possible via a shop. I have no idea if this is even possible considering the damage, and don't know an estimate of how much this would cost.

3. eBay fairing cover ??? I can't seem to find any used (not dented) black R6 tanks for the 08-16 generation on eBay, but these 'fairing covers' kept popping up - I have doubts and am skeptic of these but figured I'd throw it in there as an option.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

Some photos showing the damage.

 

[Intuit]

I'm guessing the tank 'fairing covers' that FlEaBay is talking about, is the front plastic part of the tank. The metal workers in car customization and body shops have a lot of tricks that may be able to deal with that. Besides the fact that it's custom work (and therefore pricey), I'd expect some of them to shy away from fuel tank work for liability reasons. I'd completely strip it down (removing the plastic cover, fuel pump, breather lines, maybe even cap,) before taking only that part it in for an opinion and subsequent printed estimate. I'd try to make it as easy to asses and as enticing to do as possible.

Almost tattooed Bambi a couple of weeks ago. Frigid morning, she was sniffing the greens while crossing the street to make sure there wasn't a predator scent and being in that frame of mind, immediately doubled-back to "safety" (in my path) when she heard my exhaust "growl at" her. Kids are unpredictable but fortunately quite slow; so simply slowing down is enough to deal with them. Deer are like incredibly fast kids. Slowing down still helps but sometimes it seems like one's best bet is to not change your behavior and pretend like you're ignoring them.

How is this tank constructed? Is it multi-layered steel or single? If multi-layered, they might have a way of just pulling that outer-layer out, without scraping the inner layer? Aside from a little less capacity and the possibility that the dented steel may corrode on the creases and develop a leak, (maybe protect it with primer and undercoat) should be okay.

EDIT: Every time a metal is bent, it is stretched. So just knocking the dent out from inside the tank, isn't always best for the fuel cell portion of the tank.