Mag-Knight Magnetic Tank Pad
MAG-KNIGHT MAGNETIC TANK PAD
CW EVALUATION
Sticky business
LIFE IS HARD FOR STREETBIKE PAINT jobs. In addition to being exposed to stuff like gravel, bugs, rain and dust, they’re also exposed to you, the rider. The most obvious interface point is at the rear of the gas tank, where your jacket or belt buckle can come in contact with paint.
So the question is, how to protect this obvious pressure point from scratches? A company called MAG-Knight (17239 Tye Street, Suite F, Monroe, WA 98272; 360/805-0100) has an answer—several answers, actually. They’re in the form of easily removable magnetic pads that stick onto the tank right where you are most likely to rub against it.
The pads, composed of flexible magnetic vinyl, work pretty well. We tried a basic pad ($15) on our longterm Suzuki RF600 with outstanding results. After heating the pocket-size pad with a hair dryer for one minute as instructed, it conformed to the tank nicely, and stuck the way it was supposed to. Seven months later, the protected patch remains in as-ncw condition. We also tried the carbonfiber version ($18), which layers simulated carbon-fiber over vinyl, on a Triumph Sprint 900. That didn’t perform as well, the extra thickness of the pad exhibiting a reluctance to conform to the tank’s compound curves.
MAG-Knight pads arc available direct or from motorcycle dealers in assorted colors (magnetic tank bras are also available for late-model Japanese sportbikes). We suggest the original, thinner version of the two, as it works consistently on the greatest number of steel-tanked, late-model motorcycles.
