How to fix cracks in 1984's trunk?

[Guest tjon]

I've got a couple of 1" cracks in my trunk and need to do something with them before they spread. Has anybody had any sucess doing this? The material appears to be ABS plastic.

 

By the way, my trunk rattles and shakes like crazy when I'm riding solo. That's probably why it cracked. It's so loud that when I hit small bumps in the road I'm sure that passers-by must hear it.

Is there any way to stop this before it drives me nuts?

[IH Truck Guy]

I sanded mine down on the inside and fiberglassed it.On one big crack,I did a second layer of glass.It has held up for two years and 25,000 miles.

You can then paint it or leave it that way,so you can watch for any signs of recracking..

[Condor]

I've got a couple of 1" cracks in my trunk and need to do something with them before they spread. Has anybody had any sucess doing this? The material appears to be ABS plastic.

 

By the way, my trunk rattles and shakes like crazy when I'm riding solo. That's probably why it cracked. It's so loud that when I hit small bumps in the road I'm sure that passers-by must hear it.

Is there any way to stop this before it drives me nuts?

 

Here's a great write up on repairing ABS. http://www.angelfire.com/oz/tes/Plasticfix/PlasticFixSite.html

As far as the trunk rattlin' around, you may have more parts broken that you think. The trunks are mounted to the rack pretty tight, and one of the common areas to break is the thru bolts to the rack. However you might also just have a loose latch on your release lock and it's the lid that's making all the noise....??

[Guest tjon]

Guys, that was a good link. I'll try the plastic epoxy & fibreglass cloth and see how it works out. Thanks.

My trunk has always rattled a lot and so does my buddy's. All the hardware is in good shape. I may try reinforcing the base with the epoxy to see if it stiffens it up.

[SilvrT]

If it's an '84 then it must be a removable trunk. That being the case, the "hooks" probably need snugging up with rubber or something so that when latched into place, there's no movement.

 

I've also done some plastic welding on mine using a "standard" soldering gun with interchangeable tips. I put the "flat" tip in and melted the crack together. In some cases I added extra plastic from an old piece of ABS pipe. Gotta be careful not to do too much in one area at a time otherwise it melts right through and warps the visible side of whatever you're fixing. (how do I know this? LOL).

[bongobobny]

You may also be missing a rubber foot or two on the bottom of the trunk causing the vibrations...

[lowflyer07]

This thread is timely, as I just finished doing exactly what is being talked about.

I bought a used 05 RSTD that had a 99 RSV Trunk mouned on it. Last week I took off the saddlebags when changing the rear tire, and and noticed that there were several cracks at each point where the trunk mounted to the rack...bummer!

I removed decided to "beef it up" a little. i put three coats of fiberglass on the inside, and one on the bottom of the trunk. It was an easy job, although you have be patient when doing the job, so as not to hurt the finish on the rest of the box.

Thanks to this site, I got an idea on what the fix from Yamaha was for the 99 RSV trunk problem, and added to the inside at each mounting point, an aprox. 2.5" by 1.75" alumimum plate to spread out the pressure more to a larger area than just at the mounting hole with a small washer. I also made some vibration damping pads, by cutting up a black rubber mousepad to fit between the bottom of the box and the rack mounts.

I Had to buy some longer metric stainless steel bolts to mount the box as the added thickness inside the box made the old ones a tad bit too short.

All in all, it was an easy fix, and time will tell how long it lasts. It is good to have the bike "back to normal" again.

Most important thing is that the wife feels better with the trunk and backrest on the bike. She doesn't like to ride without a secure back rest.

 

Afterall, ...

"If Mama Isn't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy".........

(and likewise)......

"If Daddy Ain't Happy...Who Cares?!"

 

 

Lowflyer07

 

Ride Safe

[Gearhead]

JB Weld and sheet metal backing works good for small cracks. For larger areas that could be unweildy. On my trunk the adjustable backrest was just about broken off the trunk lid where it mounts and was making an awful racket. I have epoxy in a gallon can (well, two cans) that I bought for my boat. I made two large alum plates, one for the inside and one outside, and epoxied and screwed them on either side of the front wall of the trunk lid, sandwiching the plastic. The screws running thru are not necessary, they just held it together during cure. I then remounted the backrest mechanism to the plates and it is very sturdy.

 

Spreading the load is a great idea. I don't like how the rack mounts with these little 1/2" feet, so I plan on gluing plates on the underside as a preventive measure.

 

If you do some sort of resin and fiberglass thing, do use epoxy, not polyester resin. My friend tried this and it doesn't adhere well.

 

Jeremy