looking for a thread?

[oldgoat]

ok im looking for a thread or advice on how to remove the fairing left and right side to repair some cracks. or a how to thread? looks like im going to have to do a small drill hole to stop a crack from spreading. and not sure on how to do that?

[Eck]

Stop the crack from getting any bigger as soon as possible.

 

Drill a small 0.250 (or smaller) diameter hole at the end of each side of the crack.

It's imperative the drill hole is placed in the center of each crack. Otherwise, you'll end up with a larger crack. The crack will stop if the drill holes are correctly centered.

 

Ok, Some may laugh at doing this, but it will stop it from cracking anymore...

 

On the inside of the fairing, sand the area around the crack with sandpaper until it's roughed up. Pour some alcohol on a cloth and wipe the area clean, being sure to remove any debris. This is necessary to allow the home made patch to better adhere to the plastic surface.

 

Heat the surrounding area with a hair dryer. Once you've reached the correct temperature, you should be able to hold your hand to the area for only a few seconds. Heating the area is very important, but you don't want to melt the plastic.

 

Place a piece of duct tape over the crack. Make sure the tape extends a couple of inches on all sides surrounding the crack. Once the tape is in place, firmly press down on it, securing it on the plastic. You can use a large metal spoon with your finger in the spoon to push the tape down for a smooth appearance and to aid in the bonding.

Don't drag the spoon

 

Heat the 1st layer of duct tape/ patch with the hair dryer until you begin to see small wrinkles appearing on the top of the tape. At this point,the glue from the tape is starting to melt into the areas that were sanded. This is a good thing.

 

Placing your thumb inside of the spoon, begin pressing and rolling the spoon onto the duct tape. It's best to start at the center of the area and use as much pressure as you can while pressing the spoon onto the tape. Whatever you do, don't drag the spoon across the taped surface. If this is done, the tape will tear. Work one area and pick up the spoon, and move to the area next to it. Work the spoon across the whole area of tape, reheating the tape as needed. It's necessary for the tape to remain hot while pressing it down with the spoon.

 

Repeat the process of applying another layer of duct tape and heating it. You can do this three or four more times. This will ensure that you've created a sturdy patch. A patch placed on plastic will be able to take vibrations and stress yet remain flexible and quite durable. If repaired correctly, this type of patch should last for years.

Oh, if you want you can spray paint over the patch to blend the color.., but being the patch is on the inside of the fairing you may just want to say the heck with painting it..

[Dragonslayer]

Done it a million times.The best way to fix cracks is the ABS glue method or the heat and melt method both works best if done from the underneath side.

 

ABS glue is like PVC glue used for plastic pipe but the label must specifically say for use on ABS plastic and can be bought in the Home depot plumbing department. Fiberglass resin and many of the Plastic Glues do not work well if not specifically made for ABS Plastic which is what the fairings are made of. This needs to be done from the underneath or unpainted side because the glue can bubble the painted surface.

 

The heat and melt method involves taking a hot soldering iron and working down the middle of the crack and melting the plastic back together from both sides of the crack. If done right it does make a stable bond but leaves a fairly unsmooth surface when finished. That is why it works best if done from the underneath side.

 

Both methods will stabalize a crack in the plastic to keep it from getting bigger.

 

As far as removing the fairings Which seems to be necessary to do anything to these bikes follow these steps.

 

1. remove windshield chrome trim and windshield

2. remove head light cover, chin vent under headlight, lower vent fairing, side cover, radiator side reflector trim, false tank cover, dash panel which will reveal all of the attachment points of the fairings.

 

Caution: Abs plastic is brittle especially old abs plastic so remove parts carefully to avoid starting new cracks and breaking off attachment point tabs.

 

Hope this helps if you need more info Pm me.

Edited July 25, 2010 by Dragonslayer
typos

[dingy]

This may help, may not. This is for 1st gen's.

 

Remove faux tank cover

 

Remove side covers

 

Remove the windshield trim, then the windshield, 4 screws in each.

 

Remove both mirrors, 2 screws each, under rubber cover.

 

Remove headlight bezel, 2 screws.

 

Remove air intake below headlight, 4 screws.

 

Remove center bracket behind and at bottom of head light, 2 screws.

 

Remove grilled chrome covers directly behind radiator, 2 screws

 

Remove knee fairings & crossover piece, 3 screws/bolts each ?

 

Remove right & left fairing pockets.

 

Remove air grills to right & left of handlebars, right side is a little hard to get out due to hazard switch.

 

Remove right & left console panels (speakers mounted to), unplug speakers.

 

Unplug turn signal lights

 

Remove left & right fairings, 3 bolts each, watch for special washers. Do not allow fairing to hang by 1 bolt, keep supported to prevent cracking.

 

Gary

[dfenrick]

I just started riding my '84 regularly again after a few years of very sporadic riding. The bike is running well, but I'm starting to get some cosmetic issues I suspect just from the plastic getting old.

 

I during a recent ride, the vent in the left lower was partially out of the fairing. When I stopped, I noticed the bezel was cracked. Fortunately, I didn't lose any parts and was able to glue it back together with some cyanoacrylate (SP? -- crazy glue) When I went to reinstall it, I noticed the lower fairing was kinda floppy. That's when I saw that the attachment point at the top (just under the tank cover) had broken off the fairing.

 

When I looked closely at the broken attachment point, it was obvious that it had cracked in several places, and it would likely be impossible to just re-attach it even if I could find a suitable glue.

 

Is there a tried and tested method of rebuilding an attachment point?

[Wizard765]

for broken and missing tabs I use Plastex. I repaired some peices last night. Amazing stuff.

 

http://plastex.net/

 

There is a link to "how to videos" on the left.

 

Wayne

[Trader]

 

Plastex! has a molding bar (like plasticeen when heated) so you can make a mold from good pieces.