My Rear Box is DESTROYED!!

[HeavenlyHomesteadLA]

The box on the back of my 2000 Venture is falling apart. My biggest problem is the 2 rear mounts are cracked in multiple places and every ride makes it worse. Both rear mounts have cracks spreading as far as 6-8 inches in some places. So I have some questions...

1. Can this be repaired? If so, how??

2. Is there a better way to mount/secure it so this doesn't happen again?

3. I dont need a box on the back but I would like my kids to have that back rest. Are there any after market products i can install just for a passenger backrest?

4. Is anybody selling a box like this or any other aftermarket box I can buy to replace it?

Let me know if any of y'all have experienced this kind of damage and how best to deal with it. For now, I just took it off to keep from damaging anymore.

[Pasta Burner]

I fiberglassed mine, but that’s not the preferred method, just what I had on hand.  It’s ABS Plastic and can be repaired.  Unless In 2000 they were using something else. 

 

[Squidley]

The '99 and 2000 models had an issue with this. In '01 they put a support plate kit on them and that helped. The kit can still be purchased I believe. As far as repairing it, there are a couple of options. Seeing it's ABS plastic, you'll want to use something specifically for it. One of the products that comes to my mind is Plastex, there are some write ups here on the site about it and it's generally viewed as a good product to use. Like Tom mentioned above, some folks use fiberglass, and that's ok too as long as you keep it very clean before you try to repair it if you go that route.

[Marcarl]

Clean is the operative word here, including the edges of the cracks. Also all the shine needs to be removed for anything to work well. Better to overdo the cleaning rather than being 'cheap' with it.

[saddlebum]

16 hours ago, Squidley said:

The '99 and 2000 models had an issue with this. In '01 they put a support plate kit on them and that helped. The kit can still be purchased I believe. As far as repairing it, there are a couple of options. Seeing it's ABS plastic, you'll want to use something specifically for it. One of the products that comes to my mind is Plastex, there are some write ups here on the site about it and it's generally viewed as a good product to use. Like Tom mentioned above, some folks use fiberglass, and that's ok too as long as you keep it very clean before you try to repair it if you go that route.

1. Plastex also sold under the name of plastifix
2. Sand all the pieces and bevel all the edges of all the loose pieces on a 45. If you don't want to repaint bevel one side only stopping at the edge of the paint.
3. Use a tear drop carbide cutter on a dremel to gouge out the remaining cracks stop when you just start to see the inside edge of the primer or paint.
4. Use aluminum duct tape on the out side to  hold all the pieces together and seal the cracks. Clear packing tape works well to but the aluminum tape wont stretch. Aluminum tape comes in a variety of thickness's try for 3.5 to 4 thou if you can.
5. Now start filling the v-grooves with the plastex/plastifix .
6. Start by wetting the groove first with the liquid and then use one of the methods desribed to fill the groove (that is you can use the stitch method using the dropper needle or alternately wetting then sprinkling the powder into the groove. Don't worry about proportions just don't go too dry or too wet to were you are washing away the powder.
7. Once the groove is filled higher than flush sand the entire surrounding area.
8. Cut a piece of fiberglass cloth, fiberglass drywall tape or aluminum house screen to cover the repair area.
9. wet down the area with the solvent and build up a thin bed
10. Lay in the patch material and embed it into the still soft bed of filler.
11. Immediately start building up another bed on top of the reinforcing material.

If you wish to repaint the area:

1. After the inside has cured lightly groove out the cracks from the out side and sand away some of the paint along side the cracks
2. fill the cracks and when cured enough, sand to a smooth finish.
3. continue filling and sanding until you have a flawless surface (this stuff will sand baby butt smooth so no need to use spot putty just add and sand until perfect)
4. Spray with and adhesion promoter for plastic than prime and paint.

[videoarizona]

I'm going to go with Saddlebums method but change one thing. ABS is easy to melt. Get a small soldiering pencil. Buy the little triangle flat tip. Underneath, melt the edges of each crack together by running the iron along the crack. The idea here is to melt the plastic along the crack and seal the crack together. Then you can buy ABS plastic in small sheets at various thicknesses. The sheets can be easily cut with coping saw or jig saw. Use pieces for reinforcement and using ABS glue, glue the flat pieces in place. This or the Plastex repair mentioned above should do the trick. 

You can then buy a small paint sprayer to repaint from Harbor Freight and finish the job.

Seriously, it's easy and actually fun to get creative to do repairs like this on these bikes. 

[saddlebum]

I have also cut pieces of copper or stainless wire and melted them into the ABS across the cracks after grooving them out to act as a form of rebar. Has also been very effective.