videoarizona

Ben, I have no clue how you were able to piece the fairing back together. I see the results but am completely mystified. Good job! Thanks for sharing your repair link...eyeopener for this kid!

Wish I had known this before I bought the plast-aid stuff....but I know it now! Thank you for that, Heather! I heard back from Interstate plastics. Big on-line retailer. He recommended Kydex material. Easily transformed without special tools. IE, possible for us to form shapes with the stuff using a little heat... http://tinyurl.com/oo3uxm3 In reading the product liturature...looks like it's strong, not easily damaged, Stands up to impacts, scratches, comes in a variety of colors and textures....etc.. Nothing back yet from the Past-aid people. Been over a week....so don't think I'll be doing business with them again...especially now we know, thanks to Heather, that the same stuff can be had just about anywhere....

Don't know if this shop can make curves...but: http://www.emachineshop.com/machine-shop/Custom-ABS-Plastic-Parts/page472.html Download CAD software, design your part, send it in. Soon, we will be able to do this at home with our own 3D printers....on ABS!

The piece shattered when I put side pressure on it....the rest stuck to the ABS. The instructions say you can let it harden up a bit then form it and stick it. That's what I did. I ended up taking two pieces of aluminum, coating it with JB Weld on both sides and let that harden overnight. It seems to be working. I sanded it some to even it out a bit, then drilled my holes and used JB Weld to attach that piece to the ABS section. I put the section back on the bike today and screwed it down snug...Crossing fingers. Heather....that looks like the same size piece I made. If this doesn't work...I'll head back to store and get some makeup stuff! Thank you! BTW, the company (Plast-Aid) hasn't yet responded to my question about why it didn't work.... On my other tab fixes I did use good old epoxy. I'm a firm believer in the West System as I use it for my boat projects. Guess I should have stuck to that. Although Epoxy needs a good thickener and fiberglass cloth as it's to brittle by itself. I didn't know we could use heat to bend the ABS. Guess I'd better find some and do some more experimenting. Thanks!

When the court system and the law no longer recognizes "I didn't see the motorcycle" as an excuse, we will get legal parity with those who drive cars....

I always use liquid tape on my crimped connections on the boat...and on the bikes. Solder doesn't handle vibrations well. Covered with heat shrink or electrical tape. Prefer heat shrink to seal the connection. You know..I think it really depends upon the connection type, load and area of connection that determines the degree of vibration and corrosion.

http://www.sealmate.net/

I was out staring at my fuel knob. I "think" you are on reserve. It almost looks like there is a remnant of an arrow on the top side of the knob. Looking at one of your pics. Either that or a goober....! Easiest way to check is ride until reserve light comes on...if motor doesn't die at some point after, you must be on reserve! http://s1078.photobucket.com/user/Rip_Parsells/media/DSC05943_zpsbc85f454.jpg.html?sort=3&o=8

Yep...the 1st gens are sport touring bikes. Handle really well..nothing sedate about a 1st gen. Glad you made the ride back safely!

Thanks Vito! Ordered them! david

Really pretty...sigh!

Rats...all gone.

> Ben Prairiehammer suggested I do that to my VR. I coiled the extra cable in a figure 8 under the seat. Taped it down. My CB performance increased dramatically! From what the manufacturer said, the antenna and the cable are pre-tuned at the factory....so if you install it as is...you are pretty close already. My SWR tests came out very nice! fwiw...

Prayers Up for him and his family!

Not trying to be smart about this....but...the top burn docs in the country disagree with you... The "abrasion" causes heat which is what burns the skin layers. Burns actually occur below the layer being "burned". The top layers are injured by the abrasion, the bottom layers are injured by the heatgenerated. That is what makes a burn deadly. I'm hoping Steve's injuries aren't that deep...just surface abrasion. david

Steve, I have a good idea what you are going through, having spent lots of time filming burn victims and what they go through. That's what a road rash is...a burn. For that reason alone, I put up with the AZ heat in my helmet, jacket, gloves, pants and boots. Don't care for the heat...but not fond of the other at all..... I'm sorry to hear you deposited "lots o skin" to the road gods...but here's hoping you will heal fast! Thanks for letting us know what happened. Time to go check some fender nuts....so to speak! Have a great trip to the Aloha State! I love Kauai! Prayers Up! david

"Retire" means you are no longer working for someone else. Now it's time for you to work for yourself. Keep this in mind and you will never regret "retiring"!!! Congrats and enjoy! david

On my list. Thanks for the write-up and pictures!

Thanks, Vito. That was going to be my next attempt. Already bought some of the JB Weld! Appreciate the write up....and pictures!!! david P.S. like where you live. My oldest cousin has a 2nd home there. He and his wife ride HD's. I stayed a few days in the area and liked it!

I made a piece of plast-aid plastic about 3/16" thick and about 2.5 inches by 1.75 inches. I made the tab in a Playdough mold....mixed and poured into the flat mold. The piece actually came out looking very close. When it was hard enough not to drip, I took the mold and pressed it against the ABS plastic I wanted it to bond to. About 3/4 of the surface of the new piece was bonded to the original ABS piece. Let it harden for over almost 2 hours...made lunch...checked Email...spoke to a friend on Skype, etc..(it's a 15 minute harden process) Went out and peeled off the mold. Looked rough but good and really stuck on the ABS. Took a dremmel and softly sanded the shape smooth. Including the two 1/2 inch holes I had in the new piece from the mold....(used to press the side cover into). I inserted the rubber grommet in the larger hole. All is well...or so I thought. When I went to press the side cover in, the new plast-aid piece broke. Shattered into pieces with a few pounds of side pressure. So..the question is...did I screw up or is side force not very strong with Plast-aid? I have an email into the company...we'll see what they say. Interesting....but I'm learning...not sure what though at this point!

This Spring, I came down I-81 into I-40. Gotta tell you...seriously bad sections of the freeway. Thanks for the heads up!

Thanks, Brenda. it's fun reading along with others as they ride.... david

MSSE was another program by a small company (forgot the name) before Microsoft bought them out and incorporated their technology into Microsoft's poor anti-virus system. I use: CCleaner - regular cleaning of HD and registry Malwarebytes - Heuritics Cleaning Avast Internet Security (main program) Hijack This - after the fact mostly 3rd party stuff I get from kids and friends Trojan Hunter - After the fact - as above Avast does NOT take over computer like McAfee or Norton. It has caught every virus...and got rid of even the one's I unknowingly let it... Although a new kid on the block is supposed to be quite good as well...Vipre. Oh and popups? Get a different browser. One that allows you to control pop-up windows. FWIW....

Scott, I've put your health on my list! Prayers Up! david

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-XVZ13-1300-Venture-Gas-Fuel-Tank-Mount-Strap-1987-XVZ13-D-/291215291239?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item43cdc8b367