Fixing a broken lug on a side panel

[Robby]

I have some broken lugs on my side panels. I can get the lugs (by cutting them off other, more broken side panels), but I'm not sure about the best way to join them.

Is there a plastic cement which will be strong enough to handle the side panel being popped in and out of its rubbers, or is plastic welding the way to go?

If I need to plastic welding, is it worth trying at home with a soldering iron or is it a job for someone that knows how?

[Kickstart]

Hi

Suspect with plastic welding them the problem is getting the weld to go sufficiently deeply into the plastic.

I have bodge one of these before using fibre glass filler and a short bolt. The filler hold the bolt to the panel fairly strongly and I also used it to build up the head of the bolt a bit.

All the best

Keith
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[Itchy]

Plastic welding varies, it depends on the extent of the breakage TBH and how much plastic you melt into it.

Peter welded it up on my side fairing which was a fairly long single crack it has held. (bike fell on this side when a scrote pushed it over) but he melts big plastic rods into it and made a mess requiring lots of sanding down. Though this was a simple single crack and the bike has been pushed over by chavs more than a few times and the repair has held.

Alan on the other hand welded up my indicator mount as in Spain 2008 I crashed and it punched a hole all the way round my indicator mount on the CBR. He welded it up and first time a chav pushed it over it broke taking out an even bigger piece of fairing.

Peter's was thicker, while Alan's was brittle for some reason.

I taped it up for ages, then simply sealed it up with a couple globs of liquid steel gum on both sides a hefty blob on the inside and a fair blob on the outside sanded down. I also used it to repair a lug at the bottom and he has held fine. Its £6 for a tube so not too expensive to try.
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[yandy_yay]

super glue it in place and then...

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3M-Scotch-Weld-DP460-50ml-2-EPX-Quadro-Mixing-Nozzles-/260652151596?pt=UK_Body_Shop_Supplies_Paint

get some of this bad boy around it, supose araldite might work as well but this stuff is better, i have repaired plastics with this before and it's held with everything i've managed to throw at it.
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past bikes: (20 years ago) cg-125 (wriiten off), C-50 (thrashed n' finnaly scrapped), CZ-125 (nicked - never recovered, insurance payout was more than i paid for it !!!)
Current bikes: GN 125(now sold), Divvy 600s.

[rob_scott92]

I had this 'dialemma' when i first got the honda.

Lots of plastic weld was mentioned but in the end i just used superglue which did the job for a while.
Then after this they just snapped again so i had an idea,
I used some ordinary staples to reinforce the 'fix'. (Bent them into place into the lugs from underneath) put some silicone grease on the lugs so that they wouldn't be under too much pressure when putting the side panels back on/taking off. They're still fine 3 months later

This is obviously the cheap way to do it and as my bike is pretty tatty all round anyway this didn't bother me.

Little tip though: Don't put too much silicone grease on! This will result in you losing a side panel on the motorway at 60 when you stretch your leg


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First bike: 1982 Suzuki Gs 125 'The beast MK1' > 1988 Honda Cb 350's' FOR SPORT! (Good ol' oil burner!) > 2001 Suzuki Sv 650 's' Made it out of the 80's! > 1997 Honda Cbr 600f :p

[Teflon-Mike]

I have just popped on to have a look whats going on, while I take a break, and have a coffee, from......

Repairing some side-panels!

Actually MADE the lugs to go on them, from scratch, with nothing more than a 30w soldering iron, and a broken staka-box!

Taken-photo's too, to make a 'how-to' on it!

Honestly, it is just BRILLIANT making stuff 'good' again, from utter scrap!

anyway, plastic welding is the way to go, and if you get enough penatration into the weld and make sure you get enough fille plastic into the wound, AND spread the wound over a wide enough area, it should be 'good'.

ONLY thing is that if its a bad one, or you are a bit cack-handed you can distort the 'face' side of what you are working on, which is no great shakes, if you are really keen, and can make for a better joint, as you can use it to make sure you have penatration right through the panel.

Just means you have to add more build on the face side, build it up, smooth it off, file, sand and paint, which is you want a quick fix without having to paint or replace graphics can be a pain.

In which case dont go deep, spread the wound WELL over the area and add lots of build to get the joint long and strong, if not dep and strong.
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[Frost]

Fibreglass is very strong provided that you use the tissue stuff and do it in many thin layers. I've made a fair few lugs out of fiberglass and all have been strong enough to pick the panel up by and wave it about like a loon without breaking. Of course practise & prep is everything. If you still have the bit of lug i would recommend drilling a whole in it and fixing it in place with either a pin or screw for extra strength.

[Ed Case]

Stuck one back on with Araldite six years ago, still holding great. Don't just think about it, do it !.

[stirlinggaz]

used plastech for this very purpose with surprisingly good results.
takes a few practice attempts with the moulding bar, if making new lugs but its a damn strong glue if sticking bits together.
Q-bond is also another good product,
cheers,
GAZ

[ms51ves3]

Plastic Padding Chemical Metal is pretty good. It holds the lugs and tabs on the TZR (when super glue, epoxy resin and Araldite wouldn't).

[MarJay]

There's a place in Reading not too far from here that specialises in Plastic Welding for motorcycle parts. They used to be called Plastec but I'm not sure of their name now. They are near the Burghfield Bridge. They would do it, and wouldn't charge you loads to do it either.

Plastec
Burghfield Bridge Ind. Est. Green Lane Burghfield Bridge,Reading Berkshire RG30 3XN
Contact: Graham Smith 01189 574577
Category: motorcycle paint , motorbike paintwork , spraying
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Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[TUG]

Superglue and activator?
Fixed a busa's headlight with it, all the lugs where snapped but one so cleaned up all the lug mount points with a stanley blade and then glued it up and applied the activator.
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[Robby]

I've bought some bondloc plastic weld, an epoxy that claims 3500psi strength.

Will give it a go this weekend, along with the new wheel bearings, swingarm bushes, gear selector, neutral indicator, clutch centre plate check.

Might even wash the thing.

[Teflon-Mike]

Redundant, I know, BUT, just finished compiling the pics and txt for the 'how to' & Snow-tigeress has just used it in her 'Pup' restoration thread over on show & Tell; so in HER words:-

[Robby]

Thanks Mike, looks like a decent method in future when I can't salvage the lugs off something else.

I used the epoxy to stick on a lug nicked off another knackered side panel, it's done the job well. Strong, fairly discrete and quick repair.

[Gone]

I fixed a couple last week, used superglue to hold the lugs in place then built up a nice big smooth fillet of P 40 to keep them there. No sign of the joint failing so far...