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Mending Fairings

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Chalky.
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PostPosted: 11:10 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Mending Fairings Reply with quote
The fairings on my blade are coming off and cracking. Don't want to put new ones on cos I'll be using it on track.

What's the best stuff to bodge them back together with? Some parts have snapped off. Fibreglass type stuff?

Cheers
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Riejufixing
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PostPosted: 11:49 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Re: Mending Fairings Reply with quote
Chalky. wrote:
What's the best stuff to bodge them back together with? Some parts have snapped off. Fibreglass type stuff?

It depends on what they're made of. That may be detailed on the inside of them somewhere, in a grid with the date of manufacture and the material.

If they're ABS, then use MEK or ABS pipe solvent or solvent filler. ABS is a doddle, reinforce with other pieces of ABS if you need to, it's easy to find, all sorts of things are made of ABS.

If they're fibreglass (old?), use fibreglass.

If they're polypropylene, maybe weld them or stitch them together with thin copper cable, e.g. 1mm lighting cable (stripped), then add resin to the inside to hold the stitching.
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Chalky.
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PostPosted: 12:19 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Re: Mending Fairings Reply with quote
Riejufixing wrote:
Chalky. wrote:
What's the best stuff to bodge them back together with? Some parts have snapped off. Fibreglass type stuff?

It depends on what they're made of. That may be detailed on the inside of them somewhere, in a grid with the date of manufacture and the material.

If they're ABS, then use MEK or ABS pipe solvent or solvent filler. ABS is a doddle, reinforce with other pieces of ABS if you need to, it's easy to find, all sorts of things are made of ABS.

If they're fibreglass (old?), use fibreglass.

If they're polypropylene, maybe weld them or stitch them together with thin copper cable, e.g. 1mm lighting cable (stripped), then add resin to the inside to hold the stitching.


2007 Cbr1000, would guess they're ABS
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Riejufixing
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PostPosted: 12:47 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Re: Mending Fairings Reply with quote
Chalky. wrote:
2007 Cbr1000, would guess they're ABS

That's good. If you need to reinforce, cut bits of ABS from something else, and stick them on with MEK/solvent weld, it's good if you can clamp or weight the reinforcing bits on. You can form the ABS (original or patches) with a hair dryer on hot. Edit: the advantage of using MEK or solvent weld is that the ABS's surface actually dissolves, the goey bits intermingle, and when the solvent evaporates, you're left with a solid piece of the original material, not two bits "glued" together with glue in the middle. Strong it is.

FWIW early experiment: https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=324885

Last edited by Riejufixing on 14:18 - 17 Apr 2020; edited 2 times in total
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droog
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PostPosted: 13:13 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've been fixing up a front CBR mudguard with a chunk out of it and a track tail unit with a hole in it with a combination of fibreglass for structure/strength and GTPRO flexifiller for the final surface layers.

The GTPRO flexifller is designed for car bumbers but it works really well on bike bodywork as it's designed to flex without cracking which is good on something like a fairing.

When hardened it's easy to reproduce the shape/surface of the part you are repairing with some sandpaper.
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Howling TerrorOutOfOffice
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PostPosted: 13:37 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
Handy tip I was told was to drill a small hole at the end of a crack to stop it from running on.
Arresting crack propagation they call it.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 14:00 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
West systems G-flex thickened epoxy to mend the crack then fibreglass cloth over the back to re-inforce it.

You need to flame ABS to get the epoxy to bond.
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droog
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PostPosted: 14:06 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
- wrote:
Droog wrote:
car bumbers


That's not very nice! Laughing


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Riejufixing
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PostPosted: 14:21 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
stinkwheel wrote:
West systems G-flex thickened epoxy to mend the crack then fibreglass cloth over the back to re-inforce it.

You need to flame ABS to get the epoxy to bond.

Why bother with all that when you can just solvent weld it though? That's the question. I really can't see the point. Solvent welding will be stronger, and does not use dissimilar materials.
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almostthere
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PostPosted: 18:13 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
solvent weld wont work it's got no strength when butting plastics together, best bet is to weld on the inside with a soldering iron and use a bit of abs pipe cut into strips for a filler rod
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 18:40 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've tried both solvent welding and hot iron stitching. It doesn't work. Fucking things ping apart again as soon as you try to bend them to fit them back on the bike.

Here's what I do these days. (did this last week, haven't put the panel bnack on the bike yet) 2x2 twill weave fibreglass cloth. Open out the damage on the other side and fill the defect with thickened epoxy first then lay on the cloth and wet it out. Admittedly this is on a fibreglass fairing but I do the exact same thing on plastic, just run a blowlamp flame over it first to get the stuff to key. I added graphite powder to the g-flex on this so its self coured (black bike) and for enhanced UV protection.

The tensile strength of G-flex on flamed ABS mouldings is stronger than the plastic itself.

This is how they fix canoes (both plastic and composite) and they are structural and get bashed off rocks and strapped down to car roofs. I've got loads of G-flex on one of my royalex boats which is an ABS foam sandwich with vinyl either side. You cut out the damaged vinyl, flame the ABS and glue-up. hen laquer/paint to prevent UV damage.

https://cdn.bcf.44bytes.net/files/92635978_872693599870948_2917131805939204096_o.jpg
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Riejufixing
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PostPosted: 18:48 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
almostthere wrote:
solvent weld wont work it's got no strength when butting plastics together

It should be as good as the original. If it's necessary to reinforce it, for instance because you didn't clean the material first, or there are gaps, stick a bit of ABS over the back (see mudguard pic in referenced thread). The gap can be filled with ABS dissolved in MEK (or probably pipe solvent too, which contains MEK).
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Riejufixing
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PostPosted: 18:54 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
stinkwheel wrote:
I've tried both solvent welding and hot iron stitching. It doesn't work. Fucking things ping apart again as soon as you try to bend them to fit them back on the bike.


Perhaps you didn't do a very good job, or it was not ABS but polypropylene, which MEK will not touch. The ABS repairs I have done have all been very good. I was enormously impressed. I agree that "hot iron stitching" is crap. Sewing with wire works, but isn't very pretty.

Edit: That black thing you're repairing does look like polypropylene, ABS isn't normally black.
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almostthere
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PostPosted: 19:21 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
Riejufixing wrote:
almostthere wrote:
solvent weld wont work it's got no strength when butting plastics together

It should be as good as the original. If it's necessary to reinforce it, for instance because you didn't clean the material first, or there are gaps, stick a bit of ABS over the back (see mudguard pic in referenced thread). The gap can be filled with ABS dissolved in MEK (or probably pipe solvent too, which contains MEK).


I use solvent weld glue everyday It's no good for fixing fairings its got no strength and it won't actually weld anything thats just butted or laid on top
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 21:10 - 17 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
Riejufixing wrote:

Edit: That black thing you're repairing does look like polypropylene, ABS isn't normally black.


Nah, that's fibreglass. i think they ought to make all fairings out of composite because it's almost infinately repairable, extremely strong and (potentially) lighter.

That or the bendy plastic stuff they make tractor mudguards from.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.
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ZRX61
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PostPosted: 16:59 - 19 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you want to bodge it, just use duct tape.
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xX-Alex-Xx
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PostPosted: 11:15 - 20 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
- wrote:
Droog wrote:
car bumbers


That's not very nice! Laughing


Has to be better than being a bus w@nker Laughing
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Kris
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PostPosted: 14:26 - 20 Apr 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
I recently glued an ABS front mudguard together with Gorilla glue (gel type).

I drilled the ends of the cracks to prevent further spread, then sat and glued the guard together (it was in one piece albeit with three large cracks across it) and let it dry for a week.

Thumbs Up cheapest option. Still holding now.
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