Fairing Repair and Introduction

[Busaman]

Hi - I have just joined this forum. First time I have been on a bike forum for about 10 years! It looks like a friendly and helpful place to chat and get advice!

I have been riding bikes for 40 years now, and at no point have I been without a bike of one sort or another! My current bike is a 1999 Hayabusa which I have had since new. It is a great bike, and although I don't ride it as often as I would like, it still gives me a hell of a buzz!

Whilst riding in the Isle of Man in August, I managed to stall the bike doing a U-Turn on a slope, and scratched the right-hand fairing panel. The only time I have dropped it in almost 20 years!

Can anyone suggest somewhere to get this repaired to original condition? The damage is mostly superficial scratches - but there is a small split (maybe 1/2 an inch) where the end of the crank cover has split it?

I tried a couple of firms in the summer, but didn't get a reply. I assume they have gone bust! It must be possible to get this sort of minor damage fixed?

Thanks in advance!

[Grubscrew]

Hiya.
Commiserations re the damage. 1st is always worst.
You need a good plastic welder, re paint chap. Where is your area.
Chat to any decent bike shop mechanic, they may be willing....recommendations, bike mag adverts.

[Busaman]

Thanks! - I'm from Rugby - so - Midlands area (sorry - should have said!)

Bike shops (at least the small independent type that used to have people you can chat to) are a dying breed around here - but yes, I will ask around...

[Baffler186]

Can you post a pic of the damage?

There are heaps of YouTube videos on how to repair plastics. You can plastic weld yourself, doesn't matter how mangled it looks, you can sand it back flat, use filler etc, touch up with paint or ideally re-paint the whole thing. If you prepare it right and follow advice you can use a spray can with good results. Including materials you could probably do it for £30 and a day of elbow grease.

Problem with a job like that, it's not very technical but takes ages so if you do manage to find someone who'll fix it you might be getting quotes into the 300 mark.
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Current: 2009 SV650 S, 1990 Kawasaki GT550
Previous: 2009 CBF125, 1998 GSF600, 2004 FZ6 Fazer, 1978 CB400a Hondamatic

[ThatDippyTwat]

I've had good success with Epoxy putty (Milliput is one type - there are many others), and it's how I intend to repair the fairings on the Viffer. Make sure it's suitable for the type of plastic your fairings are made from (Should be stamped inside it somewhere, ABS is common). You can sand and shape it so it's seamless and ready for priming & painting.
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'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[Ste]

Photos required.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Find a good used panel on eBay?
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My Flickr

[Riejufixing]

[Busaman]

Here's some photos of the damage

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4807/31584787067_af1d891a1f.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4872/46472994672_8cb5163d47.jpg


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7816/44707714950_d954732946.jpg


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4873/44707715130_1e57a6b74f.jpg

[Busaman]

Thanks for the replies - but I'm a bit surprised tbh that no-one has been able to recommend a firm that can do the job for me?

I am not adverse to a bit of DIY, but I am pretty sure I would not do the job well enough for my own satisfaction!

There must be repairers around who can do this sort of stuff?

[raesewell]

It would help with recommendations if you put your location in your profile.
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Yamaha FJR 1300 Normanton West Yorkshire

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Tankie]

It may not help you https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370357755531 this looks a good product,
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Always learning, everyday is a school day

[Freddyfruitba...]

Isn't this the sort of job that any car body workshop would be able to cope with? A fairing panel isn't much different to a Ford Fiesta bumper panel surely? Just thinking that the OP may be unnecessarily reducing his chances by looking for a bike-exclusive repairer.

I'd be taking it along to them detached from the machine, as I wouldn't trust a non-bike-friendly outfit not to drop the bloody thing again while trying to wheel it around...
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KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS

[ThatDippyTwat]

[Bhud]

No worries. Once you've removed and binned the fairings this will never happen again. So go right ahead, remove the fairings, break them into small enough pieces to fit into your household waste, then get yourself some matt black spray paint from a winding-down high street store near you. You will be amazed. Your wife isn't going to leave you, your kids won't be thrown out of school, you still won't be invited to the really cool parties, the neighbours won't care, etc. It won't matter, everything will be fine. It's not exactly jacking it all in and living in a hippy commune in India.

[Busaman]

Thanks for all the comments - but not one recommendation for a specialist repairer for bike fairings! Maybe they don't exist? Perhaps a gap in the market for someone?

The replies seem to be divided into:

1) Fix it yourself

- There's no way I could make a seamless repair of this panel, with all the different curves, graphics, etc

2) Buy a used panel off e-bay

- Good idea in principle - but have you looked? they're all even more knackered than my one!

3) Take it to a car body shop

Again OK in theory, but they need to get the right graphics, transfers or whatever and have experience of fixing ABS parts....


I'll just have to wait until I can find a used panel somewhere that is actually in half-decent nick, of find the one, elusive bike repairer in the country that can repair fairings!

[Pete.]

Be thankful it's not a left fairing you need. They are much more difficult to get hold of.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Fisty]

https://www.racepaintuk.com/

https://www.dream-machine.co.uk/

https://www.paintsupremacy.com/

All still going, dream machine have done some stuff for me in the past and are amazing.
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TL1000R | Hayabusa | ZXR400 | TL1000S | Bandit 400 V
Fatter and faster than Fret

[Freddyfruitba...]

[Bhud]

Just imagine a guy somewhere out there making a living out of repairing ever-so-precious fairings and restoring them to original condition with his plastic-welding skills, a bit of wet-and-dry and OEM paint, and doing so well he doesn't even advertise on the internet and he's only ever discovered by word of mouth on obscure bike forums. Go figure...

[Busaman]

[Busaman]

[Busaman]

Had a quote from Dream Machine. I will probably go with them to be honest.....they also offer a collection and delivery service!