crack in a fairing

[dpotter58]

Anyone use the kit from vetter? seems way over priced. What else have you used that worked?

[MaximPhil]

Anyone use the kit from vetter? seems way over priced. What else have you used that worked?

Hi Duwayne,
Me too. Waiting to see the answers.
Phil

[dpotter58]

Hi Duwayne,
Me too. Waiting to see the answers.
Phil

I saw the new trim kit is less than the repair kit and it has the glue in it...

[GLoweVA]

Maybe Steve or one of the other gurus/mods can come up with a Fairing repair sticky/tech tip.

I've got more than just a crack in my fairing, It's more like a split that runs up across the front and around the underside of the windshield.

Plus if one of fairing owners has some damage caused by a fender bender or drop then we've have some where to go for tips on how to repair it.

[planedick]

Repairs

My fairing is made of ABS plastic and I've made repairs succesfully with ABS cement and peices of ABS plastic put inside. Also the mount area, and I also installed an aluminum strip across the mount bolts to reinforce it. Triple digits are rough on the mounts. The fairing is the Vetter fairing usually found on the '79's. I will provide pics if wanted...

[Poprock]

My Pacifico cracked up. I had installed the mounts improperly, let it flex, crack and break. Lost chunks out of the lower mounting rim. Got some 8" ABS pipe. Cut it, softened it in hot water, flattened it out. Bandsawed out filler pieces, glued in with ABS glue reinforced with layers of fiberglass. Locked it up real tight. Then I had a get-off and the bike fell over. Cracked more stuff, including the inside shell. Again, ABS glue and fiberglass covered the cracks and stiffened up the structure. Some of the damage was in visible areas. A liberal coating of glue flattens out nicely, dries hard, slick and black. Kinda looks like it's supposed to be that way. I will do some filling, sanding and painting some time, but for now it's solid again.

[trbig]

Just do like I do... Crash the bike into a guardrail, then take the pieces to someone else to fix. If they take Cherios for payment, you're set!

[BA80]

Crack in a fairing is illegal, crack in ANYTHING is illeagal.

[dpotter58]

Just do like I do... Crash the bike into a guardrail, then take the pieces to someone else to fix. If they take Cherios for payment, you're set!

I'm glad to see you still have a sense of humor....

[slow mo]

i have a small crack also at the front left bolt hole/mount! sure would like to find a decent fix! ride safe ,,slow ,,mo!

[Poprock]

Get ABS plumber's glue. Coat the place top and bottom. Cover the bolt hole too. Wrap it with a layer of fiberglass pressed into the glue. Cover the glass with glue. Let it dry. Drys to touch in a little while. Dries hard overnight. Clean up the edges with a sander. Repeat for another layer or two. Redrill the hole. It'll take a hard fall to break it there again.
BTW, always check that your mounting fixtures are good and tight on the bike. That matters.

[scoot]

Get ABS plumber's glue. Coat the place top and bottom. Cover the bolt hole too. Wrap it with a layer of fiberglass pressed into the glue. Cover the glass with glue. Let it dry. Drys to touch in a little while. Dries hard overnight. Clean up the edges with a sander. Repeat for another layer or two. Redrill the hole. It'll take a hard fall to break it there again.
BTW, always check that your mounting fixtures are good and tight on the bike. That matters.

This is the method i use pretty regularly. It works very well. Sometimes I use fiberglass mat, more often I use the fiberglass drywall tape, cut to size with scissors. The ABS cement and the tape are at home depot, and any hardware store. Wear gloves, this glue is not fun to get off your fingers.
Clean the repair area with alcohol or acetone (nail polish remover), precut the tape to fit, apply a good thick puddle of cement, inset the tape, push it down flat into the cement, let it dry a while. When it's dry, still soft, or even later when it's hard, do it again: more cement , more tape. I always coat the last layer of tape one more time. I usually try to work the crack a little to get that first puddle to ooze thru to the good side just a bit, that way the cement fuses the original crack closed. Later scrape it with a blade, or sand it flush.
Hope this helps.

scoot

[Poprock]

Very sound advice, Scoot. I had not thought of the fiberglass drywall tape. That would work too. I used some t-shirt fabric to reinforce a broken headlight ring in my Pacifico. JB Weld didn't stick. Dried rock hard and it's been working as designed for 3 years now. Inside like that the cruddy appearance doesn't matter. Your tip on working glue into the break and smoothing it with a blade will make stronger and cleaner looking repair.

[MaximPhil]

My fairing is made of ABS plastic and I've made repairs succesfully with ABS cement and peices of ABS plastic put inside. Also the mount area, and I also installed an aluminum strip across the mount bolts to reinforce it. Triple digits are rough on the mounts. The fairing is the Vetter fairing usually found on the '79's. I will provide pics if wanted...

Hi Planedick,
Pictures please. I want to reinforce the mounting of mine before XSEast.
Phil

[dpotter58]

Hi Planedick,
Pictures please. I want to reinforce the mounting of mine before XSEast.
Phil

Look on the vetter site Phil. They have a write up with the brace.