Vetter repair

[webbcraft2150]

I have a small crack in one of my OEM saddle bags I would like to fix. I think the plastic is ABS. What have you guys used that will stick to this stuff and survive the vibration we all have grown to love.

[LoserShoes]

If it really is ABS, then the cement they sell for glueing CPVC pipes together will work, look for the stuff that says ABS on the label. Try a small section first to ensure it works ok.

Steve

[ripchord11]

At the Vetter website they have a kit called a HOTCHCA KIT, which is specifically made for these fairings, they also have various other parts you can replace for the vetter farings.......The Hotchca kit is a glue/filler that is actually pretty hard to find anymore but you can get it there, I can't get it to paste here for you, but I had no problem finding the site, hope this helps

[webbcraft2150]

I checked out the Vetter site. The hotcha kit looks good but is kinda pricey (as is most of there stuff). I figured with all the plastic cars out there now, there has to be someting that can be used to fix the crack. I need to reinforce it on the inside and finish the outside for painting. Gonna try the PVC glue trick with a piece of flat plastic for backing.

[DiverRay]

I've been repairing my fairing with fiberglass cloth and marine resin. So far it's held well. I do use 50 grit to prepair the surface for the fiberglass.
I need to repair my Vetter box as well, and I will shortly. I'll use the same fiberglass trick on it, and replace the 4 round lights with two LED oval lights.
Ray

[webbcraft2150]

The reason I ask is I had repaired a crack in my fairing with fiberglass. Yesterday I was able to pull the whole patch off in one piece!. You could still see the scratch marks from the prep cleaning. What kind of resin did you use?. I used a fiberglass kit from Auto Zone. I had used this stuff before on fairing repairs with no failures. Maybe I need to go down and get some resin from the boat store

[LoserShoes]

Yea, you need to get epoxy resin, not the polyester, the stuff that smells real strong, that's what the auto parts stores usually have.

Steve

[webbcraft2150]

Great excuse to go the the boat store!!! Its getting that time of year again .

[John]

Don't you work at a boat shop??? You need an excuse to go to one?

[lsippell]

HOTCHCA KIT

I bought one of those HOTCHCA Kit’s in 1983 to use on my venture Royal fairing (it worked great). I then stored it in the refrigerator behind that little door where the butter is supposed to go, and forgot about it. In 1996, about 5 years after my wife and me got divorced, she asked me if I wanted that stuff in the refrigerator. After being reminded what it was, I said no. Well, in 1991 we got remarried and what do you know, but she still had the HOTCHCA KIT (it was in it's third refrigerator by then). Now I have kept some catalyzed paints refrigerated to keep them useful for several days to several weeks, and even some epoxies for two or three years past their expected useful life, BUT I WOULD NEVER HAVE EXPECTED AN EPOXY BASED MATERAIL TO LAST 18 YEARS AND STILL BE USABLE, BUT IT WAS!

Great Stuff!!!!

Louis

[webbcraft2150]

Hey John. Gave up the boat shop job. To many whiners! Besides, I got all the fixes done I needed to my rig. (Real handy to have access to those "special" tools). The wife had a confused look when I told her I gotta go to the boat shop to get stuff to fix the bike Now, where's my Visa card?

[rockjok]

Another possibility, tho' I've never used it on a bike, is to make your own abs adhesive.

You need a can of abs solvent/cement (preferably one specifically for abs and not abs/pvc combined) and a piece of abs pipe.

File a bunch of shavings from the pipe and dissolve them in the solvent to make a paste. Use some straight solvent in and around the fairing crack to "prime" it and then force some of the paste in and around it.

I use this technique on abs waste tanks in my rv and haven't had a problem with it. On one crack I saturated several pieces of fiberglass mat to help fill a gap. I figured that the cloth isn't meant for use with other than polyester or epoxy resins it wouldn't hurt to try.

Luck,

Rob

[LoserShoes]

For RC planes that come with ABS cowls and wheelpants, using ABS glue and glass cloth on the inside to reinforce them is an accepted practice, not to mention that it works well too.

Steve

[2bhappy]

I have not tried it, but have been told that acetone or MEK will dissolve ABS plastic. You can make a paste with a piece of ABS pipe and the MEK, smear some MEK on the crack and glue with the paste. Hope this helps and careful with the MEK, it kills.

Marc

[Pat Kelly]

I'm not sure about the Vetter but the Pacifico fairings are plastic. Outer shell is ABS and the inner (black) shell is PVC. I tried fiberglass and it will not stick to the plastic.
Try the plastic welding kits (Harbor Freight has them). I had someone weld the entire windshield section to the main body on mine and it's held-up great. Just the mounting area continues to crack.