Repair plastic fairings

[Dodahdude]

Due to that stupid deer ruining my riding season, I need to get my bike back on the road... I've searched around trying to find replacement parts for mysilver 2004 FJR. Either I take a chance in ordering made in China parts that may not fit or repair what I have.

I can nickel and dime myself on Ebay by buying one good piece at a time then repaint everything for a good and even color match or take the chance in waiting for a salvage yard finding a donor. If I wait it will be next year before I can ride again. Where is a good tutorial in repairing motorcycle plastic fairings?

I can't stand seeing my bike parked in the garage anymore...........

 

[garauld]

I've repaired a few pieces. I use a Weiler soldering gun with the flat tip. I start by V-ing out the crack lightly with a dremel and also to remove paint 1/4" from the crack. Warm up the gun and tack it in several places by stuffing the tip into the crack and fusing the two faces together. If you are happy with the fitup, Add some ABS filler - I can send you some - PM me. Keep adding it until it's a bit higher than the original surface - you can then file or sand it to get it ready to prime. It's pretty easy, but do it outside as the fumes are bad - burning plastic. Youtube has some videos also.

 

[Powerman]

I've used the soldering iron method. You can get ABS rod at McMaster Carr. I tried the air welder and had bad results.

 

[Fred W]

Due to that stupid deer ruining my riding season, I need to get my bike back on the road... I've searched around trying to find replacement parts for mysilver 2004 FJR. Either I take a chance in ordering made in China parts that may not fit or repair what I have.
I can nickel and dime myself on Ebay by buying one good piece at a time then repaint everything for a good and even color match or take the chance in waiting for a salvage yard finding a donor. If I wait it will be next year before I can ride again. Where is a good tutorial in repairing motorcycle plastic fairings?

I can't stand seeing my bike parked in the garage anymore...........

What parts do you really need? It may be cheaper than you think to replace with new. I just had to do most of my front end plastic (due to a rouge BMW GS800, not a deer) and it only set me back around $600. Yours might even be cheaper.

 

[Dodahdude]

Complete front, all right side, upper lower including the luggage attach failing. Oh and the right side luggage container. Thanks.

 

[Fullchat]

Also have a look at products like Plastex and Q bond which can stick the parts together. Really good products for the right repair.

 

[Fred W]

OK, that is more parts than I had anticipated.

I have seen some Chinese knock-off farings for the FJR1300 available before, but can't seem to find any on eBay right now. Might want to look around for a full set. They aren't as nice as the OEM ones, but they also cost a lot less. As for the saddlebags, there is not other option I know of other than to ditch the OEM and go with Givi bags all around.

 

[wfooshee]

The Chinese bodywork is the complete set, and not Yammy colors, so your tank won't match. I'm not sure the Chinese stuff uses the same inter-panel fastenings, either. In other words, will their lower fit into the Yamaha upper?

Either way, some painting in the works if you don't get Yamaha's bodywork, which comes painted.

 

[Dodahdude]

As for the saddlebags, there is not other option I know of other than to ditch the OEM and go with Givi bags all around.

Are the Givi bag a color match for a 2004?

 

[Fred W]

Certain models of Givi trunks can be found that color matched (I have the V46), but not so much for the side bags, and you'll have a heck of a time finding the side racks that you require. But, it can be, and has been, done.

 

[Justin]

JB-weld is great for fixing broken plastics. For big cracks, you can use some hardware cloth on the back for extra support. I've done this a few times with great results. can even sand and paint when done.

 

[garauld]

I thinks some pics would help the discussion...

 

[Dodahdude]

10-4. I'll get some this weekend.

 

[blassoff]

I've used Plastex to repair/rebuild broken tabs with limited results. Bridging and joining broken plastic parts especially with their fibre-cloth worked out pretty well. They have videos on their site, they should prove helpful.

Good luck and take your time. Baz

 

[bluesdog]

I've used this stuff successfully to repair both ABS and fiberglass:

From the product description:

Plastic bonding system that is even stronger than epoxy. 3,500 psi, sets in 15 minutes. Bonds plastic to plastic, plastic to metal, and metals to metals. Thick formula fills gaps, is high impact and water resistant, easy to mix and requires minimal surface preparation. Best used on Hard Plastics, metals, concrete, vinyl, PVC piping & fibreglass

For higher stress areas, such as tabs, I add a small bit of fiberglass cloth.

BTW, how does the front subframe look in terms of alignment?

 

[GinaMcD]

The issue of cheap ebay fairings comes up on my other forums quite a bit. Consensus is that the quality is spotty, they are not as sturdy as OEM plastics, and very often buyers end up with holes and tabs that don't line up. If you go this route, be prepared to to make some modifications to get them to fit.

I had my upper fairing welded after a little mis-hap, and it's held up great. Search the web and see if there are any plastic welding shops in your area. I remember finding some that offered mail-in services as well. Also, most auto body shops I talked to were not willing to do the repairs, and only a few said they would do the painting portion if someone else did the repairs. Hopefully you can find a place that will do both. I was lucky and found a guy in CT to do the welding, and a local body tech to do the painting.

I've also had good results with Plastex for DYI repairs for minor damage on my bike, and even used it to re-attached a broken piece on my son's old bike. As was mentioned for the welding option, you need to V the back side of the fairing before applying the Platex. A dremel would work, but for a small area I just used a rounded file.