By doing your own motorcycle plastic repair, you can save tons of money. Case is point, a Goldwing rear half of a front fender can cost over $200.00 to purchase a color matched replacement. Do It Yourself motorcycle plastic repair? Under $10.00 and one evening of time.
For those Goldwingers who run a rear fender extension or anyone for that
matter that mounts extra parts onto plastic. The added stress can crack
the plastic around the mounting holes. You can see my own dilemma on my
front fender. The rear mounting holes have been over stressed from a
rear fender extension and have cracked. The replacement cost for this
fender is $189.00 plus shipping. So let's get down to repairing it
instead.
First
thing's first in any motorcycle plastic repair, clean the parts! Without
clean parts the repair will be weak and soon fail again. Wash the parts
with mild soap and water being careful not to damage the parts further.
Yes, since Judy rides and enjoys motorcycling I was able to do this in
the kitchen sink. You may want to consult your spouse prior to starting
this project.
Once you have the general area cleaned of grease and dirt you'll need to
prep the crack itself. For repairing the crack, I used "All Purpose
Cement" manufactured by Oatley. You can find this in your local Home
Center or plumbing supply store. It is used for cementing PVC pipes and
the general purpose glue works on ABS plastics as well. I used a
toothpick to open the crack in the plastic and then used the clear
Oatley Cleaner on a tooth brush to clean out the crack.
The
next step is crucial. With the crack well cleaned, you want to locate
the end of the crack. So again with a toothpick spreading open the crack
get some reading glasses or a magnifying glass and try to locate where
the crack stops. Here is where we take a page from the sheet metal
workers. Take a small drill and drill a hole in the plastic at the end
of the crack. This will relieve the pressure and help to prevent further
cracking.
Now
you are ready to complete your motorcycle plastic repair with a simple
glue up. Using a "Q-Tip" or other small applicator, place glue liberally
into the crack. Don't worry too much about making it neat, the idea here
is to melt the plastic and fuse it back together. Once the crack is
filled with glue you can take a clean "Q-Tip" and wipe the area around
the crack.
Now,
you'll need to clamp things up and let sit for about two hours till
cured. Depending on the location and type of crack, you can use anything
from large bar clamps to masking tape. For me, I wanted to ensure that I
had a good firm clamp on it since this was a stress area where the
plastic mounts. Other areas where cosmetics may be more important, you
can use tape to help make a smooth repair.
After
two hours, the glue should be cured and the plastic fused back together.
Take off your clamp and clean up the area with rubbing compound. This
will remove any stains from the cleaners used. If you need to dress up
the area cosmetically, a gentle sanding and some touch up paint should
do the trick. Mine? Well my motorcycle plastic repair is located in an
area that won't be seen so I just scrubbed the area with a Green Scotch
Bright pad and that is all it needs.
We hope this may come in handy and keep a few bucks in your pocket. It saved us $170.00 which can now be used on a few chrome additions.
