Does anyone have any experience in plastic repair/welding, that would be willing to share some info?

Is it better to actually weld with heat, as opposed to an epoxy type system? Any advantage to one or the other?

Here are a few options that I'm considering, but have no experience in either.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2461538768

http://plastex.home.att.net/

Any help/advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I've repaired cracked fairing plastic by using a q-tip and black ABS cement carefully applied to the rear of the damage. Since the cement contains ABS, you can bridge the crack and also build up plastic behind it
to prevent it from recracking.


I believe most fairings are made out of ABS. Test the ABS cement on a unobtrusive place first. A small amount applied to the back of the piece should weld itself to the plastic.

Just make sure you don't put too much on at a time (build it up in layers) to avoid dissolving a hole through the plastic.

I'm not going to recommend this effort as there's probably someone who knows a lot more about ABS and fibreglass than I do and thinks I've committed heresy.

I dropped my bird about 12 months ago and put some nasty cracks and snapped off some of the top cowl. I bonded these back together by using epoxy resin and chopped glass mat applied to the rear of each. I roughed up the ABS using some emery cloth and a box cutter.

I also took out a chunk of the front tire guard too which I've replaced with glass. Total cost for all these repairs was A$75 or so. I didn't paint at the time as I wasn't sure it was going to work but 12 months of daily riding later they've held up perfectly.

Plastic welding with heat is a reliable method for fixng cracks in a number of different kinds of plastic. I can't speak first hand to either having done it or having needed it on my XX, knock on wood, but I know a little about the process.

Hot gas technique - you have an electric heated gun with hot compressed air and the correct filler rod, laying the filler rod in place and moving the hot air stream and tip to melt the filler. The joint to be welded needs beveling before hand. Results improve with practice. The material welded needs to securely clamped.

The kit you're looking at is what you would need to do the job, as long as you have the right filler and prep the material. Practice before doing it on your finished piece. The more you practice, the better ytour bead will be.

The problem with fixing plastic is that the end product usually ends up being very brittle, and prone to cracking.

Talk to a local body shop about the lastest techniques on repairing ABS. I'm sure 3M or PPG have some awesome products available right now.

3M's stuff is awesome. I have a buddy who works in a body shop, he brought some of the stuff home and fixed my shower stall with it! :lol:

when i wrecked my bird, i got some pieces from joe that needed a little fixin'. i talked to out body/paint guy, and he suggested fusor 143, made by lord industrial adhesives. it's a 2-part urethane so it's flexible, and you just put it in a little gun and use it like a caulking gun. first you sand the area and dish it so the glue has someplace to go. after spraying their adhesion promotor, use a liberal amount and on the back use a special mat (like fiberglass, but with bigger holes) just put an assload of the stuff on. smooth it with a squeegee and viola.

the most amazing thing about this stuff is that while you only have a 90-sec. work time, it is ready to sand in 20 min and ready for paint in 30 min.

and it's flexible. i've put 10k on my bird with the fixed pieces, and they look good as gold, no residual cracking.

I am currently waiting for supplies to arrive, then I will post a how to....

No, the plastic on your bike is not ABS. It is TPO or TPE, which is not affected by solvents (ABS glue), you either need a urathane epoxy or the correct plastic rod for welding.

it may not be pretty but i made my fairings rideable with silicone adhesive - small crack(s) but didn't spread at all after the fix - seems the silicone gave some flex to the repair.