The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2

Technical Discussion => BMW Technical Q&A, Primarily R65 => Topic started by: Milo_357 on June 03, 2012, 07:53:35 PM

Title: Fiberglass touch up
Post by: Milo_357 on June 03, 2012, 07:53:35 PM
Ah man... :(

As a few folks know, I am not the biggest guy around, and the bike slipped pulling it out of the garage.

Now I have nice (not!) markets on my fairing.

Any suggestions on fiberglass repair/touch up?

Thanks,

Dell
Title: Re: Fiberglass touch up
Post by: tvrla on June 03, 2012, 11:20:27 PM
If you can post some pix that would certainly help. Is this on an LS?

Where are they? Any cracking? That makes it more involved.
Title: Re: Fiberglass touch up
Post by: Milo_357 on June 05, 2012, 08:07:25 AM
The LS is all torn apart and stacked neatly on shelves. ;)

It's my Vetter fairing. No cracks (well, that I've found yet), the whole faring shifted rather than breaking, but I have a nice big white spot and several scratches.

I'm going to try detailed sanding, like in a polyester repair.  Or perhaps I may just spray it.  That's cetainly be easier.

Opinions?

Thanks!
Title: Re: Fiberglass touch up
Post by: montmil on June 05, 2012, 01:55:16 PM
Early Vetter fairings were manufactured with laid up fiberglas fabric and resins. Later, the shift was to an easier to produce, cheaper labor costs to manufacture and lighter weight molded plastic.

Which do you have? The early f'glas models are quite collectible, as in $$$. Well, at least those in pristine condition anyway.

Laying up glass fabic on the exterior surface will require some pretty hefty grinding down of the original surface so that the added f'glas will not stand proud of the original surface when it is going through the finishing stages of filling the weave, priming and painting.

Alternative might be to fill the scratches and gouges with a mixture of chopped glass fibers and laminating resin.

Either way, you may ultimately want to repaint the entire fairing to avoid an obvious repaired spot.

Or, do what the previous owner of one of my R65s did... put a Mexican bull fighting sticker over the puncture on the plastic side panel! Who knew? Not me. ;D
Title: Re: Fiberglass touch up
Post by: Milo_357 on June 05, 2012, 10:20:33 PM
Hey Monte,

Here is my bike.  I'll get a better picture tomorrow.

Dell