Yea!!!I fixed it!!! AARRGG!?"@# I broke it..

[msbuck]

OK, it's not my R65, but my Laverda.  It's been on the rack since February - time, parts issues, learning curves, etc has taken it's toll.  But today I did the final tuning on the bike and she runs like never before!  I'm so proud of myself.  So I'm lowering the lift and my pit stand just happens to be tucked up in front of the lift - not seeing the danger, I lowered the lift which put the stand right into my front fender.  It bent it up and when I heard a snap, I knew something was wrong.  It broke my fender!!!   It didn't break it off, but I have some really good cracks on either side.

But she rides great!

So my question is this, is the plastic repair stuff that has been discussed in repairing saddlebags good for fixing my fender?  As a temporary 'disguise' I put a little 'striping' on the fender to give it "an interesting" look (as Graham puts it...)

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Congratulations!  And my sympathies...

Graham is a man of few words, and obviously chooses them well!

You two are lucky to have each other.  

[montmil]

...So my question is this, is the plastic repair stuff that has been discussed in repairing saddlebags good for fixing my fender?

Gee, I hate it when that happens.  Peeking under the "Italian racing stripes" it appears that the break is going to need some under-fender reinforcement to maintain any structural integrity while you carve up some corners. A glued butt-joint -easy, fellas will likely fail quickly as the forces of nature and physics work the tip of the fender. Barney-style... it's going to flex enough to crack the glued joint.  So...

If the fender is fiberglas, you're in luck. Clean up the underside, do some serious scuff sanding to get through any gel coat finish and lay up a few bits of trimmed-to-fit fiberglass cloth. I prefer epoxy-based resins for fiberglas work but the vinylester stuff sold at auto parts joints will work, too. Just a sometimes-too-fast gel time.

After cure of the repair patch, a little clean up should provide a long term fix. All that's left is to grit your teeth and begin a complete refinish of the upper, and highly visible, front fender. You may have to open up the crack and trowel in a bit of reinforced epoxy-based adhesive, then smooth and do a proper refinish.

This little project ought to occupy your free time for awhile. Stuff happens. At least you won't need to purchase a new fender. Confirm what the fender is made of. Also, ask any questions at a body shop that does work on plastic cars, like them there Corvettes.

Luck to you. I'm currently in the big middle of rehabing my old Cabriolet's plastic fender flares. They're made of some sorta German Unobtainium.

[Melena]

Ouch!  But I do like the stripes.    8-)    Nice quick cosmetic fix.

Sounds like Monte has the right solution for you.  Good luck!

[nhmaf]

If the fender is fiberglass, then follow monte's suggestions.   The front fender on my Kawasaki Concours is ABS plastic, so I would use
the black, ABS-specific cement (not the general purpose stuff) on it to repair a crack, etc.  Definitely need to get through the paint for it
to stick properly..

[msbuck]

Thanks for the replies! I figured I would need some reinforcement on the backside and then I get to try to match the paint ...  :-/

It's ABS plastic, so I'll have to hunt down the right stuff to use.  The fender held up pretty well on the trip yesterday, but I don't want to let it go too long.  I saw this Plastex stuff on the web...anyone have any experience with it?  

http://www.plastex.ca/

[nhmaf]

Hmmm, that stuff looks interesting, but I've never used it before.   It appears to be a Canadian-based company/product, so perhaps Sue
can chime in when she is back home and logs in..   I have been told by several folks to only use the ABS-specific cement for best results on ABS plastic - it is generally really nasty looking and smelling stuff, and it looks like black tar in the can.   I believe that it can fill in reasonable-sized cracks and is slightly "sculptable" for a little while before it fully hardens, but one doesn't get a smooth surface with it.
Maybe that Plastex stuff would be a better choice - the website says that it works with acrylic, ABS, and PVC plastics as well as fiberglass,
and it looke like it can be made into shapes - might have to look into this to repair some of the black plastic fairing pieces on my LS !!!!

[MrRiden]

No experience with "Plastex" but one small tid bit I do know about plastic / composite repair is that you will need to drill a hole at the endpoint of the crack to stop it from extending. NOW! Perhaps some of the FAA A & P license holders can elaborate.
rich

[montmil]

No experience with "Plastex" but one small tid bit I do know about plastic / composite repair is that you will need to drill a hole at the endpoint of the crack to stop it from extending. NOW! Perhaps some of the FAA A & P license holders can elaborate. rich

Good call, rich, on the stop-crack drilling. I once had to drill a bunch on my old Pietenpol's windscreen -open cockpit- to catch a few stress cracks.  The acrylic plastic stone guard on my pickemup truck has a couple, too.

[msbuck]

No experience with "Plastex" but one small tid bit I do know about plastic / composite repair is that you will need to drill a hole at the endpoint of the crack to stop it from extending. NOW! Perhaps some of the FAA A & P license holders can elaborate.
rich

Yeah, I knew that, just didn't think about it.  Thanks for the reminder!  

[montmil]

OK... A little funny story, told on me, that may help you make a fix on your Lavalamp.

Early last summer, like our buddy MikedaBike, I had some ceramic tile work to do in the master bath which also included removing a bathtub -as in hole thru the wall type- removing.

New tub needed the 2x4 ledgers altered and a bunch of other plumbing details. Had it all about done and ready for the new tub. Just a couple more nails from the pneumatic framing nailer...

Set the tub and secured it. Did a massive amount of ceramic tiling and general wrap-up work. It's boo-ti-ful sez my bride.

That afternoon, the washing machine is going at max rpm and wife tells me, "There's water on the bathroom floor."

Long story short, one nail set itself about 1/16-inch into the washing machine drain line... just on the other side of the bathroom wall. YeeGads!

Fortunately, the plumbing inspection panel in the laundry room allowed me to spot the tiny hole which was causing water to leech into the bathroom.

PVC plumbing is great stuff. Virtually nothing will stick to it so the ol' pipes do flow freely. My 5 Minute epoxy fix on the PVC drain... didn't!  

Up to the local Ace store and lo n' behold, there's a new product Ace Plastic Repair Epoxy. Said to bond ABS (See? I'm getting there), Fiberglass, Hard Plastic, PVC (My fav) and soft plastic.

Perhaps this stuff may be worth a try on the scooter's fender? If it were my fender that was hairlipped, I'd likely put down the epoxy and then bed in some fiberglas cloth for the needed reinforcement.



The epoxy has a purple label but my digi camera turned it blue. Another idea to choose from.

Monte