Project VF500F2

Thanks both! Yeah the switches came up on eBay at a good price so it seemed silly not to.

This turned out to not be entirely true... I was only getting power to the brake light switch when I had the other lights on. Solved pretty easily by separating two wires that were joined together on the CBR setup. I had wondered why everything still seemed to be working with 1 less wire than the original but now I know!

I spent the rest of day finishing off the wiring fitting newly repainted indicators and put the clocks on the bike. As everything is now done at the back of the bike I've loosely fitted the tail fairing.



Sadly the fairings are pretty beaten in places and are going to let the overall finish of the bike down, I think at some point I'll have to shell out and have them properly repaired and repainted. For now I'm going to try my best to repair what I can - fairing repair tips welcomed!

 

Fairing & Panel repair isnt too hard. Cracks and missing pieces can be readily repaired with plastic welding. You can do plastic welding on the cheap with a soldering iron and some ABS rods off EBAY/Amazon or even use pieces of scrap fairing if you have them. Lots of videos on how to do that as well on Youtube. its pretty easy.

Im a big fan of Plastex. lots of video's on youtube that will show yo what its capable of, but you can fix cracks, make missing tabs and lugs and even missing pieces of fairing if they not too big. Plastex is very good, but use it in a well ventilated area, pretty stinky solution tat im sure isnt good to breathe in.

QBond is ok for some cracks, its like crazy glue.

You can also make a repair paste from Acetone and ABS shavings, it also works quite well once the shavings dissolve in the acetone.

Aside from that you can use glazing filler/putty to do the final finishing of the surface before you sand and prime it (I use a high build flex and fill primer for ABS)

 

another fan of plastex. one thing to note. For replacement tabs and we all have those that are broken, its better to build it up in layers over a few days. This will be a lot stronger.

 

Thanks for the advice! Some of the results people show on YouTube of these methods look pretty impressive, definitely beyond what I expected to be possible. I'll keep watching the guides and then find a hidden away spot to practice. This is probably the worst part on the right hand lowers, I think someone's attempted to repair them in the past judging by the residue but its not held up at all.

 

You have to grind all that off, so you have a non oxidised surface to start from, you will start to see the difference between old plastic and stuff you can weld to, it will seem brutal but you have no choice

I have done all mine with welding




I prefer the ABS welding way, using rods off eBay, it’s faster and you have more control the acetone method is good but takes ages to harden off

If you don’t own a Dremel it’s time to buy one and a pile of spare sanding drums


VF1000F2F, in bits

 

I've just re-read the part of your thread where you were talking about your fairing repairs. They look brilliant now though!

I've just bought a Dremel actually for a few other jobs, got loads of sanding drums this week too in an accessory kit I picked up pretty cheap from Lidl so it looks like they'll come in handy.

 

Sorry forgot to mention the dremal (or similar). It does help more than you think. Think I have a 9300...
Use it to create the V required for cracks. For holes you do want to use fibreglass mesh to fill the main area. I bought the Master Tech kit as I knew I'd be using it a lot... lol

 

These pics may help:

P1070851 by Pete Smith, on Flickr

P1070854 by Pete Smith, on Flickr

P1070857 by Pete Smith, on Flickr

P1070861 by Pete Smith, on Flickr

P1070866 by Pete Smith, on Flickr

 

link to site in the UK.

http://www.repairingproducts.co.uk/product/plastex-master-tech-kit-plastic-and-acrylic-repair-kit/

He's pretty good but forget trying to buy RED powder from him...

 

Too bad your not here close by, id fix that for free for you. I LOVE fixing ABS and plastic welding etc. It really isnt very difficult at all. Like others have said, make sure any old repairs and contaminants re dremmeled off before you attempt the fix.

With plastic welding, you can also "stitch" (or Tack weld 1cm apart) the broken bits together first, that way its all joined up before you start welding and filling with the soldering iron and spare abs, that way you know your panel is properly aligned before you really get into it. If you try the welding approach its also helpful to weld and inch at one end of the crack and then an inch at the other end. Weld from both sides, but ensure the first side has cooled a bit before you weld the other side. Too much heat build up will warp your panel a bit. Its easier than it sounds and an old bit of abs to practice on is always useful. Now grab that soldering iron and have a go !

While Plastex is a fantastic product, its not cheap (not sure if that matters to you or not), and since most folks have a soldering iron, welding is usually a very inexpensive option.

 

That tab repair looks great, Pete. I'm missing a tab on the rear fairing so that definitely looks the right way to go for bits like that.

Thanks straycat, I'd definitely be taking you up on that if I was over there! I guess I've been putting off doing anything to them for fear of making things worse. I'll get some ABS ordered and then follow your advice and have a go at welding them up, I've been watching a few videos and as you say it does seem easy.

 

The two round mount tabs on the rear section of my F2 were missing completely

So I took some pictures of the same parts off eBay and bought a A4 size 2mm sheet of black ABS,

Guestimated the size and shape and then plastic welded them on

I will take a few pics, as I forgot


VF1000F2F, in bits

 

It is really WORTH YOU BUYING a couple of 2nd hand panels to practise on. Its 'easy' (LOL) once you have done it a few times... but trying this on a GOOD panel isn't recommended.

 

or just jump into the deep end and start swimming.... lol

 

That's a really good idea! And then at least I can have a practice on the rest of the sheet as well.

Noted! I'll definitely ease myself into it. The paint on these panels isn't great but I definitely don't want to wreck any of the plastic more than it already is.

 

I use Permatex Plastic Epoxy, normally you can find natural colour, but I found black. You can use it for lots of things, I guess in a similar way as Plastex, but not complicated. Tough stuff, sandable, drillable, paintable, what's not to like.
But welding is a good idea too...... no harm in having multiple options in your arsenal.

 

good work, but what about a replacement for broken mounting posts for grommet connection on frame ? a 3-D copy would be super-useful for panel repairs.

 

Still waiting for the arrival of my ABS but got a few more bits now done. Got the cooling system all refitted. Trying to get the hoses back onto the lines from the thermostat housing was a bit more of a battle than expected!



I then turned to the brakes. They were in pretty bad condition, all of the pistons were stuck in place and pretty corroded.



Cleaning out the callipers took quite a lot of work, a lot of crud that the ultrasonic cleaner didn't want to help shift but I eventually got there. They're pretty scuffed up in places but think I'll just live with them as is for now. I'm completely rebuilding them with new pistons, seals etc and opted for the titanium collars. Here's the rear all back together with new shiny bits



I've run into a bit of an issue when fitting it. I was torqueing up the smaller of the two mounting bolts (the one that bolts into the rear carrier) and noticed it was turning a bit too easily and not tightening in the way you'd expect. I then found it was protruding too far out the rear of the carrier and fouling the disk when the wheel turned. I took the bolt back out and the threads nearest the head seem to be stretching. I'm guessing that's why it didn't feel like it was tightening and has stretched so far it hits the disk.

My question is, is this likely just an old bolt issue or could there be more in it than that? I've gone ahead and ordered new bolts for all 3 callipers just to be safe but don't want to wreck them as well if there could be more too it, but it's not something I've seen happen before.

 

Ive had to replace quite a few caliper mount bolts from previous owners over tightening them. New ones have torqued down properly.

Also, keep an eye on your new bleeders. I've come out to a small puddle the next morning. I now "cycle" new ones a few times before bleeding to make sure they seat properly in the old caliper that was used to the previous original bleeder.

 

Looking good there, I also am going to have to tackle the calipers on my VF500 now that it actually runs!

I noticed you have an ultrasonic cleaner...other on the forum also have them. Do you think they are worth it?