Fairings thread - mostly repairs but can include other topics.....

Thought we could use a dedicated thread on fairings.

All comments and input welcome!

I am still learning how to do repairs. I feel I am making progress. More on that later...

For now....check these tail fairing "remains". I just got them cleaned up this morning - so they will now go into the repair station.

Stay tuned!

 

Or start with something new and fabricate mounts for it.

 

Been working on some repairs the last couple days and getting a lot done. I'm also learning a lot and am really excited about that because I have a lot of repairs to do!

There's a ton of stuff I could post but will try not to go too crazy all at once with info.

I'll start by saying there are quite a few product lines on the market for repair work. The one I have used the most so far and is my fav. is the PlastiFix line by Polyvance. The other product I have used is called Plastex. And there are others too....but I think these are the two main ones most know about.

I kinda like the blue molding bars by PlastiFix better than the black ones by Plastex.

I made a PlastiFix mold for the tail fairing mounts and so far have repaired about a half dozen of those...using the same mold over and over. I made one for the side mounts too with the Plastex bar and have used it repeatedly.

Here they are:

Here's a tail fairing with no mounts left on it.....


And after repairs using the PlastiFix method......



These are "down and dirty" photos because I have no done any fine tuning sanding on the repairs yet. Plus no re-painting or other body work. Mostly right now concerned with getting all the cracks repaired and mounts replaced where needed.

These products come is 3 choices of color: black, white, or clear.

I ended up using the "clear" option for most of these as they will all be re-painted anyway at some point.

BTW...the above tail fairing was actually a gift to me because it is so beat up - there are others I am working on that are nicer and will be used on my bikes.

And here is one of the missing side mounts I replaced....on a different tail fairing.....

 

Today I also used a plastic welder iron for a crack repair. Using it to melt a piece of wire mesh and some ABS sticks across the inside of the crack. I have yet to do the exterior side. This fairing had cracks on both sides to do.....

 

And even without the exterior repair - the fairing now feels quite solid on both sides just with the interior repairs I did. This is the other side I did.....

 

This one had a previous repair someone tried using fiberglass...and then later some kind of bondo. I sanded most of that down and then used some carbon fiber cloth plus superglue. Seems to be working OK so far. Still have the other side to do......

 

I'm also working on a lot of my side (battery) covers. On many of them the short little "tongue" is broken off. I had an idea to cut out an "L" shaped piece from some discarded PVC fencing and attach that to the fairing use hot glue. Then wrap with some self-adhesive rubber sheeting. Not fully tested yet so still in the prototype stage.

This is what they look like intact:






And what I am trying out:



Might also try using some of this rubber sheeting for the grommets on the tail fairing lugs.....

 

Couple notes on tools. A rotary tool (Dremel) is a must and I have also been using this cordless belt sander.....

 

Another thing....when you watch the "how to" videos of how to use these products they show you a couple different methods. For the repairs I have done so far, I am pouring the powder directly into the mold space and following with the liquid "fixing agent". Not using the "stab" method. Takes too long. Now when I do those exterior crack repairs - then I will be going slower and using the "stab" method.

 

Good morning! Just finished repairs on the exterior cracks on the tail fairings using the PlastiFix product applying with the needle/dab method. Worked really well!

Except for those pieces shown in my first post.....all tail fairings are now repaired and ready for test fitting. I predict I will have to "redo" some of the mounts but we'll see.

So far my focus has only been on structural aspects. Cosmetics will be addressed down the road once I have this part figured out.

 

Yesterday I washed down a bunch of lower fairings as a first step towards whatever repairs they will need. Some will need more than others.


One item I am trying to address is the ducts in the back. As you know there is a left and a right duct - both different. The goal is to have every lower fairing equipped with the proper duct complete with fasteners that can function as they should. What I mean by that is (as most of you know) the factory inserts do not usually allow the fasteners (screws) to be backed out. What usually happens is the fastener just spins and spins.



And with that we see a variety situations when these fairings come to us. One or both ducts missing. Sometimes the posts are completely gone. Sometimes the post is there but with no insert. And the post is cracked. Or we see all kinds of fasteners not OEM. The one I was working on today had plastic anchors that had been cut shorter jammed in the posts with wood screws holding the duct on.



So I pulled those out and am inserting new M5 inserts using heat-set inserts with an iron I just got. So far so good.




I also bought a set of plastic replacements posts and am trying ABS cement for those.





Long way to go but excited to have a plan in place along with some tools and materials.

 

Decided to dedicate the rest of the fairing work today to the duct fasteners.

Had to replace a few posts. Did a LOT of heat-set inserts! I got them all done except the RWB stack on the front deck. Had to use some washers for the fasteners I had on hand because the heads were too small in diameter. I need something with a wider head - ideally a flat phillips head - like OEM.




I started off just supergluing the replacement posts and then decided to add some PlastiFix drops all around the bases to add some strength. This PlastiFix stuff is amazing! So easy to use and so effective!

 

Wow!! That metal mesh also give some strength to the weak area. Is it aluminum mesh?

 

Stainless steel. There's also a technique where steel wool is used. Melted into the plastic to add strength!

The key is to be able to hold the pieces together during the repair process. That's where the aluminum tape comes in.