Road Rash repair on right side main fairing.

I am wondering if anyone has had any success repairing a fairing that has abrasion on it. It does not have any cracks in it, but is just scuffed, and would need filler and paint. I can't find a replacement in better shape, so I believe repair is the best option. Is this fairing painted or is it a decal for the blue and red color ?

 

use a razorblade to figure out if its a decal or not. slowly lift the color at the seam where the rash is. ive not worked on that year of bike so i do not know off hand. as for the repair, if it is a decal, a new decal replacing the entire piece will be needed.

if it is paint, i am about to do a how to on fixing rashed painted fairings with rattle can paint. now before you all go off and cry, ive been a body guy for several years, and this is not home-depot paint. and with some time and prep it can last amazing and be durable, AND rattle can paint is softer then 2 part paints and actually works really well on motorcycle fairings.

 

Fairing is white base paint with the blue paint on top and the red stripes are decals. White is Candy White
I believe, not sure on the blue.

 

Thanks for the replies, and I look forward to your article on repairing fairings. Most of the articles I've seen seem to concentrate on cracked plastic.

 

Here are the colors. Colorrite's chart only goes back to 86, but the '85 is the same.

Paint Search :: Color Results - ColorRite

 

To repair the plastic you should get a plastic welding iron. Harbor Freight sells a cheap "kit" and it will do the trick. Use ABS rod to melt over the top and act as filler. I cut up a piece of ABS pipe from Home Depot to make my own rod CHEAP! Once the road rash is filled, sand as usual and paint. Do a good job on your prep as it will determine the final product.

Jose

 

If the plastic is not cracked, I wouldn't think that welding would be necessary. Standard body/paint repair, filling and sanding, should be all that is required to prepare for paint.

 

'standard' here is a bad term. especially body filler. its too brittle for fairings, it will stick o.k. but it will not 'bond'. what happens is after a time, the vibes will rattle the bondo off of the plastic. or if there is any flexing for any reason it will also cause separation. ESPECIALLY on areas where the bondo layer is very thin.

there are other, better ways to fill gouges in fairings, to be covered soon. i should be able to get started on it this weekend. also will be doing some minor touch up in paint chips on the tank.

 

I used the term "standard" referring to the procedure, didn't mean to infer that regular polyester filler be used. Evercoat poly-flex is an excellent filler for finishing ABS.



Evercoat

 

I see more value in just welding/sanding the area. For a variety of reasons.
1.) Filler costs more and always has the inherent risk of improper bonding or peeling (as mentioned by Zedicus).
2.) You have to sand any repair smooth and the ABS is ready to sand instantly. You have to wait for the filler to cure.
3.) Filler just glues onto the substrate. In contrast, you really do weld the new ABS to the old, making your repair just as strong as the substrate.
4.) There is absolutely no question about elasticity differences and cracking.

Best part is that ABS is ABS. The only difference in applications seems to be that some is treated with UV inhibitors. Since the repair will be under paint and decals, cutting up a $2 piece of ABS for welding rod will allow for repair with the actual material the fairing is made out of. You could even use a plain old soldering iron to melt on new ABS, but it will take longer as it only has the straight tip. A "real" plastic welding iron has a big face to do a larger area.

Jose

 

if your new to plastic welding it is just as easy to end up with a seem in your weld as it is with a filler.

polyflex style filelrs are great on plastic, terribly expensive.

my favorite filler for plastic
Rawn Plas-T-Pair | 35105 | Rawn

then for those that are dirt cheap
Permatex PermaPoxy 5 Minute General Purpose Epoxy, Crystal Clear: Sealants, Fillers & Adhesives : Walmart.com

technically these products are not 'fillers' but i would use them for a filler before i would use them to glue fairing together. fixing cracks in plastic is a totally different topic, and i would either look at a heat or chemical weld. actually that plas-t-pair is a chemical weld and will do a good job at filling or fixing fairings when you understand how to work with it.