hardware store fix for fairing


Technical information and Q&A applicable to all years and models of Goldwings
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marsman
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Location: Petaluma, CA
Motorcycle: 1989 Honda GL1500 w/ Hannigan sidecar

hardware store fix for fairing

Post by marsman »



I recently had a lot of the plastic off my '89 Gold Wing to get at the carburetors. Some of the panels had some cracks and broken bits, so, thinking this is probably abs plastic like some other bikes I've had, I got some supplies at the hardware store to fix it. First picture shows my raw materials: about less than $10 total for the fitting and the glue. One panel had a tab broken off as shown in the second picture. I carved out a new tab from abs fitting, made the edge more or less fit the break and glued it on. (I cleaned all the surfaces with isopropyl alcohol before gluing them.) Then, over a couple of days, I built up and filled in the joint by dribbling glue on it. The result is shown in the last picture.

If this holds up, there are a couple of other broken bits that I will try to fix also.
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dadztoy
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Re: hardware store fix for fairing

Post by dadztoy »

Awesome repair - thanks for posting that...

Les
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WingAdmin
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Re: hardware store fix for fairing

Post by WingAdmin »

This is a popular repair technique for us ABS-bodied Goldwingers.

I think you may find that if you make your repair using JUST glue, it will end up being a bit too brittle, and will end up cracking.

The best repair material is a slurry - take some ABS shavings (I just take any old piece of ABS and drill holes into it, then I take the drill shavings) and mix them up with some ABS glue or MEK (which is the active solvent in ABS glue). Mix it until you get a thick paste - if it gets too thick, add more glue/MEK to thin it. You can put this slurry/paste onto the ABS part you're fixing, and it will bond and harden into ABS. You can add layer upon layer, using ABS glue in between layers to make sure they bond together correctly.
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