Crack repair


Information and questions on GL1500 Goldwings (1988-2000)
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Skeldog
Posts: 139
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Motorcycle: 1982 GL 1100

Crack repair

Post by Skeldog »



Well not being able to inspect my 98 as good as I would have liked before buying it I'm now finding cracks in my saddle bag as well as front fender.I have things stripped quite a bit as I'm replacing the brake pads tires timing belts and such. are there any advances in a quality product that will actually bond well to the plastic the bags fairing etc. are made of?


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WingAdmin
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1982 GL1100A Aspencade (sold)
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Re: Crack repair

Post by WingAdmin »

For sure, it's ABS. Have a look at our tutorial:

How to fix broken plastic bodywork (includes VIDEO)
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offcenter
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Re: Crack repair

Post by offcenter »

Buy a can of ABS plumbing cement from Home Depot.
NOT pvc cement. Different animal!!
Order a couple of sheets of thin ABS plastic from Amazon.\
Cut pieces to layer on the inside of the bags over the crack.
Bond with the cement. That will be a PERMANENT repair.
George in Jersey.
99 Goldwing GL-1500 SE
76 Goldwing Gl-1000
77 Honda CT-90 "Trail 90"
Skeldog
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Motorcycle: 1982 GL 1100

Re: Crack repair

Post by Skeldog »

will do-thanks for the replies i did go there today didn't find straight abs glue but i found abs to pvc glue
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offcenter
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Re: Crack repair

Post by offcenter »

I don't know about the abs to pvc stuff.
Try a plumbing supply store and get abs plumbing cement.

I bought my abs sheets on Amazon.
You can cut it with a jigsaw or table saw or whatever you have.
Then heat the piece til it's soft (wear gloves!) and bend it to follow
the curve of the cracked part. Smear liberally with cement and
stick it over the crack. When the cement hardens, the bag and
the patch will be all one piece, permanently bonded together.
George in Jersey.
99 Goldwing GL-1500 SE
76 Goldwing Gl-1000
77 Honda CT-90 "Trail 90"
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WingAdmin
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Re: Crack repair

Post by WingAdmin »

I get mine from Amazon, this is the stuff I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Oatey-30916-Spec ... ref=sr_1_6
Find This Item on Amazon:
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Corkster52
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Motorcycle: 1999 GL1500 Aspencade
1988 GL1500 (sold 4/17)

Re: Crack repair

Post by Corkster52 »

WingAdmin wrote: Sat Dec 18, 2021 9:04 am I get mine from Amazon, this is the stuff I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Oatey-30916-Spec ... ref=sr_1_6
I strongly agree with WingAdmin's suggestion :!: It's what I have been using for going on 10 years or so now.

This topic has been brought quite a few times in the past, but, basically, if what you are repairing needs to be able to flex use the Oatey 30916. If it is a rigid part that will not see any flexing then other products will work. I've done some buildup work using JB Weld Original with no issues.
Find This Item on Amazon:
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Rednaxs60
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Re: Crack repair

Post by Rednaxs60 »

Skeldog wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 8:13 am Well not being able to inspect my 98 as good as I would have liked before buying it I'm now finding cracks in my saddle bag as well as front fender.I have things stripped quite a bit as I'm replacing the brake pads tires timing belts and such. are there any advances in a quality product that will actually bond well to the plastic the bags fairing etc. are made of?
As has been mentioned, need to use ABS cement and repair sheets - 1/16 and 1/8 inch sheets are good thicknesses. You mention saddlebags and front fender, there are other areas that probably have cracks, nature of the beast being 20 plus years old.

Repaired my 1500 (since sold) in 2020, and from the one repair, left side knee panel:


morphed into a complete paint job - C-19 project, because the repaired/painted panel made the rest of the bike paint job look rather dull - Pearl Glacier White. Finished panel:


Have lots of other pics of repairs/painting. If you are going to repair an area and there are cracks without anything missing such as around bolt holes and such, and are going to paint:


you have to grind these cracks out, down to the base ABS - especially on a white paint scheme, build the area back up with ABS cement and some finish body filler. You can glue/weld a small square piece of ABS plastic on the backside to reinforce the bolt hole area. Otherwise when you paint the cracks will show through. A darker colour is probably more forgiving.

Reinforcing bolt holes on the backside is a good way to prevent further cracking. 1/16 inch ABS plastic sheet is easy to heat and mold to the area.

Good luck
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Skeldog
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Joined: Tue Sep 08, 2020 7:22 am
Location: United States
Motorcycle: 1982 GL 1100

Re: Crack repair

Post by Skeldog »

I did some repair on my 82 1100 but didn't find the right glue -it was a multi purpose that was supposed to include abs. I mixed some acetone with it and while it did set up I wasn't happy with it. I'll look for the right stuff.
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WingAdmin
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2007 Aspen Sentry Trailer
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Re: Crack repair

Post by WingAdmin »

Also check out this video:



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gordonv
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Motorcycle: 1999 GL1500CF
1988 GL1500
1982 GL1100A

Re: Crack repair

Post by gordonv »

As I found years ago when I first found this forum, repairing my GL1100 saddle bags/trunk. It was suggested to cut a piece of 4" ABS pipe in half length wise, and place it on a cookie sheet in the oven at a low temp till it heats up and lays flat. Maybe look for the posts how-to on trunk repair.

Then while still soft, place it in position where you want to reinforce your broken plastic (the bolt holes for the trunk lid rack, spider cracks). After it cools and is rigid again, then you apply it to the part with plenty of ABS glue. Of course, have it cut to size and shape that you require.

There is lots of posts about taking or making ABS shavings, and melting them down with MEK, and making your own glue. You can make your glue thicker by adding more shavings, or thinner with more MEK.
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in2it
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1982 GL1100 (SOLD)
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Past Rides in my youth
1965 Honda C102 50cc OHV Engine with 3spd Auto-Clutch
1972 CB 350
1975 CB 550 4 with Dunstall headers and mufflers
1978 GL 1000

Re: Crack repair

Post by in2it »

I have used Plastex (https://www.plastex.net) to fix and repair broken studs,,, broken tabs and so forth ... if you have a piece that you can copy from you can make a permanent repair


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