Inexpensive Plastic Mending
I just bought this CBR 600 F3 used. I trailered it home and began to assess what needed to be done. The rear section consisted of a hideous aftermarket race tail. It was very ugly and I had to get rid of it. Ron Ayers wanted $100 each plus ship for the side panels and I did not want to go that route. I found some slightly damaged parts on eBay for about $25 each. Both sides had a crack that went all the way through so I figured I would go the cheap way out and mend the panels using Epoxy. I don't own a plastic welder but if I did that would most likely be the method I would have used. Anyway, here is what I did.
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The items you will need for this repair are 1) Epoxy... I chose one that was fast setting and waterproof that would work on plastic. 2) Duct Tape... I used red cause that is what I had. 3) Metal strapping... I also had this lying around in my garage. You should be able to find it in any hardware store. 4) Dremmel rotary tool or coarse sand paper. I like the Dremmel and I already had one. 5) C-clamps... to hold the straps in place while the glue dries. Vice grips might work too. The first thing I did was use the duct tape to tape the crack from the outside. This will keep the crack from opening up while you are working and gluing.
Once the outside was taped I flipped it around and started working on the back. I used the Dremmel tool to rough up the back on either side of the crack. This could also be done with coarse grit sand paper. This should help the Epoxy adhere to the surface.
Then I took the roll of metal strapping and cut off a strip long enough to go the length of the crack. I bent it into the shape of the curve of the tail piece. I then used the Dremmel to rough the back of the strap. Once it was nice and rough I test fit it again dry and made sure that the curves matched exactly to the tail piece and that it would lay flat on the plastic.
Once I was sure that the strap was the right shape, I started mixing the Epoxy. It came in a two part syringe tube that equally dispenses the resin and hardener. I mixed enough to do the job on a small piece of card board. I used some popsicle sticks that my kids had lying around for crafts. Once it was mixed I spread some on the fairing and some on the back of the strap. I let is dry just a bit then I put the strap onto the fairing and used C-clamps and a pair of vice grips to hold the strap down securely while the Epoxy dried. I used a bit of duct tape on the surfaces of the tools that might contact the epoxy so that they would not be glued to the surface. The tape made it easier to remove the tools. Let the epoxy dry for 24hrs. Once the glue dried the bond was tight and the repair was solid. Take the duct tape off and mount the plastic on the bike.
Of course if I had a choice I probably would have plastic welded it, but again I don't have access to one and this was a lot cheaper. For two fairly large cracks I used less than half a tube of epoxy. It cost about $4.50. The rest of the stuff I had lying around the garage. Now this fix is only structural. It is not cosmetic. You can still see the crack from the outside, I am not sure what you would do to conceal the crack from the outside once you are done. I am not worried about it cause I will be using it as a track bike and the finish I will be putting on will most likely hide the crack well.
I hope this has been helpful for you.
