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Anyone know how to repair plastics?

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Old Oct 12, 2012 | 05:20 PM
  #1  
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Anyone know how to repair plastics?

I busted the rear hugger at the right side mounts. Anyone know a reliable way to repair it? I tried JB weld but it didn't hold. Would bondo or something of that sort work? I'm spending money on the suspension soon and would rather not spend money on a new hugger.

TIA
Old Oct 12, 2012 | 07:37 PM
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No jb weld, no bondo (bondo is for VERY shallow imperfections before prep work & painting), no fiberglass (fiberglass is for fiberglass). Besides plastic welding I have had super results with this:

Buy Permatex PermaPoxy™ 5 Minute Plastic Weld 84115 at Advance Auto Parts

Make sure you get this one, a similar brand from home depot, etc is too runny. I have used it a ton of times and even made my own new mounting tabs and bonded them with this. When I tested it by bending it the fairing actually broke in another place, so it's plenty strong. Can sand it down and even fill stuff with it. I've even molded small broken pieces with it. It's thick so it's easy to work with. Give it a try I get it at the auto parts store (advance by me). This stuff has become like duct tape for me, I always have a few packages ready to go.
Old Oct 12, 2012 | 08:20 PM
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I laugh at this request.. YET NOT at you asking.. YET____My youngest brother, and father, are probably the WORST Superbike owners -for damage to plastic fairings.
I purchased a ABS plastic welder(SUPER GLUE GUN) is what it really is... This is the proper way to fix plastic...then sand the plastic -and paint,,,
Old Oct 12, 2012 | 08:46 PM
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plastifix
Old Oct 13, 2012 | 05:58 AM
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Way back in the day I used fiberglass resin and fiberglass sheets like you can get in a kit at most local dept stores. Takes a bit of skill and patience but it was stronger than the plastic around it. I was able to repair for strength on the inside and just a skim coat for finish on the painted sign. I am sure newer products like CC is talking about works much better though as this was on my, gulp, 1987 Hurricane 600.
Old Oct 13, 2012 | 08:07 AM
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It really depends on the job you are attempting. The way to fix it for real is with plastic welding. Here are some pics of an SV650 I rebuilt. It is not that hard & glue just cant really compare. If you only have a hairline crack glue is ok.
Attached Thumbnails Anyone know how to repair plastics?-absrepairsv10.09-022.jpg   Anyone know how to repair plastics?-ginavisit10.25.09-048.jpg   Anyone know how to repair plastics?-absrepairsv10.09-012.jpg   Anyone know how to repair plastics?-absrepairsv10.09-021.jpg   Anyone know how to repair plastics?-ginavisit10.25.09-051.jpg  

Old Oct 13, 2012 | 08:10 AM
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Here is how the totalled bike wound up.

I built my own plastic welder out of a soldering iron and bought a 50' roll of abs plastic rod from mcmaster-carr for like $20. This is by a huge margin the best way since you wind up with solid plastic steel mesh reinforced pieces.
Attached Thumbnails Anyone know how to repair plastics?-sv-full-fairing-002.jpg   Anyone know how to repair plastics?-absrepairsv10.09-022.jpg   Anyone know how to repair plastics?-ginavisit10.25.09-050.jpg  

Last edited by smokinjoe73; Oct 13, 2012 at 08:13 AM.
Old Oct 13, 2012 | 09:05 PM
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Thanks for all the awesome replies! Here's what I'm trying to fix:

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It's just the mounting points that are broken. I'd love to try the Permatex poxy just because it's so inexpensive so I figure I could start with that and if needed I'll try the weld kits or plastifix afterwards.
I bought the bike for $2000 so I'm not too worried about it being pretty, just functional. The undertail and pipes are getting blasted with crap from the road.
Old Oct 14, 2012 | 08:27 AM
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All my dirt bike plastics get broken here and there from time to time. Stress cracks around bolt holes etc. Just buy a soldering iron and melt it back together like previous poster mentioned. One of the only Harbor freight items that actually works. If you need plastic filler I just find a part of plastic that is off the piece I am using or the same bike and cut a little off where its hidden and cannot be seen. You can cut slivers off that and melt it into the crack. I like to just "V" the crack with the iron and fill it from behind. Works great and with a little sanding and polishing you can barely see it. You can also weld another piece on top like a gusset to double up on stress prone areas so it wont crack again.
I did my 4 wheeler which the rear fender was broken in half and in about a hour or so it was back together and it hasnt broken since.
Old Oct 14, 2012 | 10:02 AM
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These were fixed with the permatex plastic weld. Came out real nice & the body shop did a great job matching the yellow, which I'm sure isn't the easiest color to match with the flake in it. Obviously real plastic welding is the best fix but I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble if I hadn't had success with this stuff before. Hard to tell from these small pics on here but the paint and bodywork was flawless.
Attached Thumbnails Anyone know how to repair plastics?-500-045.jpg   Anyone know how to repair plastics?-500-037.jpg  

Last edited by captainchaos; Oct 14, 2012 at 10:04 AM.
Old Oct 20, 2013 | 06:05 PM
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ThanX!!!
So much 4 this plastic repair tip.
U saved me $$$ the body shop was going to charge me
To fix the broken tab on my 02 tail piece.
Whatta Gr8 Trik.
Originally Posted by captainchaos
No jb weld, no bondo (bondo is for VERY shallow imperfections before prep work & painting), no fiberglass (fiberglass is for fiberglass). Besides plastic welding I have had super results with this:


Buy Permatex PermaPoxy™ 5 Minute Plastic Weld 84115 at Advance Auto Parts

Make sure you get this one, a similar brand from home depot, etc is too runny. I have used it a ton of times and even made my own new mounting tabs and bonded them with this. When I tested it by bending it the fairing actually broke in another place, so it's plenty strong. Can sand it down and even fill stuff with it. I've even molded small broken pieces with it. It's thick so it's easy to work with. Give it a try I get it at the auto parts store (advance by me). This stuff has become like duct tape for me, I always have a few packages ready to go.
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