Fairing Repair, Replacing Large Difficult Pieces

344 Views 15 Replies 5 Participants Last post by GobertoRoberto, 9 d ago

GobertoRoberto

Discussion Starter · 15 d ago

2

Howdy bros.

I'm waiting for some tools/etc. to arrive so I can run the gambit of new-used bike maintenance on my '09. Also still have a bit of time before taking MSF course too. I'm choosing to take this time to autistically fixate on some of the more cosmetic problems with my bike:

Essentially this is the crux of what I am trying to figure out. A titan for which I am not prepared. A worthy foe.

Blue Motor vehicle Azure Bicycle part Automotive tire

As bad as this looks, you could barely even tell with everything zip tied together. Only the fact that the windscreen was zip tied to the mirror was noticeable.

I do not need assistance or guidance for the large amount of cracks present. They will be dispatched swiftly and efficiently. Even the tabs, a slightly more challenging thing, will not offer me trouble. The issue is the upper chunks of missing fairing to which the fairing must attach to the mirror brackets (essentially part of the cowling bracket), the mirrors need be fixed atop that, and the whole thing must then envelope the windscreen.

Oh yes, might I add that all of this is importantly related to the fixture of the headlamp?!

Hopefully the source of my frustration is becoming more clear. Not to mention the various hard & soft angles and curves of the original pieces that I am crudely attempting to reproduce.

Anybody have advice? Here's some of the method's I've concocted:

Currently the plan is to melt some Lego in acetone, and use the ABS slurry to make the missing pieces. I'm not sure how I'm planning on doing it.
I considered 3D printing the missing pieces, but seems like that would be more trouble than it's worth.
I've considered taking pieces of ABS sheets and forming together.
Using clay to mold the pieces directly onto the fairing, taking the clay and making a mold, filling said mold with ABS slurry.
Creating a sort of bowl reservoir with aluminum tape, dumping a bunch of ABS sludge into it (while the windscreen is attached, taped up) and then sanding/shaping the resulting hunk of plastic.
Fixing the windscreen and mirror to the fairing (taped and protected, of course,) on the frame, and slowly (probably over the course of days or more) painting layers of slurry over one another.
Buying a new Airtech fairing

Will post my progress, my wins, my losses, here in this very thread.

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po18guy

· #2 · 15 d ago

Then again, you can be patient and save an eBay search for a 1994-2009 fairing. Then you need only paint to match.

Ex500D-Can

· #3 · 15 d ago

Yes,...replacement seemed very fair when I was contemplating how to fix mine..(2003, so I hear you per the headlight) and it was not near so bad

otherwise, I am thinking fibreglass versus trying to build an abs factory in your home...use matt to shape first...wax paper is your friend for "release" etc.

GobertoRoberto

Discussion Starter · #4 · 15 d ago

po18guy said:
Then again, you can be patient and save an eBay search for a 1994-2009 fairing. Then you need only paint to match.

Not sure how often they come up.. There's some gen 1 ones for ~200$ + ~50$ shipping, about on par with the airtech ones.

Ex500D-Can said:
otherwise, I am thinking fibreglass versus trying to build an abs factory in your home...use matt to shape first...wax paper is your friend for "release" etc.

I'm sure it's not as difficult as you're thinking. All of those plastifix/plastic weld materials are essentially the exact same process, a solvent to break down the plastic and a powdered or otherwise suspended ABS. Costs less than 5$. Currently melting a bunch of legos in acetone and I'm just gonna kind of wing it. Can't hurt.

Ex500D-Can

· #5 · 14 d ago

By all means try it! but these fairings are probably made with heat. Getting some abs in a sheet form and use heat (a little countertop oven or 2nd best, a heat gun) would be a lot easier than slurrys. And then weld/glue/strengthen however.

Around here I can find a ton of fairings and bits at a scrapyard so that'd be a source of abs

GobertoRoberto

Discussion Starter · #6 · 14 d ago

Ex500D-Can said:
By all means try it! but these fairings are probably made with heat. Getting some abs in a sheet form and use heat (a little countertop oven or 2nd best, a heat gun) would be a lot easier than slurrys. And then weld/glue/strengthen however.

Yea I'm still waiting for the slurry to break down the ABS. Taking forever. I didn't have any shavings or 3D printer filament so I had to use Lego pieces. Turns out the little black + rods are a diff kind of plastic so had to take them out and throw some more in. Went in w/ some needlenose pliers and broke it all down into more bits. Should be speeding up soon.

Ex500D-Can said:
Around here I can find a ton of fairings and bits at a scrapyard so that'd be a source of abs

I have like an entire trash bag full of Lego bricks so I'm set for now.

ridervfr

· #7 · 13 d ago

use MEK not acetone, Legos are bueno, you can do a blue even and it will be like colour matched. I do black and whites to repair little cracks that come around after 30+ years of riding. Good luck, don't breath that chit in either its nasty.

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GobertoRoberto

Discussion Starter · #8 · 13 d ago

ridervfr said:
use MEK not acetone, Legos are bueno, you can do a blue even and it will be like colour matched. I do black and whites to repair little cracks that come around after 30+ years of riding. Good luck, don't breath that chit in either its nasty.

I've been thinking about that.. I'm thinking maybe the pieces aren't ABS or fully ABS because it's been 3 days and they aren't dissolved, just soft enough to crumble apart into pieces. I didn't use the bricks but like the little connector rods and pieces that they attach to. And some bionicle parts. Didn't even think of blue ones. Appreciate the idea.

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ridervfr

· #9 · 12 d ago

I have black and white legos I bought at a flea market, when I do the slury, I cut a few with some ***** (not a alot mind you) then just eyeball the adding of the MEK. Its not a alot, maybe a shot glass or less (pro-tip, don't use the shot glass anymore for human consumption LOL) let it cook, about 2 hours? it should turn into a slury/peanut-butter consistency. Your ready now, do your thing, sometimes it helps to dress the inside of the repair with a dremel.

Once the stuff melts, it can not be used again, AKA adding more MEK to the already made slurry. Good Luck, Peace

ridervfr

· #10 · 12 d ago

ridervfr said:
I have black and white legos I bought at a flea market, when I do the slury, I cut a few with some * (not a alot mind you) then just eyeball the adding of the MEK. Its not a alot, maybe a shot glass or less (pro-tip, don't use the shot glass anymore for human consumption LOL) let it cook, about 2 hours? it should turn into a slury/peanut-butter consistency. Your ready now, do your thing, sometimes it helps to dress the inside of the repair with a dremel.

Once the stuff melts, it can not be used again, AKA adding more MEK to the already made slurry. Good Luck, Peace

They censored the word for a side cutters that are called a "women, who is a shrub scout" you believe that? damn.

Ex500D-Can

· #11 · 12 d ago

GobertoRoberto said:
Yea I'm still waiting for the slurry to break down the ABS. Taking forever. I didn't have any shavings or 3D printer filament so I had to use Lego pieces. Turns out the little black + rods are a diff kind of plastic so had to take them out and throw some more in. Went in w/ some needlenose pliers and broke it all down into more bits. Should be speeding up soon.

I have like an entire trash bag full of Lego bricks so I'm set for now.

No, I mean reshaping an existing piece with heat, not melting to a liquid slurry. Cut a piece out with a saw or hot knife and bend,flatten etc. Trim with saw and file. Weld it on.

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GobertoRoberto

Discussion Starter · #12 · 12 d ago

Has anyone successfully mounted a Gen 1 front fairing (cowling, idk the best terminology for it) to a Gen 2 frame? I would assume a gen 1 stay and some modification would be necessay

yorkie

· #13 · 12 d ago

yes it has, and there are few threads about the subject on the forum.

GobertoRoberto

Discussion Starter · #14 · 12 d ago

yorkie said:
yes it has, and there are few threads about the subject on the forum.

Would you mind helping me out with a link? I've tried searching and couldn't find any useful info, just vague references to it having been done at some point

yorkie

· #15 · 12 d ago

Gen 1 front fairing on Gen 2 | Ex-500.com - The home of the Kawasaki EX500 / Ninja 500R

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GobertoRoberto

Discussion Starter · #16 · 9 d ago

2

UPDATE: The original recipe was a failure, turns out technix/bionicle pieces, like axles (+), rods (o), and the beams they connect to, are NOT ABS plastic. Had me mudda go dig up the old trash bag of bricks, I picked out the oldest ones, (I could tell by the discoloration,) and used them bc they were very brittle and easy to break apart. Took the common ABS slurry recipe: (50ml acetone + 20g ABS) and added an extra 5g per part ABS. The actual Lego bricks dissolved into a sludge almost instantly, gave it a day to fully goopify, and it turned out great.

http://imgur.com/a/ee1WJVN

The new recipe is a great success.

Dishware Automotive tire Tableware Paint Serveware

Starting to get to work on the actual fairing. Will update further as I go.

Hood Azure Paint Automotive exterior Fender

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