| Author | Message | ||
     Brokengq |
So we had a thread going a while back about a gentleman who's bike tipped over with the rare side fairings on it. He, along with others who chimed in later, were curious about a fix to get the deep scratches out. I briefly went over a few remedies I use, and as far as I know he managed to get them fixed. Last week I happened across a set of the same rare side fairings for sale for an incredible price, but had the same issue: the bike had fallen over while they were on. I knew that I could repair them, and I figured this time around I would make a brief write-up on how I get large scratches out of my plastics. Materials used: 1500, 2000, and 3000 grit sandpapers (the 3M is most readily available at parts houses) Meguiars (personal brand preference) Ultimate Rubbing and Polishing Compounds, as well as Scratch-X. Paper Towels Car Wash Soap Disposable Cups Microfiber Rags Old beach or bathroom towels A couple of before shots to start This is the bottom of the left side fairing, where the bike made contact with the driveway when tipping over, pretty deep and damn ugly.  This is just above, at the bottom of the opening in the fairing. Mixture of scratches and what looks like filler.  Back side of the opening, deep scratches  Hairline scratch on the pod cover, deep enough to catch your fingernail  Gouges about two inches forward of the hairline scratch above  Find a good work station that you don't mind getting a little wet, and set up the fairing on some old beach towels. I currently have half a panhead motor on my workbench, so I made due with my lap and some old towels for this one. Pour a little car soap in the bottom of your disposable cup, and fill it up with warm water. Bubbles are good, so keep some at the top. Starting with 2000 grit paper, fold the paper and dip it in the soapy water, as I'm sure a lot of you are figuring out, we are going to wet sand. If you already know how to do that, skip on down. Gently working in CIRCLES (ALWAYS CIRCLES) start working in the scratched area, slowly working your way about an inch outside of the scratches. The whole idea is to blend the surface area, so you want to be gradual with your movements outward and even with your pressure on the surface. After a few minutes you should end up with something looking like this:  To get an idea of your progress, take a paper towel dipped in the soapy water and wipe it down. This is the bottom of the fairing (same as the first picture above) after a bit of 2000 and wiped down  Looks a lot better so far. I followed the same steps on the other areas: After bringing the filler down I was able to notice that this was a repaired crack in the fairing...not much to do about that now.  The scratches from the back side of the opening, one scratch turned out to be a rather deep gouge. Not sure which route I'm going to take to repair it yet. If the feedback is positive enough on this I may do a write up of the repair.  The deep hairline scratch on the pod cover area  And finally the gouge marks about two inches forward of the hairline, they are still barely visible to the right of the fingerprint I made in the residue.  So things are looking pretty good! But wait...   Why is my fairing starting to haze up?? Well, that's to be expected. We DID scratch up the surface more with sandpaper, and removed the finish. Just keep following, it gets better. Now provided the scratches are all starting to disappear, we can move on. Sometimes though, we get those finicky ones that just don't seem to get better with the 2000. That's why we bought 1500 also. Using the same steps, sand the areas with the 1500, trying to focus mostly on the scratch and general surrounding area (don't sand a hole through your fairing, and I take no blame if you do.) After, go back and repeat the 2000 grit portion, then move on to the next step below. Following the same steps above, it's time to move on to the 3000 grit. I use TRIZACT paper. It's a lot like foam with a sandy surface. It's actually what professionals use to take that haze off your headlights when they get all cloudy. Now, this stuff is EXPENSIVE ($10 a sheet, $75 for a box of 15 Hook-Its) but WORTH IT. Your bike is your baby, right? Put some coin in it.  Follow the same steps as with the 2000, but gradually working your way about an inch farther out than you did with the 2000. So your next finish should look something like... Bottom  Gouge and Hairline area, the two areas were so close together I decided to combine them to create a more even surface.  Completely clean the working areas with soapy water again, and dry them with a new clean paper towel. Provided everything looks even we can move on to the rubbing compound. Squirt a healthy amount of rubbing compound on your microfiber and start using your elbows. Eventually it will start to appear as if it is "rubbing in" to the surface. Turn to a clean side of your microfiber and wipe it clean. DO NOT let compound dry on the surface. Remember, work the compound in a larger area than the 3000. You want to go about a half inch out of the 3000 grit working area. You should now start to have a reflective surface again. This is the hairline and forward gouge area.  If you see any areas that still have the look and feel of the aftermath of the 3000, hit it again with rubbing compound. It will come out, I promise. Takes a little elbow and a lot of beer sometimes. Bottom after rubbing compound  Crack  Backside gouge  Next, on to polishing! Last step! Polishing works the same as the rubbing compound, but, again, work in a larger area. You always want to increase your working area with each step. This guarantees that you contain all of the last step, and evens the surface along the way. Hairline, Forward Gouge after polishing  And the final product! Ready for the bike!  Hope this helps those in need. Any questions and feedback welcome! Have fun guys. | ||
| Jim2 |
I've heard that colored legos blocks melted in acetone will create a filler that can be brushed into cracks and gouges. Then polished out as described in this good writeup. I've never tried it but have seen similar writeups using legos filler. | ||
| Brokengq |
Sprintst posted this up a few months ago http://www.urethanesupply.com/PlastiFix-Kits-1/Pla stiFix-Kit-Black/ I was thinking of giving it a shot and being the guinea pig for this product. | ||
| Two_seasons |
Most excellent writeup. Pics add depth to your thread! Will this method work with Buell Carbon Fiber? | ||
| Brokengq |
Two_seasons - it actually would depend on who produced the carbon fiber. This method would work for any kind with a clear coat. For instance American Sport Bike carbon is hard pressed fiber layering with no resin layer on top, therefore any sanding you do has a good chance of actually damaging the fiber itself. I personally have never repair carbon fiber like this, but I have performed fiberglass body repairs, and I would venture to say the methods are similar. If the scratch, gouge, or dent is deep enough it would probably need to be filled with an epoxy resin, sanded flush, and polished out. Light scratches may be able to be repaired with a regular rubber/polishing regimen. HTH Chris (Message edited by brokenGQ on July 03, 2015) | ||
| Two_seasons |
Thanks Chris. The reason for my inquiry was my air cleaner (Buell issued carbon fiber ham can on my S2T) broke loose from the breather bango bolts at the heads. It's pretty ugly. hammerperformance.com has them, but for the $$ I would like to attempt a repair myself. The other reason is it would teach my 17 year old son how to do it when he has that problem...some day  I truly enjoy this board. Lots of knowledge and not afraid to share it with others! | ||
| Brokengq |
Do you have a picture of the break? You might be able to do a patch repair. | ||
| Brokengq |
If it's a break or crack you can stop drill the break, sand the surface down (don't worry about fiber damage) and use a carbon fiber repair kit such as http://www.amazon.com/Godzilla-carbonworksTM-Carbo n-composites-repair/dp/B00K0T1JJM The kit contains a spool of carbon fiber, and the necessary components to mix the 2 part epoxy resin to bond it to the surface. After sanding and mixing the epoxy, coat the fiber patch and place it on the area to be repaired. Then place more epoxy over the top and smooth it out. For the next step you will need a vacuum sealing back (such as a Space Bag for storage). Place the entire component inside the bag and vacuum out all of the air. This is what creates a tight bond for the fiber to the component and the epoxy to the fiber. After vacuuming it down placing some weight against the repaired area isn't a bad idea either. Wait 48 hours before you remove the weight and open the bag. After that it's all sanding and finishing. Edit:typo (Message edited by brokenGQ on July 04, 2015) | ||
| Two_seasons |
Not cracked, but a small chunk out and some deep scratches. Thanks for the amazon link. | ||
| Sprintst |
Thank you!! I've got several panels to try | ||
| Brokengq |
Two_seasons you might want to just try patching the surface then to avoid having to do a lot of repair to the existing surface. You can fill the dent with epoxy and patch over it. If done correct nobody would be able to tell. Sprintst you're welcome man. | ||
| Bubba_ |
thanks great write up Broken very helpful  | ||
| Mrlogix |
nice write up, pictures makes it work for me. If the feedback is positive enough on this I may do a write up of the repair. Yes please. | ||
| Brokengq |
I've been doing some research on the Lego thing and may give it a try. Legos are made of ABS which is a thermoplastic polymer similar to that of our fairings. When ABS is mixed with acetone it melts down into a goo that can be easily manipulated. When the acetone evaporates back out of the plastic, the plastic will harden back to full strength in whatever shape you made it in to. The trick is going to be getting the right Lego to acetone ratio for a workable substance. Too much acetone and it'll be like spreading water. Too little and it'll harden before you're ready. Because our fairings are made from the same polymer, the acetone will also melt the fairing and Lego patch together, making them one piece, as opposed to being a filler that sits on top. So far it's looking like it's worth a shot. Like I said the ratio is going to be the hardest part, and not melting the fairing to a point where it can't be fixed is probably also going to be a trick. Probably going to dig into it more next week. If I feel comfortable with it I'll make another write up. | ||
| Sprintst |
Okay, started my project today on a side panel The plastic repair kit shown above is working GREAT. I can't recommend it enough right now. I've tried melting plastic before and was never happy with the results. YMMV, but this plastic kit rocks Give my extensive scratching and gouging, I'm feeling like power tools are going to be needed. I've switched to the 1500, but I've only got a few lighter ones out so far, the deeper ones are better but still showing. Back to work! | ||
| Sprintst |
Well, didn't do too badly for my first try. This panel had pretty extensive scratching, got most of it out. I'll do better on the next one.  | ||
| Bubba_ |
wow looks awesome!  | ||
| Zac4mac |
Very nice write-up. I found all the abrasives in a 3-M headlight restore kit. I tried it on a scratch on a painted part of my RS' Carbon. Meguiar's  The RS' clear coat works easier than the Surlyn parts but they should come out very nice also. Z | ||
| Brokengq |
Sprintst, looks awesome man! I'm going to begin doing some pretty extensive repairs on my side fairings in the next couple of weeks. I'm pretty bogged down with work at the moment, hopefully I free up a bit soon. I installed the new-to-me side fairings last weekend and went for a ride. After a few miles I realized my eyeballs failed me and I didn't gauge the spacing right (using Barker's exhaust). My fairing got a little too close to the header...got a bit of melting  . I have a few ideas to repair it as well. The fairings are probably going to come off for repair and stay off for the rest of the season. I have to rewire my ignition switch for the 3rd time and I'm due for a valve adjustment. Probably just going to save them from damage in the shop and stick them in storage after I fix them. Hopefully going to have a new write up in a few weeks! | ||
| Sprintst |
The plastics repair kit was a god send for fixing some a couple cracks and a broken area http://www.urethanesupply.com/PlastiFix-Kits-1/Pla stiFix-Kit-Black/ | ||
| The_dude |
Just out of curiosity, how much would an undamaged set of fairings be worth? | ||
| Brokengq |
Well they were still sold new up until the beginning of this year for $850. So the eBay market for some still new is going to jump. The used, undamaged fairings are probably worth $500-$600 as a fair asking price. These had minor damage on them so I paid less. I bought from another bueller and would rather not say how much. | ||
| Brokengq |
They were sold years ago used for around $350. If I were to guess the prices are going up. If anyone has the factory part number for them you could probably do some research. I tried to search for it but couldn't find it. | ||
| Sprintst |
Pricewise I'd say your competition is the fiberglass alternatives |
