Cracked plastic- HELP!

[GrandVistaNat]

Hello-
  I just got my GV 250 on Wednesday and managed to take a tumble in my driveway on Saturday. I escapted relatively unscathed but was upset to see that the plastic cracked right near the kickstand. It's only about a less than 1 inch crack and I'm assuming can easily be bonded back together. What I do not know is what should I use that would be heat resistant?

Any help is throughly appreciated!

Thanks,
Natalie

[jprestonian]

Natalie -- Any two-part epoxy will do the job. If it's a clean crack, mix up a small amount of the epoxy, line up both sides of the crack so that it's as invisible as possible on the outside, and apply the epoxy to the back side.
.

[GrandVistaNat]

Thanks...it's a clean crack. Once it's glued, you definitely won't notice it. i mean, it's pretty small and in an inconspicuous place.

Thanks again-
n

[winginman]

Ditto on the 5 minute epoxy.  I have repaired the plastic on MC fairings using 5 min epoxy from Harbour Freight, I would suggest that you use a small piece of fiberglass cloth on the inside to reinforce the patch.  You can buy small pieces of glass cloth at most hobby shops.  Cut the piece the size you need and quickly after you put on the epoxy use your fingers and spread the glass cloth across the patch letting the epoxy work through it. This makes a really strong patch that should not break open if dropped again or flexed taking it on or off.

[Hoolander2]

Here's two cents more.  And don't let any of this scare you.  Mix the epoxy really well with something like a toungue depressor or small slat of wood or plastic.  Do the mixing on somthing disposable like a piece of hard plastic or wood. You can use the same tool you mix with to apply the epoxy. And when they say 5 minute or 2 minute epoxy, they mean it.  You gotta be quick once you're done mixing. 

Also wear some kind of disposable gloves if you're gonna get your fingers in it. Otherwise you'll have set epoxy on you for the next several days at least.  Wear old work clothes and shoes and an old apron if you have one as you can never get set resin out of cloth of any kind.  This may sound silly but resin has a way of getting on things you never intended. 

Lastly, be careful of the epoxy fumes once it is mixed.  Have a fan blowing gently over the work area.  You'll see similar cautions on the epoxy package.

Again, most do it yourselfers don't go to all this trouble and, yes, they still do alright.  I worked with thermosetting resins in large and small volumes for all my career and attended many seminars where the importance of protection was always stressed.

By the way, will you be taking the plastic off the scooter to fix it?

[GrandVistaNat]

No, I won't be taking it off to fix it. It's really a small, small, crack and could probably honestly go without notice but I'm OCD and must fix it. I'm going to try to do it tomorrow since it's supposed to be nice outside. I was just going to pick up some epoxy at auto zone but should probably find some of that cloth also....

Thanks everyone for the tips. I hope it goes smoothly!

[Kimcofan]

Epoxy is AWESOME

[TechGuy]

I saw the fiberglass for sale at my local NAPA store!

[GrandVistaNat]

So I tried to fix it twice and it just keeps coming apart. Even after i've held it in place over 5 minutes it's still coming undone. i had to scrape epoxy off the scoot afterwords too which was super fun. I don't know what to try next. I wonder just how much a replacement panel would be? That's just me being vain.

[zombie]

You have to use 80 grit sandpaper to prep the repair, and alcohol to clean it. I also use 2"wide masking tape on the pretty side to avoid excess running. Without proper prep the epoxy as you found just will not stick.   http://www.stadiumyamaha.com/pages/parts/viewbybrand/default.aspx  These are the goto guys for parts.

[blue]

I have used pvc pipe cleaner and clue befor it melts the plastic back together.

[zombie]

Pretty niffty. I may just give that a try! Sounds like old school model cement...

[GrandVistaNat]

thanks for the website....the part is only 55.00 but i didn't sand so i'm going to give that a shot first before spending 55.00...i mean it's really just me being anal about it. haha. Thanks again!

[Hoolander2]

Sorry GrandVistaNat.    I was kinda afraid of that.  Epoxy repairs can be dirty, difficult jobs for the inexperienced.  It's one of those things where an experienced person can do it in a short time and make it look good and easy.  But we've all seen really junky looking repairs done by inexperienced hands.  Am I right guys?   

You may want to practice on some scrap pieces of something a number of times before trying on your scooter again.  You may go through more than one package of epoxy before getting confident. I know I did. 

Could you post a picture of the damaged part?  Maybe we could make better suggestions from that. 

Do the cracked edges come together perfectly as they currently sit?  Or is there some bending of the edges? These are important questions. If the crack doesn't already line up perfectly, you've got extra work to do before the epoxy job.  Such as possibly heating the area good and warm with a powerful hair dryer or heat gun and trying to coax things back in alignment.  Or finding some clamps n things which will hold both sides in good alignment.

Wipe the back side with denatured or maybe rubbing alcohol, sand, sand, sand, then wipe some more. Then, don't touch the area with bare fingers before applying.  The oil in your skin will act as a separator which can cause the epoxy to not want to stick.  Then do as Zombie says and apply tape to the outside. The preparation always takes much more time than the application and must be immaculate.  See what I mean? 

So,when all's said and done, you may well be better off this time to buy a new panel.  Well, if the repair doesn't meet your satisfaction, you can still always do that anyway.   

LOTS of us are anal about our two wheelers.    Among other things. You are not alone.     

[GrandVistaNat]

Yeah, Im not the handiest of people so this I figured this would take more than one attempt. Had I realized the part was so cheap I would've not spent over 20.00 on other materials. haha. I'm determined to try to fix it one more time and add the sanding, etc into the process. The two pieces fit together almost perfectly i just need to find something to clamp them down with...that will probably help in the process. Thanks so much for all your tips, I do appreciate it. I will try to post a picture of the crack tonight!