Fairing Repair Questions

[Stark]

I'm buying a wrecked spare set for my GSX-R with the intention of teaching myself how to do this, and was wondering if you soimeone with some experience could answer a few questions:

(1) I'm pretty sure the plastics on the '01 GSX-R are ABS plastics, not fiberglass ... is it a problem to use fiberglass to repair it, however? The articles I've found at Sport Rider's website (http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_9510_hand/) seem to imply that's ok, but then again they have an article on repairing ABS differently and no explanation of the benefits of doing it one way or the other. I've also seen other places where people recommend using some sort of plastic welding.

(2) Assuming fiberglass would be ok, the article from Sport Rider says is "Now take the pieces of fiberglass cloth and carefully place them in the desired area." When doing this, how do you know how many pieces to use? Are you supposed to use enough to mimic the width of the original plastics?

Thanks,

-Rich

[Nick_Ninja]

Call Pete Fitzsimmons at CO Powersports. He is the paint and body guru.

303-442-4772

http://www.copowersports.com/miscpage_004.asp?sid=03597681X8K5K2004J11I54I20JAM Q579R0

[Stark]

Thanks for the suggestion ... I got an email response from him today which helps a lot, going to post it here in case someone is searching for the same answer someday:

"Plastic welding is definetly the best way to repair ABS bodywork, it works just like welding metal, only using ABS rod and a specifically designed hot air torch to melt the materials together. Unfortunately, you're looking at a couple hundred dollar investment in tools and welding rod. The downside to fiberglassing ABS bodywork is that it only forms a mechanical bond not a chemical bond, so it will eventually seperate since the two materials have different flexing characteristics. There are a few plastic repair products that do form a chemical and mechanical bond, and could even be used with fiberglass cloth if needed. McGuckin's carries a product called "Plast-Aid" that works pretty well. Some motorcycle shops may still carry "Plastex" which is very similar."

[Desmo]

Hey man, if you have the time and want to do it yourself.. you need to weld the plastics. All you need is the broken ones; hopefully you have all the pieces. You then need to get a hot welding iron and start to weld the pieces together, you might need a spare piece of plastic to use as fill. The objective is to melt the broken pieces together if done correctly they will be strong as new.. After you weld all the plastics together you will need to sand and paint..