How to Fix Motorcycle Plastic
- 1
Continual vibration can cause this ABS tail piece to crack.motorcycle image by Dragana Petrovic from Fotolia.com
Clean the damaged area thoroughly. Solvent cement requires a completely clean surface in order to bond the plastic together. Motorcycle parts often are covered with grease which forms a barrier between the plastic and any bonding agent (cement) applied to it. Use a mixture of 4 teaspoons concentrated liquid dish washing detergent to 8 ounces of hot water. Scrub the damaged area until the surface is clean. Dry the area with a clean rag. - 2). Sand the damaged area by hand to roughen the surface being cemented. Use 220-grit sandpaper. Solvent cement fuses or melts the plastic together and works better if the surface has a slight texture to it. Wipe the sanded area down with a clean rag to remove any sanding debris.
- 3
Motorcycle fairings can crack after accidentally tipping over.motorcycle image by Goran Bogicevic from Fotolia.com
Apply painter's masking tape to the area around the damage to create a protective border. This border keeps the solvent cement from spilling onto finished areas where it will mar the surface upon contact. If the area being repaired is a painted or finished surface, cover the entire surface with old plastic bags, taped down with painter's masking tape. This ensures that the solvent cement will not come in contact with the finished areas. - 4). Fill the squeeze bottle applicator to the half way point with solvent cement. Gently squeeze the bottle's body between the thumb and forefinger until the cement's level approaches the top of the bottle. Slightly release the pressure and a vacuum is formed. This vacuum keeps the solvent cement from spilling when the bottle is inverted or tipped over during the repair process.
- 5). Apply a thin bead of solvent cement to the damage. It the damage is a crack, apply the solvent cement directly into the crack. If the damaged area is widespread, fuse a piece of scrap plastic to the distressed surface to reinforce the area. Use 1/32 inch-thick ABS, which is flexible enough to bend around curved surfaces. Using scissors, cut a piece of ABS 1 inch larger in all directions than the damaged area. Apply solvent cement to the scrap ABS, let it sit for 10 seconds and then place the scrap onto the damaged area. Apply the patch to the backside of the damaged area to keep the repair from being seen.
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