Side Cover Repair
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- Coyote
- Moto GP
- Posts: 3404
- Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 2:41 pm
- Country: USA
- Suzuki 2-Strokes: GT550x2, GT750, GS1000
- Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Side Cover Repair
! have a side cover that is cracked on the tab that accepts the screw. I tried to repair it once with super glue but it didn't hold. The hole itself in not cracked but the part that encompasses it is. About half way around the hole. What' my best shot at fixing it? It's a 74-77 380/550 cover. The plastic seems to be impervious to everything.
Last edited by Coyote on Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
I was born with nothing and still have most of it left.
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1978 GS1000C
1976 GT550 ongoing money pit.
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1978 GS1000C
1976 GT550 ongoing money pit.
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- Around the block
- Posts: 61
- Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:10 am
Re: Side Cover Repair
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUZUKI-74-GT-55 ... 35b7a438a6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
just buy this one, its cheap and in good shape. it will save you the hassel of trying to fix yours over and over again
just buy this one, its cheap and in good shape. it will save you the hassel of trying to fix yours over and over again
- Coyote
- Moto GP
- Posts: 3404
- Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 2:41 pm
- Country: USA
- Suzuki 2-Strokes: GT550x2, GT750, GS1000
- Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Re: Side Cover Repair
I screwed up. It's the left side.
I was born with nothing and still have most of it left.
.
1978 GS1000C
1976 GT550 ongoing money pit.
.
1978 GS1000C
1976 GT550 ongoing money pit.
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- On the main road
- Posts: 136
- Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 4:39 pm
Re: Side Cover Repair
I've never had luck gluing cracks together. I used to ride with a guy who ran a business repairing fairings and he taught me a different technique that has really worked well for me on several bikes. He used a plastic welder, but I've had the same results with just a soldering iron.
Here were the cracks I had in my T500 side cover:
The first step is to get some screen material from the hardware store. Lay the mesh over the damaged area on the INSIDE of the panel then lightly press against it with a hot soldering iron. The mesh will sink into the plastic and provide a great deal of reinforcement. Here's a pic of a piece of the screen material and you can see where I've already melted a square into the cover:
Once you've reinforced the crack, use the soldering iron to "weld" the crack together on the outside of the panel. If you have any scrap fairing pieces around you can use the material as a "welding rod" to fill the crack and damage. Weld, sand, repeat until you've closed up the crack and have the panel ready for prime and paint. These pics are of the repair in progress, I forgot to take a pic of the completed repair prior to primer.
A few years ago I picked a fight with the rear end of a pickup truck while on my VFR750...I lost:
Repairs in progress using the previously described method:
Finished repair in primer:
Completed repair:
Here were the cracks I had in my T500 side cover:
The first step is to get some screen material from the hardware store. Lay the mesh over the damaged area on the INSIDE of the panel then lightly press against it with a hot soldering iron. The mesh will sink into the plastic and provide a great deal of reinforcement. Here's a pic of a piece of the screen material and you can see where I've already melted a square into the cover:
Once you've reinforced the crack, use the soldering iron to "weld" the crack together on the outside of the panel. If you have any scrap fairing pieces around you can use the material as a "welding rod" to fill the crack and damage. Weld, sand, repeat until you've closed up the crack and have the panel ready for prime and paint. These pics are of the repair in progress, I forgot to take a pic of the completed repair prior to primer.
A few years ago I picked a fight with the rear end of a pickup truck while on my VFR750...I lost:
Repairs in progress using the previously described method:
Finished repair in primer:
Completed repair:
- Coyote
- Moto GP
- Posts: 3404
- Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 2:41 pm
- Country: USA
- Suzuki 2-Strokes: GT550x2, GT750, GS1000
- Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Re: Side Cover Repair
Wingspan. I appreciate the photo essay. Seems like you had that posted once before. Man I wish I could post photos now that my very usable web space is gone. I joined Photobucket but I have yet to figure out how to use it. I have tried several times, but all I get is a little square box. I'm not talking about the typical black box with the red X in it. This is very different. It's small, square and looks like hieroglyphics. Any pointers?.
I was born with nothing and still have most of it left.
.
1978 GS1000C
1976 GT550 ongoing money pit.
.
1978 GS1000C
1976 GT550 ongoing money pit.
-
- On the main road
- Posts: 136
- Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 4:39 pm
Re: Side Cover Repair
I've never used photobucket. I keep my stuff on Smugmug.
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- Road race school
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- Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:15 pm
- Location: Allen, Texas (Dallas)
Re: Side Cover Repair
Chris,
Run your cursor over the photo you want to post up, a box appears under your photo with link options, Click the Words or Link IMG CODE, paste that link in the message box (where you reply) on the forum and you should be good to go.
As a test you can paste each link on the forum and you will see what each link does.
Run your cursor over the photo you want to post up, a box appears under your photo with link options, Click the Words or Link IMG CODE, paste that link in the message box (where you reply) on the forum and you should be good to go.
As a test you can paste each link on the forum and you will see what each link does.
Terry
Maybe poker's not your game, Ike. I know! Let's have a spelling contest~
74 Suzuki GT750 / 74 Suzuki T500 / 75 Suzuki GT380 / 97 & 01 Honda Magna / 03 Kawasaki KX250 / 01 Yamaha WR250F / 03 Yamaha TTR 125L
Maybe poker's not your game, Ike. I know! Let's have a spelling contest~
74 Suzuki GT750 / 74 Suzuki T500 / 75 Suzuki GT380 / 97 & 01 Honda Magna / 03 Kawasaki KX250 / 01 Yamaha WR250F / 03 Yamaha TTR 125L
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- To the on ramp
- Posts: 319
- Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:31 am
- Location: Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania
Re: Side Cover Repair
I fixed the fairing on my ZRX with plain old ABS cement you'd use for plumbing. V out the crack a bit and brush on cement. That fiberglass screen would probably be good insurance too.
2000 ZRX (the green ones are fastest)
72 GT750 (almost done)
73 RV 125
72 RV 90 X 2
Now proudly displaying membership number 91 in the Ugly Fat Old Bastards Motorcycle Club.
http://www.ozebook.com/cpotw/documents/register.html
72 GT750 (almost done)
73 RV 125
72 RV 90 X 2
Now proudly displaying membership number 91 in the Ugly Fat Old Bastards Motorcycle Club.
http://www.ozebook.com/cpotw/documents/register.html
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- To the on ramp
- Posts: 362
- Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:18 am
- Location: Calgary, Canada
Re: Side Cover Repair
Hey Chris.
The best plastic fix material I've found, is Devcon Plastic Weld. Available at most auto part stores. It's a two part epoxy material, but made specifically for plastic. The stuff I've used it on, has stayed fixed. Cheers.
Fred
The best plastic fix material I've found, is Devcon Plastic Weld. Available at most auto part stores. It's a two part epoxy material, but made specifically for plastic. The stuff I've used it on, has stayed fixed. Cheers.
Fred
Suzuki GT 750s
Ducati 750 GTs
2007 Duc 1000 GT (the clone)
2002 V Strom 1000 (lives again)
Suzuki RE5s
CBXs (18 cylinders, 72 valves)
Ducati 750 GTs
2007 Duc 1000 GT (the clone)
2002 V Strom 1000 (lives again)
Suzuki RE5s
CBXs (18 cylinders, 72 valves)
- oldjapanesebikes
- Moto GP
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Re: Side Cover Repair
I found this useful - and also have found the tie wrap trick actually seems to work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7GRNvPSf7k" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7GRNvPSf7k" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ian
If at first you don't succeed, just get a bigger hammer !
If at first you don't succeed, just get a bigger hammer !