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Tab Broken- Can It Be Repaired?


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This plastic piece broke off after hitting a particularly bad pothole. It's there any way to repair this? I can't imagine adhesive of any kind would be strong enough. Ideas? BTW it's the rear cowling.

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I've not used this, but have seen people talk about it working well for them.

 

https://www.polyvance.com/PlastiFix-Kits-1/2503/

 

Legos are also ABS plastic.  I've used it to fill scratches in my sidecases (dissolve it in acetone) - works great.  Can be used to reinforce the plastic or as a filler.

 

You can look on youtube and find lots of videos on welding plastic.  There are special tools made for it, tho I suspect you might be able to use a soldering iron if careful. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/plastic-welder/s?k=plastic+welder

 

If you use Legos, you can sand it to a paintable finish and get some spray paint from Colorite and I doubt you'd ever see the repair. 

 

Best of luck with it.

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Thank you. Since it's not visible won't have to worry about beauty, just durability.

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6 hours ago, interceptor69 said:

Thank you. Since it's not visible won't have to worry about beauty, just durability.

 

If you go the Lego route  (shout out to DannoXYZ for that suggestion), you can form some aluminum foil over a small cylindrical object to make an expendable cup - 3 or so inches in diameter will be plenty. I used the end of the handle on my floor jack. 1 or 2 of the smallest blocks should get the job done,  add a bit of acetone and wait a bit, I used a wood stir stick to mix it around.  Add just enough acetone to get to a peanut butter consistency.  Then get the repair parts softened just a bit with acetone so they'll bond to the slurry.  Apply and rig some way to retain the parts in place until the acetone evaporates. Sand as necessary to fit.   Should be strong as new.  Practice bonding Lego blocks together 1st will help get just the right mix of legos and acetone.

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I ordered a Polyvance kit off eBay.  Hope this works but if the stresses that broke it the first time are present it will likely break again.  Thanks for the suggestions.  The Lego solution appeals to me as terribly clever but I don't have a Lego or acetone, although I could get both.  I'll try the kit first and it that doesn't work I'll go the Lego route.  Thanks again.

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You’re going to be better off with some 1mm ABS sheet to make a support for snapped part, then use ABS pipe cement from Lowes


The sheet is easily heat formed if you want to increase the area to cement together 


 

 

 

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Thanks for the suggestion.  I will try that if the Polyvance repair doesn't hold.

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I wonder if anyone has successfully replaced the tabs on any seat cowl?  I bought a red one for my 2002 and it was advertised on eBay as not broken.  Sure enough, it was actually plastiwelded and broke right away 😕

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Odd, must be poor plastic-welding job. Post some photos? Laying up some re-inforcement sheet layers sounds like good idea.

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11 minutes ago, DannoXYZ said:

Odd, must be poor plastic-welding job. Post some photos? Laying up some re-inforcement sheet layers sounds like good idea.

To be fair, the 5th gen and 6th gen are different problems so OP should have an easier time.  Just how the 6th gen tab is constantly flexed a little to get over the button...I think it's made to fail eventually.

 

I'll have to dig it out of the "parts closet," I plan to try to fix it myself just also don't desperately need the cowl.  Pretty sure someone tried to fix it by just slathering JB Weld or something on both aides.  Been thinking of painting a carbon fiber one from MDI instead as a final solution, but gotta complete my fuel system and everything else before I get to that!

 

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I've used Plastex for similar repairs.  Works pretty well, but you need to think a bit differently to glue.  It's strongest when the original part and the new "plastic" are mechanically as well as adhesively connected.  To do that, you can drill small holes in the existing parts you're joining on either side of the join.  Then the Plastex is flowed into these and across the join.  Fairing tabs is a an example use case Plastex show.   They show how you can mould a new one (rather than just attaching a broken piece).  The kit comes with a little reusable moulding stick. Heat in some hot water, mould around a spare tab and then fill with the Plastex once it's cooled.

 

I've also used milliput to repair where some brass thread inserts fitted in a headlamp moulding and had broken off (different bike).  Fiddly, but a strong repair which was almost invisible after a spray of Plastidip over the repair to match colour and texture better.

 

Just been using JB Weld to repair some lawnmower bits.  More difficult to use as it's runny when first mixed.  I found I needed to set an alarm and keep checking after 2 hours, 3 hours etc and reshaping as it became more viscous/solid.  No idea how it will stand up yet, but I managed to repair a plastic part which had self-tapping screws in.  Was able to pilot drill and file sand the JB Weld as needed.

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