Repairing a bellypan.

[Dave20046]

..I've got a bellypan that's in about 3 bits, and at £50+ for a crappy bit of plastic I'd rather just have a cack looking repaired one.

Does anyone know what's going to be best to repair it with? I've got filler (smoother and bridging compund) and that was my initial plan but I've since thought it might crack. Would I be best with fibreglass or something. Anyone have any advice on the best product to use/where to buy it from/and how to use it?

Cheers

[johnnyrod]

If you've bashed it to bits, you need to either stick a load of new fibreglass mat across the joints in layers, or you can go for the industrial look and just rivet thin sheet sto make the joins. Filler won't do anything without a structure to hold it. To be honest you'll be half way to £50 in stuff and it'll still look crap.

[Dave20046]

If you've bashed it to bits, you need to either stick a load of new fibreglass mat across the joints in layers, or you can go for the industrial look and just rivet thin sheet sto make the joins. Filler won't do anything without a structure to hold it. To be honest you'll be half way to £50 in stuff and it'll still look crap.
infact, fair point + filling it and spraying it. Only expected fibreglass to be like a fiver. I'll have to have a quick peak at where to buy them - any recommendations? Then I'll weigh up whether it's worth repairing or replacing.

It's in about 3 large chunks at the moment.

[Dave20046]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DR265-BELLYPAN-BELLY-PAN-SUZUKI-SV650-SV-650-BRAND-NEW_W0QQitemZ310112607158QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Mot orcycle_Parts?hash=item310112607158&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

Seen those for about £50 but they look a lot cheaper than the one I had. Might have to post a pic to see if anyone can identify my old one. Pyramid rings a bell.

[yorkie_chris]

Is it plastic or fibreglass?

[Dave20046]

Plastic I think.
Not exactly how you can tell the difference though only time I've knowingly seen fibreglass is on a lid. Is FG thinner with a different texture?

[yorkie_chris]

Look for displaced fibers around the edge of the break, fibreglass tends to break with a slightly rough edge, plastic with a smooth sharp edged fracture. Usually.

You can weld plastic, fibreglass will just need more fibreglass.
A fibreglass repair will add a lot of weight, but since you're adding some extra weight for no gain anyway I doubt this will be an issue to you...

[Dave20046]

Look for displaced fibers around the edge of the break, fibreglass tends to break with a slightly rough edge, plastic with a smooth sharp edged fracture. Usually.

You can weld plastic, fibreglass will just need more fibreglass.
A fibreglass repair will add a lot of weight, but since you're adding some extra weight for no gain anyway I doubt this will be an issue to you...
It's plastic then I think.

How can you weld it? As in melt it together with a lighter??

:p, meh it's for aesthetics what can I say I'm ashamed of myself. They weigh barely anything anyway (or this one did). I could easily counterbalance it by going for a **** before getting on the bike

[James SV]

What i would do if its a plastic repair,is firstly super glue the pieces together, then etch into the plastic with some course sand paper on the inside (not visible side) then fibreglass it over where you have etched. And then on visible side use filler in the cracks. Smooth it all down and respray.
James

[yorkie_chris]

Melt the back of the joint with a soldering iron and add some cable tie as filler rod.

[Dave20046]

Both sound decent ideas I don't know which one to try :confused:

Is the welding method as hard as it sounds chris?

[yorkie_chris]

Piece of pi$$. Of course so long as you don't use so much heat that you melt through to the front then you can make as much of a pidgeon $hit weld as you like. Of course for extra security you could then sand it a little and fibreglass it too. The easiest to use is probably fibre reinforced stuff from "plastic padding"

[James SV]

You can get a fibreglass kit in halfords quite cheap and good quality stuff :)

[Dave20046]

Cheers guys think I'll try the welding then if at first I don't succeed....fibreglass the **** out of it.

Bit off topic (oops) but while I'm doing stuff to the bike does anyone know if halfords sell red rubber grease (incase my local motrfactors don't)?

[yorkie_chris]

I dobut either will stock it TBH. I had to get mine from MGOC

[Dave20046]

Thanks for you help guys
Will post how I get on (await disastorous photos)

[Dave20046]

hmm 50% success 50% massive fail.
The good thing is it worked beautifully - pi$$ easy, downside I'm missing a chunk that cracked up. I'll post a pic see if you guys reckon it's possibly to patch up. I'm not massively bothered about finish it's just to fill the ugly gap at the bottom of my bike aslong as the rough shape's there at a glimpse I'm not too bummed

[yorkie_chris]

Get a rough shape with some cardboard sections, clingfilm it, fill it from behind with plastic padding, sand it over and spray it.