Kawasaki Z900 Side Cover Repair

Has Anyone Repaired a Side Cover that is missing a mounting post. Is their anyway to fab a new one and glue it in place. Thanks for anyones help.

I never boke one but here is some advice. If you still have the tab, what to do is get some epoxy and glue a bracing behind the tap. I will try to do a little illustration for you. I don't know how your tabs are designed but thats how it is on my 2 bikes, both Kz's

the illustration

Go to the hardware and buy some stuff called Mortite. It is models clay. Epoxy doesn't stick to it. Use it to build a dam around the area where you want the new post to go. Whittle or form a replacement post out of a wooden dowel. You might make it a tad longer and then drill a hole in it and use the hole to safety-wire the whole side cover but that isn't really part of your question. Then put the dowel in place and super glue it to the cover in the place where the old/broken post was located. You may have to clean this spot up by grinding it down to flush. Anyway, here is where you build the Mortite dam around the area. Buy some VERY SLOW cure epoxy. The best source is from a golf club supply shop. Use shafting or face insert epoxy as these are two of the strongest you can use. Mix the epoxy according to their directions on the container then pour into the dam. Let it cure for at least 24 hours. You might want to spray the wooden dowel with acrylic enamel afterwards to ensure that the wood doesn't deteriorate quickly. I have used this method to fix broken posts in the past and the repair is far stronger than the original plastic.

Two sources for the epoxy are Golfworks and Golfsmith; do a google search. They both carry very very strong epoxy. Shafting epoxy must be very strong as it is the ONLY thing that holds a golf club head onto a shaft and resists torsion and impact stress well.

Post edited by: wiredgeorge, at: 2007/01/26 08:52

The side covers are ABS plastic. You can effect a good strong repair by wetting some fiberglass fabric in black ABS pipe cement and bedding or encasing the stem of the mounting tab. It's easier to buy a similar side cover and harvest a tab rather than making one of your own.

KZCSI

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Hey wiredgeorge, just curious about the golf club epoxy.
How long is the cure time for it? Is it clear?
I'm a big fan of JBWeld, but it's grey. I'd sure like to find a clear epoxy that's as strong or stronger.

I have had good results using epoxy for model aircraft construction, it's pretty cheap and you can get it at any hobby store. they have it in 5 15 20 30 60 min cure times. I used it to glue wooden dowels to my fiberglass sidecovers I made for my kl, and then glassed them in...worked beautiful..make sure to coat the dowel with epoxy or resin as mine got worn over time and I lost one goin down the road from a wind gust

a few years ago I was looking on the net for faring repair, found few couple of people that did plastic repairs on bikes, the stuff looked great, they have the right materials to do it right, the price wasnt bad either

G.T. Motorspors makes Plastex repair kits.

www.plastex.net

Their tech kit is a little over $100 but it gives you everything to mold and repair plastic and fiberglass bike parts. You can even mold a whole new plasic retainer using an existing one as a template.

If I remember correctly they have a demo tape or DVD as well. They show up all over the country at different bike shows.

Hope this helps

Post edited by: CoMIYC, at: 2007/01/29 20:16

Post edited by: CoMIYC, at: 2007/01/29 20:17

:woohoo:

Hey good news.

I just double checked the link since I had never been on their web site and they have announced a price reduction!

The kit I bought Master Tech Kit is only about $65! and their shop kits are only around $100. That's alot cheaper than a platic welder :woohoo:

Okay so I like a deal even though I paid more :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Post edited by: CoMIYC, at: 2007/01/29 20:26

Golf club epoxy is clear and can be shaped/sanded after it cures. Shafting epoxy is 24 hours where it can be worked and a couple days for full cure. They have stuff that cures faster but the slow cure is stronger.