I searched around the internet and here, and have not been able to find out what kind of plastic the stock oem fairing are made of. does anyone know?

I'm planning on fairing them out with some sort of compound such as epoxy or polyester but I need to know what kind of plastic they are before I can.

 

I have no idea; did you look for any sort of stamp on the back sides of the plastics?

 

I don't remember what they are, but I can tell you from about 30 years around bikes including around 22 in a shop, no solvent will melt it like any glue and virtually nothing sticks to it as far as epoxies. The only way to work with it is to weld it, but even that has far lower strength than the molded material itself.

We learned this from working with the ATV fenders over the years from the start back around 1982 in the shop where I was.

You would almost be better off to make a mold of them, reproduce it in fiberglass, then modify that material.

 

ah thanks for the idea I will look at the stamps.

My idea is to just fill in nicks and scratches so I can vinyl over the fairings without getting all the scratches so I dont need it to be very structural.

 

Most dirt bikes use HDPE, which is usually embossed somewhere on the part.


I had to re-attach a few pieces on an expensive KTM faring a few years ago, Tap plastics carries a product for joining HDPE.
http://www.tapplastics.com/product/r...d_adhesive/435


Do a search for HDPE glue, lots of info out there..
Example-

 

I would like to see how it bonds with a butt joint on those two pieces then put a bit of bending stress on the joint. Or bond a split ATV fender. If it can bond along that 1/4" thick seam then go out and get pounded again I will then be impressed.

 

Hypnofrogs,

JB Weld sticks to it.

I don't know the specific plastic, BUT I have repaired a cracked/split radiator shroud on the KLX with JB Weld and some mesh to reinforce it. (Regular JB, not the fast dry or 5-minute stuff.)
I believe JB Weld is an epoxy. I can also say that the repair has stood the test of time also as I made the repair about two years ago and have marred up that same shroud from many falls since then!

Good luck and God Bless,
TC

 

Show me kinda guy?
Buy some and try it, about the only way you'll really know.


On the faring's I repaired, I backed up the butt joints on inside with fiberglass tape, same stuff drywall tapers use.
Bikes' been to the top of Alaska and back, with several crashes along the way.. still holding...

 

You are talking the soft "unbreakable plastic" used on virtually every off roader since Preston Petty made his first fender, right?

I don't have any broken plastic at the moment.

 

Yep, same stuff.
I used to replace my steel CZ fenders with Preston Petty units, jeez, that was a long time ago...