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what do ya do to fix a broken side cover post?
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If you have the original pieces, glue the post on with super glue. Then build up around the post with super glue and baking soda. The mixture of baking soda and super glue turns rock hard instantly. Go slow and build up gradually around the base of the post. When I lost the first post off one of my side covers I did this with the rest of the posts to reinforce them. The repair lasted nearly 16 years. Good luck.JP
1982 GS1100EZ (awaiting resurrection)
1992 Concours
2001 GS500 (Dad's old bike)
2007 FJR -
also check OLD Q&A forum "Fix those broken tabs posted" by glenn 3/19/02?Comment
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What I did to mine when they came off was to epoxy them back on. Then, after the epoxy had cured, I cut thin strips of fiberglass and epoxied them against the posts at the base to re-enforce the joint. They've lasted 4 years like that and I'm ALWAYS pulling the darned sidcovers off. I'm going to mould some new posts since both covers were missing one each when I bought it, just haven't gotten around to it yet.Comment
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Side cover repair
Let me tell you how I did it. Tried the epoxy repair twice after a time the repairs broke. Went to a hardware store got a couple of large flat washers with 1/4" holes in the center, a 2 inch long 1/4" stainless steel bolt, nut and a cap nut. I put the bolt through the hole in the frame where the side cover peg used to go with the threads pointing outward. Held in place by the flat washers on each side of the hole and tightened into place with a regular nut. I then marked and drilled a hole the size of the bolt threads in the side cover and put the cover on. Held it in place with the stainless steel capnut. It doesn't look bad and easy to remove the cover now and I know it won't fall off. By the way, the covers were still available from Suzuki as of last year. I have a GS1000LN.
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I had excellent luck with this on my old 550, as long as I had the leftover pieces. Watch out for those fumes, though, they are nasty.Originally posted by jpaul
When that didn't work I just drilled a hole and used a panhead screw and wing nut with washersComment
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Mine was mising the post on one side, and had a nasty crack starting to run up the middle.
I took my dremel, ground the edges of the break, and then ground the crack gently to bevel the edges. I did all this on the inside. Then I painted some catalyzed resin on the inside, followed with fiberglass mat. I did this until I felt it was built up enough, and was about two inches around the broken area.
After it cured, I ground it to rough up the glass/resin, then filled it with body filler. A few coats of primer and then paint, it looks awesome!
I just used a tie-wrap to make sure it is secure to the bike, so I don't lose another one!Comment
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A quick fix to repair the post is ABS cement. Just go to the hardware store and get the PVC pipe cement that also works on ABS plastic. I've used it twice now (just don't pull the covers when it's cold - the rubber retainer is too stiff) to repair my left side cover.Comment
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I HAVE BEEN FILING THE TABS ON MY NEW COVERS TO MAKE THEM GO ON AND OFF A LITTLE EASIER--I ALSO BUILT UP THE TABS WITH JB WELD AND HOPE THIS WILL PREVENT THEM FROM BREAKING OFFOriginally posted by jeffmComment
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Beware The Super Glue Suggestion If You Wear Contacts!
I work near a Sheriff's latent fingerprint lab. They use cottonballs soaked in superglue to bring out fingerprints. They place the object (a kinfe for example) in an empty glass receptacle alongside a soaked cottonball. The fumes from the superglue turn the fingerprint oils white.
The kicker: there are warning signs all over the lab instructing people not do do any testing while wearing contacts! The contacts will soak up the fumes and will burn the surface of the eye.
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I'll keep that in mind....next time I;m in a crime lab.Comment
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them cops aint wearing there safty glasses :mrgreen:Comment
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I cut both the tabs off on my side covers, and replaced the plastic with strips of sheetmetel cut to fit, approx 1/4" wide by 3" long, and drilled small holes in the ends and thru the tops of the covers, then used pop rivets to secure the sheetmetel tabs in place and filed down the excess smoothe. As for the small crack that had started, I used model cement, works great and hasn't let up yet. Covers don't flop around on the bike anymore eithor. Hope this helps, Dominick.........Comment
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Cracks can be fixed with a soldering iron.
Both of my side covers were cracked. One had a small crack on the bottom and the other was cracked on the top. The one on top had a tab that cracked off and took a good chunk of the side cover with it. The small crack I used the soldering iron on the back side. I melted the plastic slowly on both sides of the crack and mixed it back together with the tip of the iron. This did warp the cover slightly but since the crack was small its not bad. And I know the crack will not continue to grow. The one with the cracked off piece had to be melted on both sides. The side cover now has a noticable scar on it, but its strong and not too bad. The paint on the cracked area is black and hides the melted black scar from a distance. Im sure it will hold like that till I find a new set of covers or do a new paint job.Comment
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side cover posts
There is a product out there for repairing the flexible bumper covers on automobiles. It comes in a type of caulking gun. Most body shops have it. Using modeling clay to make a number of molded duplicates (usually 1/2 thickness of the posts is sufficient) I formed a number of the longest lengths to cover the variety on the bike. They can be cut to fit later. Let them cure overnite.
If you don't have an easily accessable post to make a mold with, use a 5/16 inch wooden dowel turned down to match one of your good posts. This can be done with an electric drill and a chisel, then finished with various sandpapers.
Once your new posts are molded and cleaned up with sand paper, attach them to the side covers using the same product. Make sure you rough up the spots inside of the covers to give the product a better surface to adhere to.
This method will provide you with an infinate number of replacement posts for future use that will adhere to your covers and not require any drilling or other defacing of them. Since they're made of a flexible material that is very similar in make up, they should be, almost literally, 'good as new'!Comment
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