Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

I’m looking for suggestions on how to fix the front fairing on my Spree. The crack is in a location where any reinforcement cannot be hidden on the “back side”. I’ve tested a couple different epoxies (JB weld-clear weld and Permatex-plastic welder) on a broken front fender. I roughed up and then cleaned the plastic with acetone before applying the epoxy. It seems to me as though the bond broke fairly easy when I tested the fix but maybe this is as good as it gets? Any suggestions on different products or methods I could use?

After years of trying to find something to repair that type of plastic, the only thing that has worked successfuly for me is to imbed a stainless steel screen "band-aid" into the plastic with a plastic welder. I have two from harbor freight that work pretty good. This process takes a lot of patience and practice, so try repairing on scrap stuff first. Don't over heat. It will distort the back side. Good luck!

Greetings:

From what I can tell, the Spree fairings are made of a type of plastic (Polypropylene? Polyethylene??) that until recently NOTHING could bond except for plastic welding as Otto said. I have heard of (but have not explored...) a new-fangled adhesive that bonds these previously non-stickable plastics, perhaps a search is in order. I'd be willing to bet that the stuff will be expensive, but epoxy and polyurethane resins are hopeless.

otto-man wrote: ↑Sun Feb 23, 2020 10:46 pm After years of trying to find something to repair that type of plastic, the only thing that has worked successfuly for me is to imbed a stainless steel screen "band-aid" into the plastic with a plastic welder. I have two from harbor freight that work pretty good. This process takes a lot of patience and practice, so try repairing on scrap stuff first. Don't over heat. It will distort the back side. Good luck!

Thanks for the insight. Would you mind posting a picture of the plastic welder you had the most success with?
Thanks

Wheelman-111 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 24, 2020 10:06 am Greetings:

From what I can tell, the Spree fairings are made of a type of plastic (Polypropylene? Polyethylene??) that until recently NOTHING could bond except for plastic welding as Otto said. I have heard of (but have not explored...) a new-fangled adhesive that bonds these previously non-stickable plastics, perhaps a search is in order. I'd be willing to bet that the stuff will be expensive, but epoxy and polyurethane resins are hopeless.

I’ll have to look into this. Is the plastic material used in the floor board exactly the same? I’ve got plastic issues.

Thats a pretty sticky spot to repair since the nose cap piece sits in that groove. I would suggest any build-up from the repair be on the inside. Mess up that groove and the nose cap will never sit on there right. Keep us posted on the progress. Ive tried a couple different epoxies and special magical “bonding” compounds with only minimal luck. Some hold longer than others but EVERY single one eventually failed too quickly to deem it a worthy repair.

The one I've had good success with is a "Harbor Freight 80 watt iron plastic welder kit" for $16.99. It has the stainless screen included. Menards and Home Depot also have them. Sorry, for not posting pics (I'm low tech "old school" so loading was a problem). Yes the floor board is the same material. Just remember....Patience and practice. Good luck!

I’m just shopping around for a plastic welder. Harbor Freight doesn’t ship to Canada and I can’t find one under $50 up here. Crazy price for a cheap and simple tool.