Fixing broken tabs on tail cowl

[bert]

I've got three broken tabs on my tail cowl.
I was wondering if there's a tried and true source for replacement plastic stock ("abs plastic?).

I was thinking of cutting a piece of thick plastic out of a milk crate or something and joining it with the tail cowl by melting hot metal (like the shaft of a screw) into it.

[69Falcon]

Plastifix works well, but it isn’t exactly cheap. I’ve been wondering about those hot staples you melt into the backside, if you have cracks.

[Ssnead]

See Parc's thread on using ABS stock to repair cowls - works very well.

[ricksax]

Parc's thread on ABS is the right way. Before I knew about it, I used JB weld, reinforced with fiberglass cloth. It works, too.

I have also reforced cracks in the lower cowl the same way. Sand, clean with acetone, apply fiberglass with either two-part epoxy resin, or JB weld.

[BillnOroville]

Using JB Weld to fix Hawk Cowls

There are pictures in the above post.

[Maritime]

I 3D printed new ones and then used plumbing ABS pipe cement. I worked ok but they were too thin so they broke over the riding season. We just printed new ones 2x as thick and my FIL loaned me one of those hot staple repair guns and we're going to use that and ABS Slurry (Pellets and acetone) to re fix everthing.

[dhotop]

I've successfully repaired two of them using a combination of methods. If you have the broken off pieces, temporarily "tack" them into place with a soldering iron, then use either plastifix to permanently bond them back into place and also reinforce them. Can also use ABS pipe glue, but I personally don't think this makes as strong of a bond. Also, if you have access to MEK, it is a solvent and you can make your own ABS slurry. The key is to get the solvent onto all pieces so it "melts" everything back together. MEK seems to be a stronger solvent than Acetone, imho.

The plastifix solvent, I believe is an MEK derived solvent and it works really well. In one case, I was missing a tab, so used the plastifix mold material to make a mold off one of the others and then used the solvent and more of the powder to fuse it into place. Worked like a charm.

On a somewhat related topic, both of my hawks had the metal part of the bushing installed with the flat part on top of the tab. I don't know if that was the factory installed method or someone flipped them, but seems to me like they should be on the bottom, making contact with the subframe and then the washer w/ the bolt on top makes a sandwich with the rubber isolator in the middle. I could be wrong, but seems like with it on top, its possible to squish the rubber and putting more stress on the tabs.

Not sure if that all made sense, so took a couple of quick pics to show how I reinstalled mine.

[dhotop]

A better picture to show what I was trying to explain (poorly) IMG_3340.jpg

[Ziggy]

The Honda parts diagram shows the flat part of the collar below the tab.

MEK is a chemical you want to avoid for health reasons.
I have had good results using Acetone but use PPE and have good ventilation.

[dhotop]

The Honda parts diagram shows the flat part of the collar below the tab.

MEK is a chemical you want to avoid for health reasons.
I have had good results using Acetone but use PPE and have good ventilation.

Yep, strong stuff. It is banned in California.

Thanks for clarification on parts diagram. I hadn't actually checked that. I just made note of it because my two Hawks both had them installed above the tab.

[Maritime]

IF you go MEK do it outside and still wear a respirator goggles and gloves

[Captain 80s]

The Honda parts diagram shows the flat part of the collar below the tab.

I've built a lot of Hondas, and it is one the few instances Honda did it like that. It's almost always the opposite, shaft of the collar bottomed out on mount, flat is the "washer". Regardless of which way you do it, the rubber isn't any more compressed, it only changes the "height" of what you're mounting by the thickness of collar flat.

Newer VFRs have the front tank mounts with collar on bottom too, and everybody loses their collars down in the bike when they lift the tank up.

[Montessa]

My hack - I cut a piece of PVC plumbing pipe, heated it with a heat gun and shaped it to fit. A couple rivets and some JB plastic weld hold it on to the cowl. It came out ok.