OK, I have had fun riding in the cold weather and plowing what little snow we have had so far. I had a small mishap with a tree and the cold plastic of my fender cracked instead of flexing as it does when it is warm. So my question to the good riders of this forum is: can it be fixed or do I have to buy a whole new front end? Thank you in advance for the help I know is to come.

Phil

 

I have had some limited sucess with plastic welding but it does not seem to be a permanent repair in most cases. If the crack is not in a very conspicuous place use a small aluminum plate to bridge the crack on the back side and rivet it on. Only the rivet heads will show on the outside. Then you can plastic weld the crack if you want. If you want it to look perfect the new plastic is about the only permanent fix!

 

There is another way but it will look like Frankenstein,,,,
drill small holes along the crack equally spaced and holes on other
side of the crack parrallel to holes drilled first. Get some zip ties
try and match color,put through holes and pull tight. this will keep
plastic from flopping around. Remember try to get zip ties to fit snug in the holes for neatness..small ties in big holes makes it stand out more...

 

go to an auto body supply store, there are different types of adhesives that can be used. i have used products made by SEM, they worked excellent for auto plastics. rob

 

If you go the zip tie route you can take the clear ties and make you a dye of food coloring and cook the ties(you have to experiment with color combos to match the one you want)

 

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I found a local dealer that has a repair kit for about $30. He says he has had good results with it, I have to take a look at the kit to see if it uses adhesives to make the repair. I have done some research on the net and found because of the oil in the plastic most glues won't stick. The cost for a new fender is $195 + $60 for S&H ouch. I will let you know what method I use and how well it worked. Thanks again for all the help.

Phil

 

hey all i have repaired two atv fenders they were on hondas i used what they call a petex stick you buy them at any snowboard or ski shop you can use a hand torch to heat up the petex a person should practice a bit before working on the actual fender the petex retains heat so you have to be careful not to stay in the same spot too long i repaired mine 3 years ago and it is still holding, the nice thing about the petex it comes in diferent colors and the price is minimal hope this helps out