| |
Cosmetic Surgery for your Motorcycle |
|
|
File under Tips/How To
Author: Ricardo Kuhn
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Comments:
|
|
A good friend, Ricardo Kuhn from Motomacondo, has shown an easy and cheap way of doing cosmetic surgery on your motorcycle if you've banged up the plastic on your motorcycle.
Ricardo should know what he's talking about... he often participates in off-road challenges using the most unappropriate motorcycles ( a bit like racing the Dakar with a Hayabusa)....And on top of that, he's a motorcycle design artist (check out his site {link}).
When you break the plastic bits on your bike, your only alternative is to replace them - often at very high costs. Ricardo's way can be done efficiently, and you can ride around showing the scar with this badge of honor...
The only thing you'll need is a power drill, pliers, safety wire (the thinner, the better) and your hands. No glue is needed !! Just patience.
Here's how Ricardo describes the surgery:
1. First you start by drilling the holes, usually about 1/4' (5-6mm) apart and with another hole in the same place on the other side of the crack, leaving again about a 1/4' just in case the wire wants to pull through it..
2. Make the holes with a drill bit about 20-25% bigger than the safety wire that you'll be using (since the wire sometimes is not perfect and may have knobs). Obviously the least thick the wire gauge, the easier it is to accomplish this procedure.
3. Cut about two feet long wire, since any longer gets to difficult to keep without bending.
4. Insert the two sides of the wire from the bottom of the broken piece, at equal distance like you will do with shoe laces.
5. Then bring the wire to one side, spinning it about 5 times.
6. Then one of the wires goes down into the back of the plastic resurfacing on the other side of the crack were the other wire will go and meet it from the top.
7. Then again you spin it 5 times and you repeat again and again until you get to the end of the part.
8. If the crack does not go all the way to the end of the plastic, it is a good idea to drill a "Stopper" hole at the end of it (make sure it is at the very end), that way the crack will not spread any further.
Hints & Tips
1. Ricardo likes to start from the side that is visibly the closest, since this is the place with the most probability to scratch you. This way the end of the wire will be hidden from your finger, and even then, you need to twist the wires into a pig tail, so there's less chance of a bloody encounter withe end of the wires. These wires cut like hell so be careful.
2. There is absolutely no need to use safety wire pliers since the holes are far to close and doing it by hand is far faster, the only tools you need is a drill and some kind of pliers to cut and manipulate the end of the safety wire.
3. Expect 5 minutes per inch, and also expect a pain in your hand at the end, but the result is worth it.
The surgery procedure not only works great for fairings, but also for windscreens. And we all know how much they cost...
What have you got to loose if you try, you've already banged up your motorcycle..You can ask your questions to Ricardo here. He reads this site every day, so hopefully he'll reply.
The Doctor is in !
|
Technorati :Maintenance Motorbikes Motorcycles Repairs
 Save This Page to del.icio.us
|
| Old Comments - Use comment system above |
1) Bill said on:
(29/12/2004 17:31:18 GMT)
email:Bill | website:
We've been doing that for years, but with alot less effort. The safety wire thing is overkill. We drill the holes the same way, only we join them with plain old zip ties (plastic straps).
2) Cecilie said on:
(29/12/2004 18:22:54 GMT)
email:Cecilie | website:
www.balsamfir.com/motorcycle.htmbody work repair
Is it overkill or is it art? The guy is an industrial designer, his purpose in life is to bring a balance of aesthetic, form, and function. Just "serviceable" probably doesn't meet his standards.
3) Ricardo said on:
(29/12/2004 20:09:44 GMT)
email:Ricardo | website:
http://patineto.smugmug.com/Sure Is more Art than anything
sure this repair can be done in a miilion diferent ways some better and more involve than others, but what is the point in makings a half ass work if is not that much dificult to make it "Perfect", I rather spend 10%-20% more time and have something that is unintrusive, flexible, will not cut your fingers or clothes and will last for ever. this sistem lets you "Recrash" on the plastics with out letting them fail apart because the have the same flexion caracteristics and is no focal streess points, even if a piece of the wire is broken the rest of the structure still intact since is a "close circuit" sistem not like the typical "one long shoelace" sistem that provides uneven tension to the wire since the whole wire is moving around depending on the overall tension... I don't spect for others to follow this work but I also like to show how it can be done in a way that is even more atractive than a brand new piece of plastic(not really but is nice to know is not super Ugly), I fact I hear coment like this all the time,,"maybe I need to go a crash my bike so you can do something like this on it" oviuslly is a joke since nobody(not even me) goes and crash a bike just for fun but if it happends at least is one more option than welding and/ or painting,,, well for sure "Shit happends" if you want to have fun(and a head acke) take a look at my other pictures { Link }
4) Ricardo said on:
(29/12/2004 20:12:29 GMT)
email:Ricardo | website:
http://patineto.smugmug.com/Ups sorry I forgot
Thanks Cecilie for your coments,,I can not express it better my self.
5) Mike Werner said on:
(29/12/2004 20:50:18 GMT)
email:Mike Werner | website:
http://motorbiker.orgYou´re the man
He Ricky, as usual, you're it man. You're wor is always the very best there is, customized handle bars, GPS holders, crash repairs.... utmost cool !! (I think they can use you here in Barcelona at the Dakar ;-)
|
|
|
