Well, went for a ride today up around Canyon Lake. Been there several times(good, fun ride) but this time I hit a small patch of unseen sand and dumped it. No mechanical damage, just cosmetics and pride. I as well am unhurt aside from a few scratches where gravel got between my glove and the sleeve of my jacket on my right wrist.

Completely dismantled the bike when i got home to asses and try to temporarily repair the plastics till i have the funds to replace. doing so brought up a few questions i need help with:

1) Stripped fairing bolt: the fairing bolt on the left side of the bike just above the "honda" logo is stripped out. what would be the easiest way to remove as all the hex-key wrenches i have cant get it to release.

2) I have decided to do a rattlecan paintjob to the bike untill i can afford to do a proper paintjob. Have started removing all of the graphic stickers with an x-acto knife and a heat gun. comes up fairly easy but the adhesive is a pain in the @$$ to get off. anyone that has previously painted thier bike have any advice/tricks/products for removing this cleanly???

3) Fairing Prices: Havent really gotten to enthusiastic about looking for replacement plastics yet because ive been laid off for several months and trying not to tease myself about getting new parts. But when i am ready, what would be a fair/average price for the fairings in a decent shape.


I appreciate any insight in advance.

Thanks,

-sparks-

 

If you want any of the 3 piece uppers, I've found it's almost impossible to find one in decent condition for less that $150. That's just for one of the sides of the upper!!

What color combo is your bike? Year?

There are a plentiful amount on ebay which look in pretty good condition for between $60 and $100. There are also some in not so good shape for $10-$30. I was thinking of getting some rough ones to try and fix up and paint. That way, if I mess mine up, I still have my originals which don't look bad, they just aren't perfect.

For the bolt, I'd probably drill a hole in the middle and use a reverse thread screw in there. I've done similar things like that in the past.

 

For the stripped bolt try using something like this: http://www.google.com/products?q=grabbit+screw&aq=f

I am not sure how big the head is so you might have to get a bigger kit accordingly. My wife got me a 4 pc kit last year and it is pretty awesome. It works for a lot of stuff. In the case of the screws on the rotors of my car, it worked for some but not all of them. They were just rusted in tight. Heat and PB made no difference. You might just have to drill it out. You might get lucky like I did and when you drill it out if you get the right size bit you will actually get the bolt to come out cleanly and you'll just need a replacement.

Try Goo Gone or gasoline / turpentine for the adhesive residue. Should take it off. I would definitely clean it with mild soap and water after though. That stuff usually isn't good for paint (won't matter if you are painting it over though).

Fixing the plastics is a better route. Aftermarket ones never fit quite right so if yours are savable, save them! +1 on the paint gun btw.

 

first off i hate to hear that you laid it down. at least your ok. i actually just did that loading mine on a wet trailer, it fell over and busted the upper left. made me sick so i know how u feel. as far as the bolt, you might have to just drill it out. i found my complete oem fairing kit on ebay for 500, but i just got lucky. most people selling on ebay overprice there stuff. i saw a side fairing for 300 plus shipping the other day(its just painted plastic people, cmon!!)

 

well i dont know how picky you are but if those ebay sellers have any design that is similar to your bike, iknow Moto-777, if u email them then they will give u a quote on getting just that one side piece

 

thanks for all the help.

the PO laid it down on the left side once and rashed up that side. When i laid it down yesterday it was on the right side and there were several large rocks that left holes in the plastic so replacement is preferred for me. i need(want) to replace everything except the tail fairings because they are in pretty decent shape all the others have severe cracks or missing portions.

My buddy donated an EZ-out that he had chipped so i cut it down with a grinder until i got a good bite on the screw, few turns and it was out. the problem i had last night was theyre made to work for several sizes and the tip was to small to bite and i didnt want to cut/modify/destroy my dads tools.

I used some gasoline and a scotch-brite pad to remove the adhesive from the fairings. works fine just painstakingly slow.

Some have asked so Ill tell ya. My bike is a 94, the origional colors were black and purple with a streak of red going through it(has since faded to a pinkish color) so i had planned on painting it anyway this just expedited the urgency. gonna do a rattlecan black for now then when i have the funds im kinda leaning towards a crimson red color but havent decided for sure, so many ideas and only one bike....lol

ill try to get some pics up when i can, have to borrow a camera, mine decided it was no longer going to cooperate with me anymore.


thanks again for all your help


-sparks-