Fairing repair

[TGarner]

I have a spot on the corner of my fairing that was cracked and very poorly repaired by a previous owner. The spot is no bigger than a dollar bill. It looks bad mostly because it was touched up with a brush. I have ordered a Plastex kit to fix the crack. I also ordered the Color Rite Paint (primer, color coat, clear coat) in spray cans to paint the repaired area. My queston is should I paint only the repaired spot or the entire fairing? I have the fairing off of the bike. I can not imagine that I would get good enough results with a spray can to be able to paint the entire piece. Does anyone have any experience with these products?

[BucksTherapy]

The problem you will encounter is where the paints overlap. To get good adhesion you need to rough up the surface of the faring but the paint won't stop there if you are to cover and so you will have overspray. You can buff some of this out but where you have low adhesion you will not be able to get rid of the edge.

 

I would suggest repairing the area of concern, rough up a larger area with a fine grit paper like 400, then paint the area of concern. Let this dry well for a few days thenroughen up the whole faring and have a proclear coat it all for you. This will give you a good finish with minimal visible edge for minimal cost.

 

If there is an easier way I would love to know it.

[TGarner]

So the final step would be to rough the entire faring with 400 grit and spray the clear coat over it. Does the roughing get into the clear coat only?

[bmuuEd]

It's best to clearcoat the whole part, but not nessesary. I'd use 600 or finer sandpaper to wet sand. To do a spot repair, sand an area much larger than you think that you need. Spray many thin coats of color coat, spraying a little larger area each time. Do not sand the color coat. When dry, again, many thin coats of clear. They must extend beyond the colorcoat. When the clear is ready for polishing, lighty sand with ultrafine paper, 1000 to1500 grit. If you have a buffer, use Mirror Glaze medium polish. Regular old rubbing compound is to coarse. Finish with something to remove the buffing marks. Your auto paint jobber will be able to help you out with most of this. The most important thing to remember is to get the part clean and keep it clean. Fingers leave oil. Parts need to be washed well then wiped with a precleaner before starting. Also, check with your local library for books on this subject.

[RFW]

I have a spot on the corner of my fairing that was cracked and very poorly repaired by a previous owner. The spot is no bigger than a dollar bill. It looks bad mostly because it was touched up with a brush. I have ordered a Plastex kit to fix the crack. I also ordered the Color Rite Paint (primer, color coat, clear coat) in spray cans to paint the repaired area. My queston is should I paint only the repaired spot or the entire fairing? I have the fairing off of the bike. I can not imagine that I would get good enough results with a spray can to be able to paint the entire piece. Does anyone have any experience with these products?

I repaired a "broken in half" lower panel on my fairing, and it looks like new. A lot depends on what the fairing is made of. Mine (being an older K100RT) is made of SMC (Sheet Molding Compound ....a sort of fiberglass). Standard polyester fiberglass resin cannot be successfully used for repairs of SMC, only Epoxy works. If yours is ABS, then several other materials will work.

 

As for painting, I have NEVER seen a spray bomb paint that is successful. Your color match will be lousy, and the paint is thin and poorly atomized. This is especially troublesome with metallics, since the low pressure and consequent poor atomization of ANY spray bomb forces you to lay on a heavier then desired coat to get the orangepeel to flow out. A heavy metallic coat causes the metallic particles to lay flat and appear darker.

 

Have it properly repainted, preferably using Glasurit paint (BMW's OEM supplier) to guarantee a true color match.

 

Whatever paint you use, it is important that the surface be perfect before painting. Paint doesn't hide defects: it makes them worse! Final sanding with minimum 400-grit, and preferably 600-grit paper is a must.

 

Bob.