FIXING Red SA-50 Front Fairing Cover

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Wheel-Boy cut it a bit close with a slow-moving pick-up and dinged mine. Can't find any - even Repros - online so far. Needs to be American Red, and pretty much perfect, will pay accordingly. If anyone knows of reproduction or NOS gathering dust, I'm all ears!

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Still in the market for a cowl. But can't leave Wheel-Boy riding a scooter with an unsightly cracked front cowl, now, can I?

Let the Repairs Begin!!
First, forget about polyester resin and epoxy. Honda's ABS plastic is notorious for not sticking to these fine products. All-purpose cement is the way to go:

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I found the side mounting tab broken off and sitting in the front fender well upon removal of the front cover. All-purpose cement will glue it back, but I don't quite trust the bond. More on that later...

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First had to glue on the mounting tab...

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My particular crack didn't want to align... resorted to clamping:

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Get some glass or carbon fiber mat. Wet down the Backside of the damage with All-Purpose and press the fabric down onto the surface... ROLL, don't RUB the cement on with the applicator from the can. Otherwise the glass weave falls apart and you have yourself a hairy mess.

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Built up in layers, the glass will stabilize the crack. Used a wrap-around for the mounting tab as foreshadowed above...

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This is all I could get in today. Reinforced the glued-on tab, applying All-Purpose cement with a Q-Tip to saturate the tight spaces. Let harden at least overnight and figure out what to fill the gap with?

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[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Continuing the repair, to address the missing chunk of plastic. (A search of the collision site failed to locate it...) I had only a (Vespa Red) "fingernail polish" can to work with. No Painting Talent or place to spray, so I knew this wouldn't look new. Just a bit um... better.

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Minimal prep work with painter's tape and a razor knife. Fiberglass strung across the gap wetted with MP Cement yesterday was pretty stiff. Next comes the Dreaded Bondo...

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For once I took my time, Stroke with the rasp, blow dust off and check, next stroke. The whole process took 20 minutes, and I didn't scratch any new places into the cowl.

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Finally clumsy Wheelman application of Vespa Red paint...

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[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Paint too soft to polish for a few days, but Wheel-Boy's ride is done for now.
He felt really bad, and will have a reminder to ride more cautiously in the future.
Still would replace in a heartbeat if I could find a new one...

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