Cracked Fender- California Touring

[mmcwhitehead]

I just discovered a crack in the rear fender of my '14 California Touring. The crack is under the seat, near the attachment point for the passenger grab rail on the right hand side. I vaguely remember reading about this problem in the past, but I hoped it wouldn't happen to mine.

So, besides replacing the fender, has anyone come up with any creative fixes?

[Zoom Zoom]

If I had to do something there, I would start with using JB Weld to reattach the part, making sure mating surfaces are very clean and properly aligned.

Once fully cured, I would hit up the hobby shop for some fiberglass cloth and two part epoxy. After properly roughing up the area and fully cleaning it, I would lay down some fiberglass cloth and reinforce the area and hope for the best. What I used to do with model airplane stuff was to paint the surface with the epoxy, mush the cloth into it and paint epoxy over any dry spots in the glass. That worked pretty well on the stuff I was doing.

JB needs 24 hours to fully cure. The fiberglass patch, at least overnight. No doubt there are directions someplace.

I really don't know if this is the best idea or not. Hopefully someone else will come along and add some insight.

John Henry

[rtbickel]

Maybe some JB Weld with a couple of bent metal tabs imbedded into it across the crack on the topside  Do you have a tail tidy that got rid of the plate holder etc?  The OEM plate holder is also attached to the bag guard that wraps around the rear wheel under the fender lip and if I remember correctly, the flexing of the fender due the lack of that lower support was the cause of the cracking.

[Kiwi Dave]

Check that the fender has all its retaining bolts in place, and they are sufficiently tightened.  Blue locktite is also recommended.

[mmcwhitehead]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll have to mull over them to figure out what to try first.

Re. the "Tail Tidy," no, I don't have one of those. Mine has the factory setup.

Re. the fender retaining bolts, I checked those and they are all in place and tight.

Cheers

[boatdetective]

This happened on my buddy's bike. Based on the design- I'm quite sure it will happen to all of them. it's a stress riser that leads to fatigue failure.
-Scuff the surface of the fender on both sides of the fracture on the "upper" surface of the part
-Build up the valleys between the webs that are meant to stiffen the transition point with some thickened epoxy (JB is fine)
-Lay unidirectional fibers from the fender , across the fracture, and up onto the other side. Use epoxy resin (NOT 5 minute)

I used WEST system resin and some unidirectional carbon fiber.  I work in the marine business, so I always have this on hand. I can guarantee you that once you learn the uses of WEST System, it will be indispensable around the shop. Don't waste your time with the cheesy resins at the auto parts store. Invest in a small "kit" of part A and part B along with pumps. You will thank me. Oh yeah- a WEST system/Gougeon Brothers kiosk should have some of their stellar literature that walks you throu many repairs.

Carbon fiber is absolutely THE SHIT. It's crazy how stiff it is once the resin cures. It can be very handy in stiffening ABS bodywork like this that tends to develop fatigue cracks.

Do no waste your time with the thin, fabric like "boat cloth" sold in auto parts stores. Similarly, do not use the omnidirectional "chopped strand mat".  You are looking to lay fibers perpendicular to the fracture across the top.  If you get the correct materials, the finished product will be way stronger than original.

Jonathan
 

[mmcwhitehead]

Jonathan,

WOW, thanks for the well-written explanation on how to fix this. I really appreciate your experience and the time you took to reply.

Cheers,
Jeff

[jcctx]

punch appropriate sized holes across the crack in a couple places; run zip ties thru~ then ride the snot out of it!!!!!

[bigbikerrick]

I agree 100% with Boat detective .West systems G flex plastic boat repair kit is all you will need for a superior repair. I use that stuff for all sorts of stuff around the house.
It really is amayzing!
I think the only thing it cant fix is a broken heart, and possibly the crack of dawn!
 
Rick

[boatdetective]

I agree 100% with Boat detective .West systems G flex plastic boat repair kit is all you will need for a superior repair. I use that stuff for all sorts of stuff around the house.
It really is amayzing!
I think the only thing it cant fix is a broken heart, and possibly the crack of dawn!
 
Rick

G Flex is good stuff and has much better elongation than standard resins. So- for something "flex-y" like this, it would work well. However, in this case we are trying to laminate a "bridge" across this weak spot, so we want to add stiffness. This is where fiber orientation comes in. Woven roving (looks like really heavy woven cloth) would work- but the cross wise "weft" fibers will be useless. You can simply pull them out of the dry glass and lay all unidirectional fibers onto the wet resin. As I mentioned, you will be shocked at the strength you will gain. Feel free to brag to the missus to gain Caveman points.

[Guzzistajohn]

I think I'd go JB weld and then pop rivet some metal over the top, fixed a few dirt bike fenders like that

[redrider90]

The 1st thing I would do is drill holes at the ends of the crack.

[Tom]

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