Motorcycle Repair: Cracked fairings, fiberglass repair kit, road rash

Question
i layed my 98 yamaha yzf 600r down on the left side.  its got a little road rash on front lower fairing along with a crack and a crack on the seat fairing.  I want to repair myself but I dont know the best product to buy or what tools i need for sanding it down.  can you help me out.

Answer
Hi Mark.
 It just so happens that I do my own bodywork on my bike, so I am well aware of what you need.  Go to the auto parts store and get the following;

1)  Body filler.  Bondo works just fine for this kind of thing, but you can spend the extra for the top of the line stuff if you want to.

2)  Red glazing putty.  This is used to fill in small scratches and blemishes that are uneven or not smooth.  It is also used for final fill-in work on Bondo'd areas.

3)  Sanding block.  Get the kind that has a foam core with 2 different sanding surfaces on it.  Do not use it for anything but bodywork.  if you must use it for sanding machined parts that are oily or dirty, then replace it. Do not use it on bodywork again if you use it on anything that has oil or grease on it.

4)  Assorted sandpaper.  Mostly you will be using 400 grit and higher.  1000 grit for final sanding.

5)  Fiberglass repair kit.  This will be used for patching holes or fixing/reinforcing cracks in the bodywork.

The fiberglass is used from behind the panels that are cracked to give support to the parts.  The work need not be pretty, since the fiberglass will not be seen.  Just follow the basic instructions for application.

Once that is done, you will use the glazing putty to fill in the crack and help to smooth the area around it.  Apply it generously, so that when you sand it down, it will be smooth.  When you see plastic you can stop sanding.  At that point you will see where the blemishes are.  Sand down as needed till it feels smoothe to the touch and it's ready to paint.

On the part with the road rash, deep gouges will need bondo while the smaller, shallower ones you can use glazing putty on.  Same rules from above apply.  You will need to use the glazing putty on the bondo'd areas to get it smooth enough to look good.  Bondo will tend to clump a bit and be uneven.

For sanding, you can do it all by hand or you can use a hand sander.  Power tools require a small bit of finesse to use right for this application, so that choice is up to you.

The sanding block that I mentioned is for finish work.  Final touches of sanding that require small amounts of sanding to get right and for shaping some areas.

Have fun.
FALCON