Fenders - type of plastic?

[Leevvii]

Hi, wondering if anyone can tell me the type of plastic used in the fenders/mudguards of my Honda 200X, ie- Polyethylene ? Polypropylene ? ABS? Polycarbonate? Im needing to plastic weld a large crack in the rear fender and want to know what type of plastic filler rods i will need? thanks.

[gimmeamidget]

I'm not sure of type but I have always just cut strips from a same color fender and used that.

[Tc_01]

Hmm im gonna have to start researching this too because ive got some cracks i'd like to fix on my 350x. If I find anything out ill let you know.

gimmeamidget, im curious, how well does the plastic from another fender bond with it, and what does the resulting finish look like? got any pictures? Im sure the filler rod is formulated to bond with the base material much easier than if you were to use plastic from something else, but i could see how the donor plastic could get you by in a pinch. Im just worried about the durability and looks of the finished product.

[wonderboy]

I read up on identifying plastics when I was considering plastic welding. There are a few ways, some just based on appearance, but one key test is a burn test. A small sample is heated and you note the color of smoke and how it smells. The problem as I remember it is that polyethylene and polypropylene had almost identical characteristics.

Here is some reading material for you:
http://www.boedeker.com/burntest.htm


I think the best approach (although not so convenient) is a junk fender from the same year and model and cut your filler rod from that.

[Leevvii]

thanks, thats a good read. im no further down the road on the type of plastic, but im thinking its ABS, cant confirm this, just a thought. i will update if i find anything out, cheers

[wonderboy]

It will be pretty quick to rule out ABS using the burn test. I'm pretty sure the consensus on the Honda fenders is Polypropylene or Polyethylene.

[Leevvii]

I emailed Honda themselves, they wrote back, asked for VIN #, i replyed with same, they then stated, they could not find info on it, ...mystery continues..........LOL were doomed!

[Leevvii]

I have just done a flame test, im almost certain it is polypropylene, .....mainly yellow flame , touch of blue at the base of flame, smells waxy/deisel, doesnt self extinguish.

[Leevvii]

I ended up cutting strips off the headlight [bottom edge] to use as the filler. Soldering iron repair job, filed sanded and heat gunned, I also scraped all the clear oxidation off the fender and heatgunned to restore finish, ..... looks OK.
232930232931

I also resprayed the tank.
232929

[86125m]

looks like you did a good job considering just how bad those fenders probably started out.

[ironchop]

Yep. Looks pretty good. That's a decent set of fenders all cleaned up. Were they painted black when you got them? Looks like paint remnants in the seat pan area is why I asked

Tank looks pretty nice too

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk

[Leevvii]

I dont really know if it is paint or some sort of sticker/contact covering, it comes off like the latter when peeling it. There was also a black similar area on the fender flaring behind the seat, it didnt look original and i removed it due to its poor condition.

[kingkongslie]

Nice work! Does your soldering iron have a temperature control or is it one that just plugs in and gets hot?

[Leevvii]

Frame resprayed,233709

[DohcBikes]

Looks great Leevvii! I like the gold on the swingarm!

[Leevvii]

The gold on the arm may not have been a good idea, looks good, but the paint quality seems pretty ordinary, might clearcoat it if i have scratch/dent issues.
Is it the later 250R that has the gold swingy?

[DohcBikes]

83-84 and 85-86 250r have a gold "swingy"

[Leevvii]

Swingy ...........
Too much with the Auzzie lingo ????:naughty: