TrustyRusty
17th September 2012, 14:03
Newbie biker and new member here, so be gentle, please!
I have a 1998 Honda VTR250 that I picked up with 60k on it about 6 months ago. I don't have a garage, so I was happy to get it a little distressed. It lives on the street, after all, in Wellington's bracing windswept salt sea air, so there's only so much pampering this poor bike is ever going to be allowed.
The rear fender is the black plastic piece that holds the taillight, license plate and turn signals.
The fender is broken clean away in the lower left corner where the left turn signal is mounted. Something tells me that this is a pretty common break, as the VTR250 is a learner favorite, and a learner's favorite trick is seeing what the bike does when, for example, dismounting without deploying the side stand.
The rear fender had already been broken and repaired when I bought the bike. The repair wasn't that great to start with, and the assembly has since suffered a bit of "learner stress," and has now failed outright.
I can't seem to find the rear fender as a part from the wreckers. And you can't find any parts for this model on eBay in the US, I think because it was never distributed there at all.
I'd love to replace the whole fender, but I'm terrified to find out what kind of price they'll ask through the dealership channels.
So it looks like I'm faced with re-doing this repair myself. I'm a so-so DIY guy, and I'm only so-so enthusiastic about how this will work out.
Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm new to New Zealand. Came here from the US, where nearly everything is much easier to find.
So... what would a Kiwi do?
1) Sew the thing back together with needle and Kevlar thread?
2) Glue it back together (too thin a join, I'd think)?
3) Glue it back together with cloth reinforcement? What kind of glue?
4) Give it to the gifted practitioner down the street who'd have it done beautifully before he finished his morning coffee?
5) Bite the bullet and order through the local dealership?
6) Save money on option 5) by buying a plane ticket to Japan and picking the part up there?
I'm trying my best to stay true to the Kiwi approach, looking for advice.
Thanks!
TrustyRusty
I have a 1998 Honda VTR250 that I picked up with 60k on it about 6 months ago. I don't have a garage, so I was happy to get it a little distressed. It lives on the street, after all, in Wellington's bracing windswept salt sea air, so there's only so much pampering this poor bike is ever going to be allowed.
The rear fender is the black plastic piece that holds the taillight, license plate and turn signals.
The fender is broken clean away in the lower left corner where the left turn signal is mounted. Something tells me that this is a pretty common break, as the VTR250 is a learner favorite, and a learner's favorite trick is seeing what the bike does when, for example, dismounting without deploying the side stand.
The rear fender had already been broken and repaired when I bought the bike. The repair wasn't that great to start with, and the assembly has since suffered a bit of "learner stress," and has now failed outright.
I can't seem to find the rear fender as a part from the wreckers. And you can't find any parts for this model on eBay in the US, I think because it was never distributed there at all.
I'd love to replace the whole fender, but I'm terrified to find out what kind of price they'll ask through the dealership channels.
So it looks like I'm faced with re-doing this repair myself. I'm a so-so DIY guy, and I'm only so-so enthusiastic about how this will work out.
Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm new to New Zealand. Came here from the US, where nearly everything is much easier to find.
So... what would a Kiwi do?
1) Sew the thing back together with needle and Kevlar thread?
2) Glue it back together (too thin a join, I'd think)?
3) Glue it back together with cloth reinforcement? What kind of glue?
4) Give it to the gifted practitioner down the street who'd have it done beautifully before he finished his morning coffee?
5) Bite the bullet and order through the local dealership?
6) Save money on option 5) by buying a plane ticket to Japan and picking the part up there?
I'm trying my best to stay true to the Kiwi approach, looking for advice.
Thanks!
TrustyRusty