Crack Developing on my Silverwing's Body under running board

I just noticed a crack on the underside of the running board on the left side.

I need to arrest the progress before it spread. I have no idea how it came about. The bike is a 2003 and I've never dropped it or anything.

Is this a job for a body shop or a motorcycle dealer?


Mike

Do it yourself. You can get a new panel and if you have a service manual it is easy to do. If I remember the panel cost around $135.00.

get some steel epoxy and attach to the other side of crack and touchup paint

Who do I contact to get a new panel?

Mike

So have I, it's been there since the bike was six months old. Hasn't got worse, I suggest you simply leave it unless it REALLY annoys you.

The Wing must have some sort of stress issue at that point as most Wings' I have seen in the flesh have a slight crack there.

SilverwingInIdaho wrote:

I need to arrest the progress before it spread.

Drill a hole right at the end of the crack or just in front of it, that will stop it travelling ant further.

Then you can go about fixing it, people say use an ABS cement to glue the panel. Some filler and paint will make it look good again.

Mine is a 2003, I bought it used no crack. Why does one then develope after all those years....

RArch wrote:

SilverwingInIdaho wrote:

I need to arrest the progress before it spread.

Drill a hole right at the end of the crack or just in front of it, that will stop it travelling ant further.

That works.

Mine did that very early in its life, lower than picture shown.

I don't believe in glue, etc.

Had what I recall as BMW stick on wheel weight, a little less than 2 inches long---drilled holes in it, used short self tapping screws on the panel---put cracked plastic together so little line was showing, screwed on----Everything worked well and crack never got bigger or really showed much....at trade in time.

I think plastic used on SilverWing(ReFlex/Helix) is too brittle, kind of like BMW RT Fairings----would be better if soft, flexible, screw on. See/Remember early Honda step thru leg shields/fenders?

It looks as if the panel has had a 'ding'. Probably didn't notice it at the time. Over a period of time the crack has got larger. Do you ride feet forward or flat down on the boards, or stand up on the boards? That will make the plastic flex, especially if there is a bit too much weight involved (I have that problem!)

Take the panel off and reinforce it. If it means having a couple of screws showing do the same on the other side.

Cheers,

Cut a piece of 2/14 copper wire , make 2 u shape bracket,and melt it in the back side with a soldering iron ,take a black tie rap and melt it in to build it up. It will not break there again.

Check this out.

https://www.silverwing600.com/t1570-new-damage-to-the-scooter?highlight=damage

Had to buy a new lower cover and then reinforced the inside, at that location, with alot of epoxy. This worked out well.

SilverwingInIdaho wrote:

I just noticed a crack on the underside of the running board on the left side.

I need to arrest the progress before it spread. I have no idea how it came about. The bike is a 2003 and I've never dropped it or anything.

Is this a job for a body shop or a motorcycle dealer?

I would strongly suggest attaching strong clear tape to outside of the panel first before removing the panel ... keeping all the pieces together.

If you do not you will find the pieces will crumble and fall apart in tiny tiny pieces very quickly ... then you may have to replace the panel.

Once the inside is epoxied ( I epoxied my replacement piece both the the front and back section just for protection ), then you can removed the external clear tape

Can anyone tell me the part name of the panel i want? I want to look into ordering a new one.

Mike

I'd hazard a guess and call it the 'lower left panel'!!!

Item #4 (make sure you have all the hardware that goes on this piece and transfer them to the new cover).

$39.24

http://www.powersportsplus.com/parts/search/Honda/Scooter/2003/FSC600D+AC/CENTER+COVER/parts.html

Wow looks like I was $100 over. I guess my memory is not what it used to be. At $40 I would bye the new panel and have it fixed right.

DennisB wrote:

Item #4 (make sure you have all the hardware that goes on this piece and transfer them to the new cover).

$39.24

http://www.powersportsplus.com/parts/search/Honda/Scooter/2003/FSC600D+AC/CENTER+COVER/parts.html

How much of the covering has to come off to get the new piece on? Do you need to remove the plastic parts that house the gas tank intake for example?

DennisB wrote:

Item #4 (make sure you have all the hardware that goes on this piece and transfer them to the new cover).

$39.24

http://www.powersportsplus.com/parts/search/Honda/Scooter/2003/FSC600D+AC/CENTER+COVER/parts.html

How much of the covering has to come off to get the new piece on? Do you need to remove the plastic parts that house the gas tank intake for example?

Brief Instructions,

1. place bike on centerstand.

2. remove left rubber foot mat. (pulls off)

3. put down sidestand.

4. remove screws (eight) that hold the bottom side cover in place.

5. remove bottom side cover from bike.

easy as pie I will talk you through it, on the phone, if you need my help.

My 2003 has a crack on the left cover in excactly the same place - no crack on the right cover. Does the right cover ever develop this crack - or is it only found on the left cover? My SWing floorboard seems to vibrate much more on the LEFT than the RIGHT - have others found this to be the case?

honda_silver wrote:

I epoxied my replacement piece both the the 'front and back section' just for protection

It seems as if it may be a good preventative, counter, preemptive measure to remove our left cover (if it is not cracked) and reinforce the back. Do you or anyone agree? I assume the 'front section' you refer to is where the originator poster had his crack - but exactly where is the 'back section' that you are referring to and have you (or others) had cracks in this section?

Honda-Silver's comment brings up a good topic/question. Are there spots on the SWing that are prone to breakage which may be circumvented by reinforcement as a preventative measure? And if so, what/where? It seems as if it is a reasonable counter measure to reinforce sections prone to breakage NOW rather than wait for the problem to develop - at which time it is much more costly/troublesome to fix. I am guessing that most of the tabs can not be reinforced due to clearance issues; however, there are sections where clearance is not an issue. What do you think?

What I want to know is why the 2004 left lower panel is @ $70.00, when the 2003 is $39.00. Must be real silver in the paint...

Mine was cracked when I bought it, and I repainted it. Enough road dirt has accumulated such that it is hard to discern from the original.

Thanks DennisB! I got the part ordered and I think I can handle the install. I've had the rubber foot guard off before for cleaning.

I would never imagine this would be such a simple fix.

Do I need to worry about epoxy warping the plastic when I add it to make the panel stronger?

No warping. I had to replace both lower covers on my used 2006. Both were busted up pretty badly when I got the bike in. I reinforced the new left cover before install with epoxy.

Tech tip: use some very coarse sand paper and remove any Honda paint overspray on inside of the new panel where the epoxy will be installed. This adds to the bond.

DennisB wrote:

No warping. I had to replace both lower covers on my used 2006. Both were busted up pretty badly when I got the bike in. I reinforced the new left cover before install with epoxy.

Tech tip: use some very coarse sand paper and remove any Honda paint overspray on inside of the new panel where the epoxy will be installed. This adds to the bond.

Hi
My wing only 2 months old and now reading all this about cracking lower left panels has me worried. But looking at it today do you think it's strange that it seems only the left one has has this problem. Could it be where people stand on this to mount the bike when it's on the center stand , as we all seemed to mount from the left. Weight on this spot will push the screw fixing down onto this lower panel and I think will weaken it slowly.
What do we all think ?
Shendy

Hi Shendy40,

I think it's one of the Silverwing's, and there are not that many, design flaws. It's not a dangerous thing...it's just Honda could have done better on this cover.

It's not that hard to fix yourself.

Hmmmm seems to me the bike's weight is on the left side every time you use the kick stand. Could it be related?

I got my panal in a few days ago. Looking at it I see that the crack developes right where one of the screws go'es in. So it's a natural stress point. And there is new construction going on down town and I bet the day I went through that it probably did the trick. It was like 30 yards of off road riding. Gravel, wet and bumps like when the graders cut out a new road in the country.

Now that I got it I need to apply the JB-Weld steel reinforced epoxy.

I plan to add it on thick! Are you guys sure it will not warp the plastic? I used JB-weld on a Star Wars Stormtrooper costume build once only on one part that kept coming off and it warped it a little bit.

I think it was ABS plastic and thinner this this silverwing panal.

Mike

SilverwingInIdaho wrote:

I plan to add it on thick! Are you guys sure it will not warp the plastic? I used JB-weld on a Star Wars Stormtrooper costume build once only on one part that kept coming off and it warped it a little bit.

Mike

Why not experiment with the old panel when you remove it! If it does warp the plastic try something else.

Thought about it but since I need the scooter for errands I had to risk it. It's setting now and no warping. I put JB weld and then added some plastic mesh from the peaches bought at the store and then added more over that. See about install Sunday.

That's an interesting point - the crack starting at the screw-hole.
I wonder: has the panel been off before and the screw over-tightened when refitted, preventing any slight movement/flexing?

Just a thought.

Check if there is some stress cracks on the frame. How many kl on the Swing?

Mine has 12,000 miles on it. I was thinking not to put the crew in tight but then it might fall out.

Check this out guys. I don't see any spot for this bolt I found inside. See all the rocks on the ground? I found those and the bolt. I put the bolt back as found for the photo.

Anyone know the most likely spot for it? I really don'rt want to have to take off the right side to look. Fear the other side will not survive the dismantle.


Edit:
Here is the photo,

Would of been great if it would have come with a note of explination....Message In A Scooter...Message In A Scooter.

By the way here is the glue job. I should have put some on the top side right around the steel square washer thing but did not think about it.

Save and repair the old piece. Good for a spar .

I used to have a shop where I bought old GL1100s, refurbished and sold them. I did a lot of plastic repair with plain old black gooey ABS cement. The stuff that comes from the hardware store where black ABS pipe is sold. Not the newer two part stuff just the cheap ABS cement in the round can with a dauber under the screw on cap. The plastic in these machines is ABS so ABS cement will give a very strong bond, better than epoxy or most others. I've experimented with putting a daub of ABS cement, JB Weld, and a couple other glues and then trying to pry them off the substrate with a chisel. The ABS gave the best bond since it's solvent sinks into the surface and really makes a chemical weld.
You can also make ABS filler putty by sanding or grinding a piece of ABS pipe and mix it with the cement. Good for building up missing parts of plastic such as tabs or pins.
For larger cracks I put down a layer of cement then lay a small piece of fiberglass cloth in the cement. Once that hardens a coat or two of cement to build up a strong repair does the job. It is important not to build up a thick layer of ABS cement because it will skin over and keep the inside soft for a lengthy cure. Several thin coats are the way to go.
If you need a replacement panel in the US try MOTOGRID on line. I bought a rear quarter panel for my previous SW from them. It was the right side above the muff. Price was $90 and came in the right color for that bike that had been damaged by the previous owner.

Just now noticed your Aug 20 post & picture. Sorry for the late response, but my best guess is that the bolt is for the handle bar clamp. I don't recall anything else that size on the SW.

If you haven't already done so, take off the handle bar cowling and check the handle bar clamps. You should have 4.

Tim

SilverwingInIdaho wrote:

Check this out guys. I don't see any spot for this bolt I found inside. See all the rocks on the ground? I found those and the bolt. I put the bolt back as found for the photo.

Anyone know the most likely spot for it? I really don'rt want to have to take off the right side to look. Fear the other side will not survive the dismantle.


Edit:
Here is the photo,