Repair broken windscreen?

[cuong-nutz]

Well I busted up my Zero Gravity Sport Touring windscreen and I was wondering what kind of glue or adhesive I can use to put it back together.

[lgk]

supposedly you can fuse it back together, but with the complex angle of the cracks the repair might not work.

i would tape the pieces back together and rough out the back of the screen then apply epoxy and fabric to entire back. it won't be clear anymore though.

[cuong-nutz]

I might have to go with the epoxy route. I abuse my bike pretty bad.

[lgk]

what happened

[Jiggles]

Damn your windshield looks worse than mine from when I totalled my bike!

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by lgk

what happened

Lowsided at the track earlier today. Front tire slid while I was leaned over. Right side mirror bracket hit the ground and squeezed the windscreen causing it to crack and break. I'll have to review the video to see if it shows what exactly happened to cause me to go down.

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

Damn your windshield looks worse than mine from when I totalled my bike!

Did you have an aftermarket windscreen? the ZG ST windscreen is a whole lot thinner compared to the OE windscreen. I still love the brain tumor of a windscreen the ST is.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by cuong-nutz

Did you have an aftermarket windscreen? the ZG ST windscreen is a whole lot thinner compared to the OE windscreen. I still love the brain tumor of a windscreen the ST is.

Yea it was a double bubble, I just installed my ST one and took it out for a spin, it makes such a difference.

[cuong-nutz]

I know it was a big difference compared to stock. Today was a bad day for me. I misplaced the wellnuts and the two washers to mount my right side mirror at the track. They're prolly sitting there on the track parking lot....... I need to leave them in a baggy next time.

[csmith12]

Not sure if you can glue it but this is pretty cool.

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Not sure if you can glue it but this is pretty cool.

I've actually seen that done firsthand at the track.

[Monkeytofu]

You might find a strong glue if you go into your local hobby store or a hobby town store and look for a really high strength model glue. I'm not sure if you could find stronger online or at home depot, but they make some crazy strong stuff for model vehicles. They usually don't eat into the plastic like super glue and dry clear.

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by Monkeytofu

You might find a strong glue if you go into your local hobby store or a hobby town store and look for a really high strength model glue. I'm not sure if you could find stronger online or at home depot, but they make some crazy strong stuff for model vehicles. They usually don't eat into the plastic like super glue and dry clear.

Curious to know, anyone know what exactly kind of "plastic" this windscreen is made of? Looking to see if it's made of polycarbonate or what so I can bond it together. Just read about using chloroform.

[cuong-nutz]

Found what I needed. Went around to all the hardware stores and finally stopped at a fish store where I found some acrylic solvent called Weld-On. They had a tube of Weld-On 16 which is a gel type but I opted for the liquid in a can form (Weld-On 4) since it sets faster. I didn't have a needle applicator bottle so I used a needle syringe. Stuff is a whole lot better than Epoxy and is specifically designed for stuff like this!

Working time is 1-2 min, fix time is 3 min, and 80% strength is 24-36 hrs. Bond will gradually strengthen over time!

To use this, you'll need a needle applicator bottle so you don't drip this stuff everywhere. With you the bottle you'll have fine control of the solvent and placement. .
Make sure the windscreen is cleaned of oil and marks. If the solvent drips and touches the oil or mark, it'll stain the windscreen. Also avoid using tape to hold the pieces together, the solvent will get onto it and melt the tapes adhesive and bond it to the screen. You can probably remove it afterwards with acetone probably.
Align two pieces together and apply a slow steady flow of the solvent down the crack till it fills it all. Apply gentle pressure to help the solvent soften the edges of the crack and then press together for it to bond firmly. This stuff is not a glue but more of a solvent that "welds" the plastic together.
Works with plastics of butyrate, polycarbonate, and styrene according to the can.

If the solvent spills, DO NOT WIPE IT! WIPING IT WILL MAR THE PLASTIC SURFACE. Just let the solvent evaporate.

I botched the alignment since it was kind difficult to line up the curved surfaces so it has a lip at the crack in some places. Used tape which wasn't a good idea nor not cleaning the windscreen prior to application.



Origination of break:

[skucera]

Glue from an aquarium store... brilliant! I've got a shattered windscreen on my Yamaha, and since there is nothing to lose by trying, I'm going to try this method on it. Thanks for the idea.

Scott

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by skucera

Glue from an aquarium store... brilliant! I've got a shattered windscreen on my Yamaha, and since there is nothing to lose by trying, I'm going to try this method on it. Thanks for the idea.

Scott

Big fish/Aquarium stores should stock it for fixing and building acrylic tanks. You can probably find this stuff at your local plastic stores and large glass companies. Lowes and Home Depot will not have it. An old Ace hardware may have it. So far the bond feels really strong.