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Old July 26th, 2017, 08:52 AM   #1
Spaghettiknight
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Talking Recommendations for my 01'?!

Hello all! My name is Austin and i very recently bought a 2001 250r and have some questions and am seeking advice on some cosmetic parts on my bike.

I bought the bike for 500 missing the front fairings and with some scratches and dents, but the bike only had 1800 miles on it and was always maintained/winterized (I live in Minnesota) and it ran perfectly so my purchase was mostly based on the drive train condition.

That being said the bike isn't in that rough of shape cosmetically, few scratches on the sides and a few minor dents in the gas tank. there is one larger dent in the tank that id like to try to fix. I was thinking the plunger puller method might work where you buy a tool and try to pull the dent out. the front fender is scratched and cracked, I was thinking about just using some bondo to hold the crack better. I'm not going to worry about any of the scratches for now. if anyone has done anything that i'm thinking of or has any ideas please let me know.

The other thing I want to change is the front end. it came with this aftermarket headlight/mini-fairing universal piece that you'll see in the photos. its not my favorite looking but the bulb is bright and it has built in LED side blinkers which is a requirement here in Minnesota. I don't mind the look but its not my favorite and the plastic is cheap and fading color, I either want to try and find a cheap paint or spray paint that matches the color of the bike or remove it. I do like the streetfighter look others have done on this site with the round headlights, but I also like the sportier look of the bike originally. the problem is all the universal headlights and fairings out there its hard to know if it would look good on the bike without buying it and I don't want to waste a lot of money on this peice. I was thinking possibly a squarish (rectangular with round edges, sort of like the stock headlight) headlight may keep the sport look while still having the naked bike, streetfighter feel aswell. If anyone has seen a headlight like this online or has one please link it here. I do have the stock headlight and may look into making a custom mount to use with no fairing.

The last thing I want to look into short term is getting a new gauge cluster that will fit with the streetfighter look but I will probably look through other threads for info on that as it seems to have been discussed alot here before.

Sorry for the long post and if there are already threads here covering anything i went over. I tried to read most of them but I am new to navigating this site and may have missed something, anyway i'm excited to have got this bike and joined such a great community here!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg ninjaPic1.jpg (78.3 KB, 9 views)
File Type: jpg ninjaPic2.jpg (72.7 KB, 8 views)
File Type: jpg ninjaPic3.jpg (79.2 KB, 6 views)
File Type: jpg ninjaPicTank.jpg (30.7 KB, 6 views)
File Type: jpg ninjaPicFender.jpg (42.3 KB, 8 views)
File Type: jpg ninjaPicTop.jpg (60.5 KB, 8 views)
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Old July 26th, 2017, 09:18 AM   #2
Triple Jim
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Hello Austin, it's good to meet you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spaghettiknight View Post
. there is one larger dent in the tank that id like to try to fix. I was thinking the plunger puller method might work where you buy a tool and try to pull the dent out.
I tried several methods to get a couple dents out of my tank. The one that worked best was to push them out from the inside. I used a curved steel bar through the filler hole. I had to get creative, welding pieces in and shaping as needed to reach all the places I needed to reach. The tank is pretty thin steel, and is not hard to push out that way. If you go too far, you can put a board on the outside and tap it with a hammer to back up a little. When I got close, I used Bondo to finish it. The Bondo is no thicker than 1/16" in the worst spots.

Quote:
the front fender is scratched and cracked, I was thinking about just using some bondo to hold the crack better.
The plastic parts are ABS, which is readily glued with ABS cement that's available at hardware stores. Using some fiberglass cloth and ABS cement can really reinforce a crack.
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Old July 26th, 2017, 09:26 AM   #3
Spaghettiknight
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple Jim View Post
I tried several methods to get a couple dents out of my tank. The one that worked best was to push them out from the inside. I used a curved steel bar through the filler hole. I had to get creative, welding pieces in and shaping as needed to reach all the places I needed to reach. The tank is pretty thin steel, and is not hard to push out that way. If you go too far, you can put a board on the outside and tap it with a hammer to back up a little. When I got close, I used Bondo to finish it. The Bondo is no thicker than 1/16" in the worst spot.
Thank you for the reply! Did you paint the bondo after you put it on the tank? If so could you link what paint you used?
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Old July 26th, 2017, 09:36 AM   #4
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Yes, I painted it. I used Dupli-Color grey sanding primer and Dupli-Color acrylic lacquer, and a clear coat of Spraymax 2K, which is a 2-part clear automotive quality acrylic urethane in a single spray can. The lacquer is not fuel resistant, so the clear is necessary. Next time I'm going to use an automotive urethane color coat and 2-part clear, because the lacquer, although nice looking, is not anywhere near as durable as urethane. Here's the little Ninja:
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Old July 26th, 2017, 03:03 PM   #5
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Welcome! Minneapolis remains one of my favorite cities, though I don't live in the area anymore.
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Old July 26th, 2017, 03:43 PM   #6
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Welcome SpaghettiKnight!

I notice your bike has no turn signals... You might look into some LED strips to wrap around the upper part of your front forks like I did on mine. They were pretty easy to wire, and show up even when the front fairing is back on (though just barely).

Another thing you may consider (that I still haven't gotten around to) is putting extra lights in the empty tail sides. The holes etc are there, but there are no lights. Depending on the MN laws, you may even be able to wire them up as blinkers (CA requires a certain distance between them).


You're probably also going to need a license plate.
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Old July 26th, 2017, 06:24 PM   #7
Spaghettiknight
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple Jim View Post
Yes, I painted it. I used Dupli-Color grey sanding primer and Dupli-Color acrylic lacquer, and a clear coat of Spraymax 2K, which is a 2-part clear automotive quality acrylic urethane in a single spray can. The lacquer is not fuel resistant, so the clear is necessary. Next time I'm going to use an automotive urethane color coat and 2-part clear, because the lacquer, although nice looking, is not anywhere near as durable as urethane. Here's the little Ninja:
Very cool, I may try that on the aftermarket fairing mine has and see how it looks, thanks for the info!

Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliGrrl View Post
Welcome! Minneapolis remains one of my favorite cities, though I don't live in the area anymore.
Ya it's a fun place to live, I love it down here

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigeonherd View Post
Welcome SpaghettiKnight!

I notice your bike has no turn signals... You might look into some LED strips to wrap around the upper part of your front forks like I did on mine. They were pretty easy to wire, and show up even when the front fairing is back on (though just barely).

Another thing you may consider (that I still haven't gotten around to) is putting extra lights in the empty tail sides. The holes etc are there, but there are no lights. Depending on the MN laws, you may even be able to wire them up as blinkers (CA requires a certain distance between them).


You're probably also going to need a license plate.
Haha yes Im getting a plate tomorrow, that headlight fairing actually does have LEDs in it for the blinker, I'll put some pictures in when I have time. There is now distance law for the turn signals here fortunately. I may do that strip idea if I switch headlights, thanks for sharing!
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Old July 26th, 2017, 10:34 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spaghettiknight View Post
Hello all! My name is Austin and i very recently bought a 2001 250r and have some questions and am seeking advice on some cosmetic parts on my bike.

I bought the bike for 500 missing the front fairings and with some scratches and dents, but the bike only had 1800 miles on it and was always maintained/winterized (I live in Minnesota) and it ran perfectly so my purchase was mostly based on the drive train condition.

That being said the bike isn't in that rough of shape cosmetically, few scratches on the sides and a few minor dents in the gas tank. there is one larger dent in the tank that id like to try to fix. I was thinking the plunger puller method might work where you buy a tool and try to pull the dent out. the front fender is scratched and cracked, I was thinking about just using some bondo to hold the crack better. I'm not going to worry about any of the scratches for now. if anyone has done anything that i'm thinking of or has any ideas please let me know.

The other thing I want to change is the front end. it came with this aftermarket headlight/mini-fairing universal piece that you'll see in the photos. its not my favorite looking but the bulb is bright and it has built in LED side blinkers which is a requirement here in Minnesota. I don't mind the look but its not my favorite and the plastic is cheap and fading color, I either want to try and find a cheap paint or spray paint that matches the color of the bike or remove it. I do like the streetfighter look others have done on this site with the round headlights, but I also like the sportier look of the bike originally. the problem is all the universal headlights and fairings out there its hard to know if it would look good on the bike without buying it and I don't want to waste a lot of money on this peice. I was thinking possibly a squarish (rectangular with round edges, sort of like the stock headlight) headlight may keep the sport look while still having the naked bike, streetfighter feel aswell. If anyone has seen a headlight like this online or has one please link it here. I do have the stock headlight and may look into making a custom mount to use with no fairing.

The last thing I want to look into short term is getting a new gauge cluster that will fit with the streetfighter look but I will probably look through other threads for info on that as it seems to have been discussed alot here before.

Sorry for the long post and if there are already threads here covering anything i went over. I tried to read most of them but I am new to navigating this site and may have missed something, anyway i'm excited to have got this bike and joined such a great community here!
This may help with the repair of your cracked fender; www.easyabsrepair.com.


Paint to match your bike;

www.colorrite.com

Good luck,

Bill
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Old July 29th, 2017, 01:58 PM   #9
Triple Jim
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ram Jet View Post
This may help with the repair of your cracked fender; www.easyabsrepair.com.
I wonder how that cement is different from hardware store ABS cement, if it is different. It's certainly more expensive. You can make ABS cement by dissolving some abs scraps in acetone, and make it any consistency you like.
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Old July 29th, 2017, 08:53 PM   #10
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I wonder how that cement is different from hardware store ABS cement, if it is different. It's certainly more expensive. You can make ABS cement by dissolving some abs scraps in acetone, and make it any consistency you like.
I understand that some of the plastic filament used in 3D printers is ABS also. How about this stuff mixed with acetone? Don't know. I saw a product of JB Weld that is intended to repair ABS. I guess until I break something I won't find out. As a long time builder of styrene plastic model kits I prefer a cement that dissolves and fuses the material rather than epoxy that simply bonds to the ABS. I hope I don't need to find out either way.

Bill
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Old July 29th, 2017, 09:05 PM   #11
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Yes, you can get ABS filament for printing. It's the same stuff, and can be dissolved with acetone.
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Old July 30th, 2017, 11:33 AM   #12
Spaghettiknight
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ram Jet View Post
This may help with the repair of your cracked fender; www.easyabsrepair.com.


Paint to match your bike;

www.colorrite.com

Good luck,

Bill
Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple Jim View Post
I wonder how that cement is different from hardware store ABS cement, if it is different. It's certainly more expensive. You can make ABS cement by dissolving some abs scraps in acetone, and make it any consistency you like.
I just got some general ABS cement from our local hardware store, I was more looking for function over form so I didn't worry about acetone mixing or any of that, but it worked great! Dried fast and feels very durable. Thanks all
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Old July 30th, 2017, 11:40 AM   #13
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If you have any trouble with the repair cracking, and you may not, you can get some thin ABS sheet and form it to the back of the crack with a heat gun like in the video, and cement it in place.
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Old July 30th, 2017, 11:59 AM   #14
Spaghettiknight
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple Jim View Post
If you have any trouble with the repair cracking, and you may not, you can get some thin ABS sheet and form it to the back of the crack with a heat gun like in the video, and cement it in place.
Thank you for the suggestion, Ya I'm thinking it may as I ride the bike more I may need a more permanent solution and that will probably do it, but for now I just wanted to ride it without the fender rattling around so this should do.
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Old July 30th, 2017, 12:33 PM   #15
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It may hold fine and never crack again.
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Old July 30th, 2017, 12:42 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple Jim View Post
If you have any trouble with the repair cracking, and you may not, you can get some thin ABS sheet and form it to the back of the crack with a heat gun like in the video, and cement it in place.
I would consider backing the crack with very fine woven fiberglass cloth soaked with an acetone/abs mix. Surface preparation with 320 grit sand paper and cleaned with lacquer thinner. The glass cloth would be available at Tower Hobbies.com.

Bill
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Old July 30th, 2017, 01:28 PM   #17
Spaghettiknight
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Quote:
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It may hold fine and never crack again.
That's the hope haha

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ram Jet View Post
I would consider backing the crack with very fine woven fiberglass cloth soaked with an acetone/abs mix. Surface preparation with 320 grit sand paper and cleaned with lacquer thinner. The glass cloth would be available at Tower Hobbies.com.

Bill
I actually may have some fiberglass weave somewhere, we used it to repair our fiberglass boat a while ago but that's a good idea.
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Old July 30th, 2017, 03:29 PM   #18
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That's the hope haha



I actually may have some fiberglass weave somewhere, we used it to repair our fiberglass boat a while ago but that's a good idea.
The finer the weave the stronger the repair. There's more fiberglass in a fine weave. Whatever, do not use fiberglass mat. There's a great deal less strength in mat than fabric. I'd be interested in trying Kevlar also but where the heck would you get it?

Jeepers, can you imagine working in a factory that produces fiberglass cloth? I itch just thinking about it.

Bill
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Old July 30th, 2017, 03:46 PM   #19
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I'd be interested in trying Kevlar also but where the heck would you get it?
Boat building suppliers. It's used extensively in hull laminations.

Not an endorsement, just the first example I found by searching for "kevlar boat laminating cloth":

http://www.fibreglast.com/category/Kevlar
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Old July 30th, 2017, 04:14 PM   #20
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Boat building suppliers. It's used extensively in hull laminations.

Not an endorsement, just the first example I found by searching for "kevlar boat laminating cloth":

http://www.fibreglast.com/category/Kevlar
Thanks Jim. I'll bookmark that website.

Bill
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Old July 30th, 2017, 04:39 PM   #21
Triple Jim
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No, when you're ready to buy, do a much more thorough search for "kevlar boat laminating cloth" and find a good price, etc.. As I said, that is just the first example of what turned up in my search.
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Old July 30th, 2017, 05:09 PM   #22
Ram Jet
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No, when you're ready to buy, do a much more thorough search for "kevlar boat laminating cloth" and find a good price, etc.. As I said, that is just the first example of what turned up in my search.
Well, if I keep riding like the old fart that I am I may not need to do any repairs.


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