High Density Poly Ethylene

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-density_polyethylene

Very common and good product, recyclable, but in my experience it's hard to get things to stick to.

 

I have used a two part epoxy Devcon product called PLASTIC WELDER in the past, I have also used JB WELD on plastic cracks. I had decent luck with both but out of the two, I guess the plastic welder finished nicer looking more like the original plastic finish after it was sanded and painted.

 

http://www.urethanesupply.com/identify.php

This is your first step, identifying the plastic.

 

I have on many occasions succcessfully used ABS cement. Available at any hardware store. It is black and stinky and makes it stronger and more rigid than the original piece. It can be sanded after set to smooth out and then primed and painted.

https://www.google.com/search?q=abs+...m=122&ie=UTF-8

 

Thanks 1CdnHD, that's the money link.

According to that table, the only way to fix HDPE plastic is welding, either nitrogen or airless. See below.

http://www.urethanesupply.com/howtorepair.php

That makes sense to me as I've never had luck getting any epoxy or JB weld or frankly anything to stick to HDPE in the past.

 

What he says. There was a guy here that had a side business buying salvage garbage barges. This is a trick from the squid boys, who are always tearing up their ****. He said he used it like a filler, consecutive coats and sanding it down to surface it for paint.

 

Hey Joe, woot!

 

I have fixed that slippery plastic bodywork on sportbikes with Loctite Prism 401 glue. Seems to work just fine. Usually I try to glue some plastic reinforcing inside out of sight.

But surely Evo saddlebags are fibreglass? I thought, from looking at used Tourpaks for my bike, that ABS only came in recent years on late model Twinkies.

I have seen where one guy repaired his Evo saddlebags by taking a piece of sheet metal and drilling two holes in it to match the mount holes, then gluing the sheetmetal inside the saddlebag with some silicone glue/sealer of some sort. Spreads the load over a much larger area and probably should have been done at the factory.

 

The OP has an '03 Heritage Twinkie Springer.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. The plastic is HDPE which is hard to get anything to stick to. I need to get some pictures up, it's been too dark when I get home from work this week. I'll get them this weekend.