Duct tape on a Swing !!!

I was getting very annoyed with the rattle and buzz whenever I slowed down to about 50 kmh. The rattle would diminish and sometimes stop if I squeezed the handlebar cover. So, I took the cover off this afternoon, and found nothing under there that could cause the noise. Everything looks soft; except for the tabs and metal inserts that hold the two pieces together. I got the idea to tape the metal inserts with some duck tape. I tried the bike up and down my street, and that rattle and buzz is gone.
But there are others in other places on the bike !! Space Age material to the rescue.
I also did temporary repairs on a couple of cracks at the very bottom of the right skirt fender. The tab with metal insert was broken, but with all the pieces still there, crazy glue and duck tape to the rescue. Most of the tape is on the inside, so the repair looks quite good. When it doesn't: new tupperware.

Ah ha! Duct Tape, Red Green's secret weapon.

BTW Crazy glue probably won't hold too long, but if you can get hold of a small can of ABS plastic plumbing pipe cement (glue) and some fiber glass drywall tape you can repair the cracks, etc from the inside. Be sure that you sand off the old paint & stuff from the area where you want the cement to adhere to. And be sure that you use ABS-only cement, PVC or PVC/ABS cement wont work.

Acetone (nail polish remover) might also work initially as it melts the ABS body work and might help fuse it together --but without any additional support. Use it sparingly though as it will weep into the crack and end up melting the paint on the outside of the panel.

Tim

Ah, duct tape, Sometimes called Oklahoma Chrome.  

ABS cement does work well on the Honda ABS plastic you get a chemical weld instead of simple surface adhesion. Much stronger than any epoxy based adhesive and cheaper as well as easier to use. One thing to be careful about is if you need a thick build up for reinforcement do it with several thing coats. A thick coat will take forever to dry since it will skin over before all the solvents have evaporated. I've repaired a lot of Goldwing parts and a couple SW parts in my old shop and never had one come back.

I also have a annoying buzz comming from the front during acceleration. I removed the handle bar covers, seen nothing that could cause the noise. I snugged everything up by using wire ties on the electrical wireing on both sides. Still have the buzz..

You know how things turn out when you miss the rattle and buzz from a low speed pick-up. Well, it seems the duct tape on the metal inserts for the tabs in the steering covers has taken care of the buzz and rattle in the front panel. I went for a spin this afternoon, and don't remember getting rattled by the racket up front. No wonder they have duct tape on the ISS.

Red Green would be proud!! :lol!: