[PapaJohn]

I just finished installing a McCruise cruise control of which, required quite the tear down of the bike. I was very careful when removing plastic body parts however, when I removed the left middle cowl (one with all the dreaded broken tab issues and posts), the rearward tab next to the pocket/compartment was gone. Not just broken or cracked, but completely gone.

I purchased used last year with super low mileage and in new condition. The owner had installed a battery tender and I’m thinking he broke the tab when reinstalling the panel and maybe didn’t even know it?

Anyway, I have always noticed that side didn’t fit well. Now I know why, but now it fits even worse with a noticeable gap there. So I’m left with the decision to try and tool a solution or spend another $250 (ouch!) after already investing in the cruise. Checked eBay for the cowl, but the one there was in bad shape.

I noticed in some threads, there is a product called Plast-Aid that allows you to either pour into a mold, or let it cure a little and then shape it. Reviews are great and videos for it are pretty amazing. Either way, it chemically bonds to the other surface. Thinking about spending $20 on this product and try to “fix” first rather than buying a new cowl piece. I don’t know if it will be more hassle, but seems worth a try.

Looking for any thoughts from others who might have trial and error experience on fixing a tab? Not just with this Plast-Aid product, but in just trying to fix/create tabs?

 

[Gregory Tubbs]

I used fiberglass and black plastic epoxy in place of fiberglass resin.
My tab was still there but hanging on by a thread.

If the tab was missing I would make a new one out of the above concoction and cut a new hole in it. The plastic resin cures fast and hard enough to sand, grind and cut a hole in it.

 

[Glen Chapman]

I am in the process of teardown to install the same. I didn't break anything yet but a few things dropped "out of sight"
Not into the engine, just out of sight.

 

[bob]

When I received my replacement middle cowl from Honda I coated that tab with JB Weld. But I noticed there was still a gap between the middle cowl and the false tank panel on that side.
I found out there are 2 reasons this can happen. One is that the bundle of wires that runs down just along the backside of the battery box tends to slip out and sit between the lower corner of the battery box and the middle cowl and pushes the middle cowl out. This is solved by ensuring you push that bundle of wires back into the channel just behind the battery box as shown here.

The other reason is actually two fold. That bothersome tab doesn't hold the pin tight enough and also the grommets along the middle cowl where it connects to the false tank panel are not so strong so the middle cowl is allowed to set out a bit.

I had mine taken off several times and started making certain to push that wire bundle back where it belongs when I installed the middle cowl. And then I used a zip tie through the bothersome tab running that to the nearest plastic rivet hole for the shallow storage box as shown here. There are enough plastic rivets to hold that storage box in place so I left this one out and saved it as a spare.

You may be able to do something similar if there is enough of the broken tab left to make a small hole for a small zip tie. Maybe even make a hole in the edge of the shallow storage box flange a little closer to the rear. This would be a simple fix and the cheapest/fastest. If you do this do NOT make the zip tie very tight but only just enough to pull in the middle cowl.

This may not fix a fit issue with the battery cover to the middle cowl since the battery cover would have to rely on the edge tags that fit under the middle cowl edge to hold in place without that tab.

 

[Gregory Tubbs]

I am in the process of teardown to install the same. I didn't break anything yet but a few things dropped "out of sight"
Not into the engine, just out of sight.

I dropped a push pin down into the abyss. I found it by smell after the engine was running.

 

[gordinier]

I dropped a push pin down into the abyss. I found it by smell after the engine was running.

well, thats one way of doin it, maybe we should start callin ya " elvis", ya know his song hond dog, ertgo the supreme sense of smell??! lol!!

 

[Gregory Tubbs]

well, thats one way of doin it, maybe we should start callin ya " elvis", ya know his song hond dog, ertgo the supreme sense of smell??! lol!!

I smelled it because it melted. Maybe I'm lucky it didn't catch fire.

 

[bob]

Was it just the center pin of the plastic rivet or the entire plastic rivet?
I did drop the entire rivet down inside once but was lucky in that it found the path all the way through and dropped out under the bike. I guess I do remember a long time ago (different bike) dropping a screw down inside but was able to find it sitting on top of an engine part. I have a 24 inch mechanical grabber tool and used a flashlight and inspection mirror to find it and grab it and pull it out.

These should be in every tool box. You can find these at Amazon, Lowe's, HD, or any hardware store. Even at Walmart. You can get one that is lighted at the end or not lighted. They are a flexible spring sheath with 4 little claws that poke out the end to grab stuff that is hard to reach. An inspection mirror also comes in handy sometimes. Mine looks similar to this.

 

[Gregory Tubbs]

Was it just the center pin of the plastic rivet or the entire plastic rivet?
I did drop the entire rivet down inside once but was lucky in that it found the path all the way through and dropped out under the bike. I guess I do remember a long time ago (different bike) dropping a screw down inside but was able to find it sitting on top of an engine part. I have a 24 inch mechanical grabber tool and used a flashlight and inspection mirror to find it and grab it and pull it out.

These should be in every tool box. You can find these at Amazon, Lowe's, HD, or any hardware store. Even at Walmart. You can get one that is lighted at the end or not lighted. They are a flexible spring sheath with 4 little claws that poke out the end to grab stuff that is hard to reach. An inspection mirror also comes in handy sometimes. Mine looks similar to this.
View attachment 48567 View attachment 48569

I dropped the entire push pin and it fell back over the engine somewhere I couldn't see. I do have a grip tool like you show and also an extension with a magnet for the dropped nuts and bolts.
The push pin never fell out which was obvious from the smell of burning plastic.

 

[PapaJohn]

When I received my replacement middle cowl from Honda I coated that tab with JB Weld. But I noticed there was still a gap between the middle cowl and the false tank panel on that side.
I found out there are 2 reasons this can happen. One is that the bundle of wires that runs down just along the backside of the battery box tends to slip out and sit between the lower corner of the battery box and the middle cowl and pushes the middle cowl out. This is solved by ensuring you push that bundle of wires back into the channel just behind the battery box as shown here.
View attachment 48561

The other reason is actually two fold. That bothersome tab doesn't hold the pin tight enough and also the grommets along the middle cowl where it connects to the false tank panel are not so strong so the middle cowl is allowed to set out a bit.

I had mine taken off several times and started making certain to push that wire bundle back where it belongs when I installed the middle cowl. And then I used a zip tie through the bothersome tab running that to the nearest plastic rivet hole for the shallow storage box as shown here. There are enough plastic rivets to hold that storage box in place so I left this one out and saved it as a spare.
View attachment 48562
View attachment 48563

You may be able to do something similar if there is enough of the broken tab left to make a small hole for a small zip tie. Maybe even make a hole in the edge of the shallow storage box flange a little closer to the rear. This would be a simple fix and the cheapest/fastest. If you do this do NOT make the zip tie very tight but only just enough to pull in the middle cowl.

This may not fix a fit issue with the battery cover to the middle cowl since the battery cover would have to rely on the edge tags that fit under the middle cowl edge to hold in place without that tab.

Thanks for the note on the bundle of wires Bob. I pulled the cowl out and sure enough, those wires were sticking out, so I tucked ‘em back in.

I think I’m going to try and find an L shaped plastic or metal bracket and use the Plast-Aid as bonding agent to attach it to my cowl and hope I can get that to work. I’ve not worked with fiberglass before, so I’m less comfortable trying to create a tab that way.

 

[SCS]

When I received my replacement middle cowl from Honda I coated that tab with JB Weld. But I noticed there was still a gap between the middle cowl and the false tank panel on that side.
I found out there are 2 reasons this can happen. One is that the bundle of wires that runs down just along the backside of the battery box tends to slip out and sit between the lower corner of the battery box and the middle cowl and pushes the middle cowl out. This is solved by ensuring you push that bundle of wires back into the channel just behind the battery box as shown here.
View attachment 48561

The other reason is actually two fold. That bothersome tab doesn't hold the pin tight enough and also the grommets along the middle cowl where it connects to the false tank panel are not so strong so the middle cowl is allowed to set out a bit.

I had mine taken off several times and started making certain to push that wire bundle back where it belongs when I installed the middle cowl. And then I used a zip tie through the bothersome tab running that to the nearest plastic rivet hole for the shallow storage box as shown here. There are enough plastic rivets to hold that storage box in place so I left this one out and saved it as a spare.
View attachment 48562
View attachment 48563

You may be able to do something similar if there is enough of the broken tab left to make a small hole for a small zip tie. Maybe even make a hole in the edge of the shallow storage box flange a little closer to the rear. This would be a simple fix and the cheapest/fastest. If you do this do NOT make the zip tie very tight but only just enough to pull in the middle cowl.

This may not fix a fit issue with the battery cover to the middle cowl since the battery cover would have to rely on the edge tags that fit under the middle cowl edge to hold in place without that tab.

That's a common tab that breaks off. I tried to repair it many times. I just cut that piece off the cowl clean and sprayed some black paint. It fits ok without that tab.
Also, the tabs on the side covers /cowl break off too. Those tabs hold onto the headlight housing. I used JB weld on those. They held for a year or so. I may use Bondo next time.
I'm repainting the top cover/cowl. Ordered OEM paint from ColorRite.

Good luck

 

[bob]

Yes, it is a very common problem tab. Mine was broken from the factory. I posted about my experience on the forum more than once way back in 2014. I told the dealer about an issue with fit between the middle cowl and the battery cover when I went to pick mine up. Dealer has his shop guy replace the battery cover with spares... twice... while I waited. And then finally took one off the other bike on the floor. That fit slightly better but still wasn't good. When I installed my battery tender pigtail during that next week or so I found the reason for the fit problem was the broken tab and also the wire bundle mentioned above. Dealer ordered me a new middle cowl on warranty and had it drop shipped to my home (dealer was 145 miles away since my local dealer refused to "deal" on price). That middle cowl, direct from the factory, was also broken so the dealer gave me a return label for it and ordered a second new cowl, but this time had it send to them first so they could inspect it. That one was also broken right from the factory so they returned it and ordered yet a third. That one was good so that's the one I ended up with. They also gave me a prepaid label to return the original defective panel. I am VERY familiar with the issues with that tab.

The hooks along the front top edge of the middle cowl that latch onto the headlight assembly were poorly designed and breaking them was always due to miss handling by the shop or owner removing the middle cowl. There is a trick to getting that cowl off without breaking those hooks. It takes a lot of patience and finesse to rotate the middle cowl the right way when removing or installing it without putting excess stress on those attachment points. But like I said, they were poorly designed to require such handling to remove that panel.

 

[gordinier]

I smelled it because it melted. Maybe I'm lucky it didn't catch fire.

that too! lol!

 

[PatrickFL]

Find some donor plastic to shape the missing end. Weld using soldering iron, you can use black zip ties as solder or donor plastic to build it up thicker in areas thickness is a good thing. Worth a try.

 

[Rp007]

I just finished installing a McCruise cruise control of which, required quite the tear down of the bike. I was very careful when removing plastic body parts however, when I removed the left middle cowl (one with all the dreaded broken tab issues and posts), the rearward tab next to the pocket/compartment was gone. Not just broken or cracked, but completely gone.

I purchased used last year with super low mileage and in new condition. The owner had installed a battery tender and I’m thinking he broke the tab when reinstalling the panel and maybe didn’t even know it?

Anyway, I have always noticed that side didn’t fit well. Now I know why, but now it fits even worse with a noticeable gap there. So I’m left with the decision to try and tool a solution or spend another $250 (ouch!) after already investing in the cruise. Checked eBay for the cowl, but the one there was in bad shape.

I noticed in some threads, there is a product called Plast-Aid that allows you to either pour into a mold, or let it cure a little and then shape it. Reviews are great and videos for it are pretty amazing. Either way, it chemically bonds to the other surface. Thinking about spending $20 on this product and try to “fix” first rather than buying a new cowl piece. I don’t know if it will be more hassle, but seems worth a try.

Looking for any thoughts from others who might have trial and error experience on fixing a tab? Not just with this Plast-Aid product, but in just trying to fix/create tabs?

I have had two tabs successfully plastic welded and they are still holding five years later. I hope you enjoy the McCruise control. I lent the company my bike years ago to design a fit. I remember the guys saying they could not believe how much they needed to pull the bike down to fit the unit. Best addition to the bike….!!!

 

[PapaJohn]

Well, I had a successful weekend. I ended up tooling a part from extra thick window covering hardware. Had two pieces to merge together and then glue to the cowl. I received the Plast-Aid and that stuff worked great and as advertised. Easy to use. Starts liquid and cures to rock hard plastic. Apply in the liquid state to run into cracks and set the bond between pieces, then apply extra bits as it cures (5-10 min) to build up and strengthen. It's smell IS similar to JB Weld and other similar products, so I'm guessing the chemical ingredients/ process is quite similar. I initially dremmeled out the slot too much at one point, so rather than trying to make the whole piece again, I used the Plast-Aid to see if it would fill it in and be strong enough to hold. It did. Cured rock hard just like plastic, and chemically bonded to the piece so that when I shoved the other fairing piece down into the slot, it held like a champ with no breakage! Woop Woop!

Thanks for all of your advice fellas. Happy camper. Fairing parts fit better now and I saved $275 in ordering a new cowl. Darn happy! And now just waiting for my fender extender to arrive and I'll use this stuff on that too expecting it will bond and hold just as well.

 

[Stlburd2]

Well, I had a successful weekend. I ended up tooling a part from extra thick window covering hardware. Had two pieces to merge together and then glue to the cowl. I received the Plast-Aid and that stuff worked great and as advertised. Easy to use. Starts liquid and cures to rock hard plastic. Apply in the liquid state to run into cracks and set the bond between pieces, then apply extra bits as it cures (5-10 min) to build up and strengthen. It's smell IS similar to JB Weld and other similar products, so I'm guessing the chemical ingredients/ process is quite similar. I initially dremmeled out the slot too much at one point, so rather than trying to make the whole piece again, I used the Plast-Aid to see if it would fill it in and be strong enough to hold. It did. Cured rock hard just like plastic, and chemically bonded to the piece so that when I shoved the other fairing piece down into the slot, it held like a champ with no breakage! Woop Woop!

Thanks for all of your advice fellas. Happy camper. Fairing parts fit better now and I saved $275 in ordering a new cowl. Darn happy! And now just waiting for my fender extender to arrive and I'll use this stuff on that too expecting it will bond and hold just as well.

I installed a fender extender also. But mine came with three small plastic screws to hold it. I used two sided tape on the inside and the screws. Its been hanging on for 7 yrs with no problems. I took the fender off which made all the working on it easier, Hope it goes well for ya.