Crack in Saddlebag

[Dr Bobs Patient]

While doin a rear wheel replacement on my new Valk, I noticed one of the saddlebags has an 8" crack in the bottom.  Should I...

1. Just put it on and forget about it?
2. Try a JB Weld repair (I love JB Weld!).
3. Try a fiberglass repair like on a car fender.
4. Something else?

I know it's late and should have a picture of it, but I'm too tired and headed for bed.  Didn't see anything on a search about saddlebags.  Thanks in advance for any help.

DBP

[98valk]

u can either plastic weld it or use an epoxy made for ABS plastic which is sold at most hardware stores. either way sanding and smoothing and usual prep work for painting will need to be done.

[Thunderbolt]

I think I used some two part epoxy on mine.  I bought a plastic welder from Harbor Freight and used it on the plastic fenders on a 4 wheeler, not a lot of success.  Not very nice looking and the kit that comes with it has 3 or 4 different plastic "rods" to choose from, but none of them worked very well.  All this to say that although I am not a good welder of any sort, maybe not a good investment.  Try the epoxy.

[jer0177]

Had the same problem with mine.  Not sure if it was the pair of ford escape brake rotors or the case of wine that did it, but here's what I did to fix it.

Removed the bag so as to be able to get at the bottom.  Using a 2" angle grinder with 80 grit, ground out a small groove along the crack, and filled it in with ABS cement, since the bag is made of ABS.  Repeated for the other side making sure to grind deep enough to remove what was left of the crack.  Each side had to dry overnight, and the thicker side took a couple of coats, but the repaired area is as strong as the original because the cement fused to the bag becoming a solid piece of ABS instead of foreign substance bonding to the surface.