I had a nice day out yesterday picking up the fairing for the sprinter...'Faster than a speeding bullet' or what?.. ...
It has to be sprayed after all mounting and other work is done...Can anyone out there tell me what is a suitable primer and undercoat for fibreglass...And is any special preparation required other than a light rub over with some wet and dry?....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Ian you could use it for camping make a good tent

email (option): roger.beck@node6.com

Actually I pinched it off the front of the Jap 'Bullet' train... ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

I have a feeling that a friend of mine who used to repair quite a lot of fairings and GRP parts used a high-build primer called 'Lesonal'. It certainly used to ensure that there were no reactions and held back crazing.

That said, a large area such as yours is going to flex somewhere.

That fairing reminds me of a news aticle I saw this morning about a gathering of A4's at York this weekend. Didn't one of them make 128mph?

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(at)yahoo.co.uk

I think it was 126mph, in 1938...It was the 'Mallard'....It still holds the record as the fastest steam locomotive...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

there you go you was thinking of a name for it so paint it pale blue and call it the mallard

email (option): roger.beck@node6.com

Ian is obviously well versed on the fairing, so these caveats apply only to street use and LSR novices.
It's the best shape in terms of drag coefficient in many cases (nothing else can hide the front wheel that well!), and very close in most others. Of course, the frontal area still can't be smaller than the bike's cross-section. The H-D KR fairings adapt well to singles because they're narrow.
Safety: it's prone to drift in cross-winds since the continuous "sail" area is large, but there's another factor in play: it's impossible (using only the parts shown) for the center of gravity to be forward of the center of pressure. This means that once slightly cross-up it won't self-correct but (in this case) attempt to yaw out of control. This is one reason why dustbin bikes frequently have faired side panels and (if practical) a finned tail - anything to add pressure aft of the engine & rider.
Street safety: very difficult to get your legs out in a fall, and with some materials the fairing becomes a shower of flying knives after impact.

Have fun, be safe!

email (option): sales@victorylibrary.com

Hi Ian,how did you get it down off the roof?

http://pub37.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=3155626639&frmid=16&msgid=1273389&cmd=show

cheers Rick

email (option): richardholt@rocketmail.com

On the subject of strange sidecars, I got this with my WM20 - definately needs more work than the 'dustbin'! It's an early AA sidecar and came complete with windscreen and chassis. Unless a cheap M21 crops up, I'm not sure I'll ever use it.

Scorp.

Ian,

I agree with Panic, and hope you choose a perfectly still morning for the record run.

Jeff

email (option): jjbandoo@aol.com

What colour will you spray it? And where will you stencil the C number?

Jeff

email (option): jjbandoo@aol.com

I'd like to start a kitty to help Ian defer some of the enormous cost he must be generating in this project. We all have a stake in his success.

I'll start by making a $50 donation via PayPal.

Jeff

email (option): jjbandoo@aol.com

You put me in a difficult position Jeff. I'll donate to help him drown his sorrows if he's unable to crack the existing record held by a 16H....

I'll drink to that
Good luck though Ian.

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

email (option): warbikes@gmail.com

how about having our/sponsors name on the fairing like the Vulcan bombers bomb bay doors

email (option): roger.beck@node6.com

From my dim memory of boats (low cost plastic ditch crawlers as GRP was known). The gel coat needs etching and the paint might be cyano-acrylate. A phone call to Tankards at Weir quay if they're still going should get you an answer.

Cheers Pat

Ian I've found a really good painter & motorcycle guy up near me, Terry. He has a couple of rather lovely Norton cafe racers, he's just restored a WD 16H which is immaculate, he does something once and does it properly every time, a perfectionist. He's just done some painting for me, which included a fiber glass seat unit for my cafe and he's done an awesome job, he actually re-did somthing another painter I used did and ballsed up. He's resprayed a Honda BlackBird recently that was also his and that was stunning too, he's the kind of guy you could ask 07900 934634. I won't be using anyone else for my painting, he is very helpful and no-doubt will tell you.

email (option): kit247@hotmail.com

Hi Kit...Thanks for the tip but I generally do all my own spraying...I just need any relevant tips on the preparation and primers needed for fibreglass which I haven't sprayed before...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Hi Ian,

I spent many years working on caravans, and when getting them ready for paint I usually sanded the gel coat down with something fairly course, approx 400 grit, then gave a light coat of etch primer, then usally a high build 2 pack primer as the fibreglass was never the smoothest of surfaces. I usually rubbed this down with some 1200 grit wet and dry before the top coat (using panel wipe before application of top coat).

I never had any complaints and never had any problems with the paint not adhering to the surface. Other people might have different opinions but this always worked for me.

Glenn

email (option): glenn_mullan@postmaster.co.uk

Thanks for the info. Glenn.....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com