I had no idea how easy plastic welding is

MinnesotaEric · Sep 7, 2022

I got a plastic welding kit and repaired a fuel jug (akin to a giant milk carton) successfully which prepared me for my most important plastic repair to date! follow me.

Paystar · Sep 7, 2022

You learn that trade real quick when you race motocross bikes and always have broken plastic, LOL

MinnesotaEric · Sep 7, 2022

Paystar said:
You learn that trade real quick when you race motocross bikes and always have broken plastic, LOL

I got lucky when I raced moto and mostly didn't crash so I missed out. When I took up road-style racing with 31 broken bones from when I was younger, I was old enough to have a rule of not crashing and became the guy to show others how fast their junk could run safely.

But my AMA-engined Husky 510, with 50honest hp at the rear wheel on an Eddie Current type dyno remains my favorite track toy.

Paystar · Sep 7, 2022

I didn't use anything as advanced as an actual plastic welding kit. I always just used an electric soldering gun and if it was really bad, some pieces of scrap plastic as filler.

But I guess you'd want to use something better if you were doing tanks like that.
I only had to fix rad shrouds and fender cracks.

Saves you a lot of money.

I always liked Supermoto bikes. That Husky is cool. I never did pavement. Just motocross when I was young on Yamaha then Honda 80's and 125's, then switched to AMA District 14 enduro and hare scrambles on CR250's and a CRE500 then quit in 2003 on a KTM 300EXC. Now I just bought a Beta 430 RR race edition. My daughter calls it my mid life crisis bike, LOL Also found out I'm not the same rider I was in 2003, LOL
But it is a good way to get some exercise again.

Citydude · Sep 7, 2022

JB epoxy worked wonders on a plastic 5 gallon diesel can I punctured with my grapple.

MinnesotaEric · Sep 8, 2022

Paystar said:
I didn't use anything as advanced as an actual plastic welding kit. I always just used an electric soldering gun and if it was really bad, some pieces of scrap plastic as filler.

But I guess you'd want to use something better if you were doing tanks like that.
I only had to fix rad shrouds and fender cracks.

Saves you a lot of money.

I always liked Supermoto bikes. That Husky is cool. I never did pavement. Just motocross when I was young on Yamaha then Honda 80's and 125's, then switched to AMA District 14 enduro and hare scrambles on CR250's and a CRE500 then quit in 2003 on a KTM 300EXC. Now I just bought a Beta 430 RR race edition. My daughter calls it my mid life crisis bike, LOL Also found out I'm not the same rider I was in 2003, LOL
But it is a good way to get some exercise again.

A buddy who continues to run enduros and hair scrambles in the Paul Bunyan popped over one day on one of his KTM's. Apparently, it has a clutch in it something like the first Honda Big Red ATVs. You can select gears, but you cannot stall the machine. You can even clutch up wheelies. I marveled. If only I had that clutch when I ran in the woods.

Husky-wise, I still have that bike with plans to hang it upside down from a vaulted ceiling someday. It is the last of the flat slides. Everything else is fuel injected. It also is a bit of a unicorn since Husky was Italian-owned back then so I believe getting parts for it would be super hard. Anyway, for now it is in barn-bike-mode.

fatjay · Sep 8, 2022

The plastic valve housing on my pool pump is cracked, and a replacement is $650. I was just wondering the other day if i could somehow weld it instead of replacing the damned thing.

Paystar · Sep 8, 2022

MinnesotaEric said:
A buddy who continues to run enduros and hair scrambles in the Paul Bunyan popped over one day on one of his KTM's. Apparently, it has a clutch in it something like the first Honda Big Red ATVs. You can select gears, but you cannot stall the machine. You can even clutch up wheelies. I marveled. If only I had that clutch when I ran in the woods.

Husky-wise, I still have that bike with plans to hang it upside down from a vaulted ceiling someday. It is the last of the flat slides. Everything else is fuel injected. It also is a bit of a unicorn since Husky was Italian-owned back then so I believe getting parts for it would be super hard. Anyway, for now it is in barn-bike-mode.

It is likely a Rekluse clutch Eric. Lots of people are running them now. You are right, everything is going fuel injected now. It's starting to even get hard to find a carb'd two stroke now.

I have mixed feelings about it. They run great and you don't have to play with jetting, but now you have electronics, check engine lights and need a dealer scanner to do anything.
My Beta has an adapter cable to plug in with a standard OBD-II scanner, but it only allows you to read the codes, you can't cancel or reset anything with it.

MinnesotaEric · Sep 9, 2022

fatjay said:
The plastic valve housing on my pool pump is cracked, and a replacement is $650. I was just wondering the other day if i could somehow weld it instead of replacing the damned thing.

I think you can so long as a sealed, hairline crack isn't going to bother anything. Take a look at my video and decide for yourself.

MinnesotaEric · Sep 9, 2022

Paystar said:
It is likely a Rekluse clutch Eric. Lots of people are running them now. You are right, everything is going fuel injected now. It's starting to even get hard to find a carb'd two stroke now.

I have mixed feelings about it. They run great and you don't have to play with jetting, but now you have electronics, check engine lights and need a dealer scanner to do anything.
My Beta has an adapter cable to plug in with a standard OBD-II scanner, but it only allows you to read the codes, you can't cancel or reset anything with it.

Repairing things wise, that is the biggest hassle I have (apart from not having a shop, or heated garage): ECUs behind paywalls.