Let me get a good picture of it and you will see that there is in fact a small insert piece under the tail light assembly that is held in place with adhesive. I'm holding it in my hand right now and you can clearly see the line of glue that failed.
This is where it came from. No doubt the reason the fairing was constructed this way was because it was too complex to inject-mold it all in one piece.
Nope, that’s been repaired by someone. Triumph didn’t make any parts that were glued together like that
Yes it may be a Triumph part but they won’t have glued it together like that. My Daytona doesn’t have any glued together parts, From that picture it certainly looks like the plastic has been broken at some point then glued together by a previous owner, and not manufactured like that.
Have you taken your fairing off and really looked at the place where the bottom joins with the top? If it has not broken, it appears to be one piece, but if you look closely you can see it is actually two pieces with a clear seam between them. On the bottom edge, it will be well concealed. Now perhaps you can contact the designers of this plastic fairing and take it up with them and deny that this was glued at the factory, but all of my evidence says otherwise.
I've never had mine to bits but it looks to me like it was originally one piece :- Any 'seam' on that bottom bar is probably nothing more than mould flashing. P.S. it looks like it's a very common point of failure as there are any number around where either one or other - and even both - sides have been repaired with adhesives, with varying success!
Like I said, I just scraped off the glue and you can clearly see the mating surfaces underneath where the plastic overlaps and is meant to be glued. It separated along a plane there. Nothing broke there. The little strip between the two larger parts of the unit is where it broke, probably when it was no longer supported by the unglued, heavy end. If you have the same year bike, I doubt it is any different. Moving on, time to get that gas cap lock unstuck.
Just checked mine and, sure enough it is a separate panel glued in as you say. Never noticed that before!
It's well done, though if they had roughed up the mating surfaces before gluing, it would have bonded better. When I repair the damage wit plastic epoxy, I will do that with rough sand paper.
So water got into the gas cap lock and corroded it. Getting the whole assembly out of the tank was a bear, then I got the idea to attach three bolts and some washers and hangers. Add a piece of webbing and the whole thing pulled out easily.
And here are the components of the locking gas cap. Several springs, three screws, some rubber gaskets, and the stubborn lock cylinder that still won't move. That's going to get drilled out eventually if it refuses to move. I may pay for the $150 replacement and get it re-keyed, but I may just use the old cap with the lock cylinder's tumblers removed.
I would make do with that one until you are satisfied that the bike runs & rides OK, separate the must do’s from the nice to do’s, or your budget runs away with you ahead of of having a rideable bike. Like the tip for getting the tank cap out though! Good luck with the rest of your project mate.
Looks like it's going well, Tim. Slow progress is still progress! Could you try a local locksmith for the tank cap lock?
Now that I have the lock off, I think I'll call around again to see if anyone will work on it. My go-to locksmith wouldn't. The Triumph dealership would just replace it. On the back on the lock cylinder is a little round post that fits in a slot in the tab that keeps the gas cap closed. I have to preserve that linkage if I want the cap to still work, otherwise it will just flop around. And definitely, this is lower priority. I'm changing the fuel filter and getting the fuel pump back on the tank with a new rubber gasket today, then I'll get that back on the bike. Adding the electrolyte to the new zero maintenance battery and charging it today, too.
Maybe long term soak the lock in a release oil like WD 40 or similar thing. Turpentine is excellent at removing tree sap (as its actually part of true turpentines make up structure)
Gas cap lock now has a 1/4 hole drilled in it. I'll get an easy out bit to fit the hole so I can apply some ridiculous torque to it. I may end up fabricating a replacement from scrap. On to the gas tank. The plate holding the fuel pump has been out for weeks and I cleaned the interior of the tank fully. The residue and junk under the gas cap assembly is now clean. The paint got a little funky in the space under the gas cap while exposed to water and tree drip. But it still cleaned up fine and should seal against a new rubber ring well enough. I don't expect this bike to ever have to endure the insult of no cover again. Now the sealing surfaces between the fuel pump plate and the plastic tank are a concern to me. I ordered the wrong rubber seal, so getting the right one now. The tank plastic doesn't feel as smooth as I think it should and the metal plate had full corrosion. I sanded the plate with 800 grit, but didn't get it to a mirror polish, just smooth to the touch. The tank plastic I also sanded by hand with 800. Does anyone have experience with an older plastic tank seal? Did you have issues with leaks and have to go back and really get those surfaces like new?
