This page will detail the damage done to the Pichler Fairing, and the steps taken to repair it. Sleazy insurance companies watch out! You will not be allowed to renege on your obligation to return the bike to its original condition before the crash!!
 
Be there as it happens! Howard's Bikes (plasticdr@vegasnet.net) in Las Vegas Nevada was recommended to me (on 10-9-97) by the MagSab group. This section will serve as both a repair log and communication between myself and Howard at Howard's Bikes. After an initial conversation on the phone, we both decided that the only way to communicate (other than just sending the fairing) was to use the web! Welcome to the 90's!! Below are the photos of the Pichler fairing as it sits in its wrecked state. After a lengthy discussion, I decided that not only did I want the fairing fixed, but I wanted it reinforced in the high stress areas also. Describing this over the phone is useless. So now the helpful diagrams!   I have reduced the number of diagrams to just show the major damage areas.  I think the following serves as a general outline for specifying any generic plastic fairing repair.

Introduction: 
The fairing sections are all plastic. There are three parts to the fairing. A center piece, a left piece, and a right piece. I will refer to the left & right pieces as side panels. See Figure 3 for a view with the right side panel removed. Each of the three pieces consists of an outer plastic part and an inner plastic part. The outer plastic part on all three pieces is what's painted, and shows in the front & side views of the fairing. The inner part is 'unfinished' plastic, except for the small compartment doors which are metal. Whether a different type of plastic is used on the inner and outer parts, I don't know. I will leave that discovery up to the plastics experts.
The fairing inner & outer parts seem to be stapled together, and in some spots it seems that they may be welded.  From figure 3 & 4, it can be seen that there is an overlapping seam between the front piece and the side pieces, which would make stapling in that area really ugly.   There are no staples in that area, and the staples that are around the border depend on a plastic type of molding for cover.

The fairing pieces are bolted together with three wing-tipped bolts on each side.  These bolts are located inside each of the side panels, and there are metal threaded inserts (welded?) inside the front piece for a proper connection. See Figure three for the location of some of these holes.

There are two distinct difficulties with this fairing as it sits.  First, there is the separation of the inner & outer parts.  Then, there are the cracks, both hairline and major, on various sections.  The two problems will be treated separately for ease of understanding.

Separation:
The separation is occurring on the front section only as shown.   A close-up of this separation is shown  here in two views.  Notice the staples sticking out the 'top' of the right side panel and the top of the front piece in the top view.  This was supposed to be covered by molding.  If a rivet were to be placed here as opposed to a  staple, it may be OK if the molding were deep enough to cover it.
Notice also that side view the section between the front piece and the side panel has no staples.  This is probably a major contributor to the separation.  There are only small hairline cracks in the outside piece by the edge, and obviously some surface blemishes.  It is desired to have the hairlines fixed, while the blemishes can be handled by the body shop who is painting it.  I would be open to suggestions on joining the front outside piece to the front inside piece that would not show on the outside when the front piece is joined to the side panel.
Also notice the seam area.   The two pieces are being 'forced together.'  Once the force is taken away,  the sections separate.  This is due to a large crack(s) in the side panel mating face.

 Cracks:
There are various areas in which the fairing is cracked due to the collision.  The most dramatic of these is the area where the right side panel connects to the front piece. Behind the bolting surface in the side panel is a 'reinforced' area.  Whether this is a thicker piece of plastic welded on, or a piece of fiberglass or metal, I cannot tell.  The cracks occur right around where the reinforcement is.  The side panel  section is stapled all around, and the 'glove compartment' door is metal and riveted on, as can be seen in this view.

Hairline Cracks:
There are a few areas where hairline cracks have developed after the crash.   These seem to be in the 'high stress' areas or corners.  When repairing the fairng, it is requested that these areas, as well as the joining areas be reinforced.

Conclusions:
I would like an estimate on the cost, and time required to fix the fairing.  There are three major concerns outlined above, and summarized here.  I would like the cracks fixed, the 'separation' problem solved, and the fairing reinforced to prevent future cracks developing.  One body shop I questioned said that puttting fiberglass reinforcement behind the panels would not be sufficient, since they would tend to separate over time.  I would like alternate solutions.  Also, as part of the reinforcement, I would like to have the inner and outer sections (of all three pieces) attached to each other in such a way that they are sturdier and more 'stress resistant' than original.  This comes from the fact that the fairing tended to 'creak' when driven at highway speeds.

Howards Reply (Paraphrased):
Using proprietary techniques, and several methods of plastic welding, I will reinforce the existing plastic structure without using fiberglass, which will provide a much more rigid support than the stock unit.  This reinforcement will  provide the necessary structrual rigidity without affecting the external appearance of the inside of the fairing.

 I feel the active ingredient here is the fact that I will repair the fairing using several methods of plastic welding...no fiberglass whatsoever.
 
Well, I do think that standard repair is out of the question here, as  I am dealing with something complete different from the normal!  Nonetheless,  I think the only problem is time itself...and possibly more time than I've ever put into a single piece, or bodyset if I understand right.  I figure that I'll have at least 12-15 hrs. tied up...maybe more. This will probably take me 2 weeks in my possession with prepaid shipping.
 This (faring) will be sanded. As best I understand, this should not present a problem, just time consuming.

Repairs are Complete!
The repairs came out outstanding!  Howard welded every seam at the junction of the pieces.  The fairing came stock with molding to cover up the seams.   Now with the superior welding the molding may not be necessary!  Watch this page for photos of the finished work, before and after painting!