Cutting plastic/fiber glass fairings

[olds_cool]

Hey, all:

I'm going for the cafe racer look on my 250cc commuter. I want to cut down the fairings so the they do not go below the bottom of the gas tank. My question is, what's the best way to cut them without ruining them? Has anyone out there done this before? I just wanna cut and run (hahahhah)!

[94rf900r]

angle grinder with a cutting wheel works or a dremel something like that good just be careful you dont start melting it cut a little and then let it cool for a sec then cut more

[olds_cool]

Cool! I should be getting started tomorrow before work. We'll see how it goes....

[rugger19]

Not sure if I would use an angle grinder. Those things are made to cut steel, not plastic. They spin at very high RPMs. Use a very fine tooth hacksaw blade or sawzall and cut just below the desired line. I know they make blades that are meant for plastic. They are 36 or 48 teeth. Then clean it up with a dremel.

You might want to do a test cut on part of the fairing that you want to get rid of just to be sure.

Post up some pics when you get it done!

[94rf900r]

i dont like using hack saws cause they always seem to cut sideways or something the grinder worked good for me because its so easy to control and cut fast. i use metal cutting blades because they are pretty skinny and can make a precision cut, use just the very tip of the wheel and you can go around curves easy. but like i said just be careful you dont start melting it cuase they do spin really fast just be careful.

[CBRAWR]

use a dremel with reinforced cut off wheels, and you should also use painters tape or similar to mark out where you want to cut at, and this will also prevent the paint from peeling up while cutting

[94rf900r]

+1 on the tape

[kjf45]

i just finished cutting my plastics up. i used a dremel with a cut off wheel and taped off where i wanted to cut. definitly take your time and make a couple passes so you dont melt anything. other than that it was pretty easy