Well, I'm finally getting around to using Radare's how-to wall posting on plastic repair to fix the right side panel on my '97. I followed the (very helpful!) instructions, and have it clamped up sitting on my back porch right now. Man, Radare wasn't kidding about the fumes! It seemed fairly straightforward; the hardest part was using the heat gun to shape the reinforcing parts; I overheated a few strips of plastic before getting the hang of it.
My side panel was in three pieces from the previous owner's crash back in 2008; when I bought it, I tried repairing it with MEK, the active ingredient in PVC cement; I had some from doing some acrylic work unrelated to bikes. That stuff is much harder to use, as it looks and runs just like water. While the repair held for quite awhile, I didn't know to reinforce the repair, so the pieces came apart again last summer.
I'll post pics of the results, once I pull the clamps off. Per Radare's instructions, I still need to fill the cracks from the "top side" of the repairs, which should happen tomorrow. Thanks to Radare for a great how-to guide!
