Rear fender trim

[RUSS M8]

I'm going to get round to trimming/replacing my rear end sometime on my 96 B12.  Although I do have a Ventura rack fitted - it has been custom mounted so it doesn't push the indicators out - so I'll have to figure out what to do whith that.  Either trim around it or see if I can mount one of them custom undertrays with the rack in place.
Anybody had experience with the Ventura rack and customising the rear end?

[terrebandit]

I've not trimmed my rear fender and I'm going to tell you why....

I do alot of group riding with my friends and you would be surprised how many small rocks/stones are kicked up by a rear tire on a bike.  Out of respect for their machines and the potential damage that I might cause to their bikes, I have resisted the temptation to cut my fender off....  I know it looks good but I decided to use the fender to display a big fat reflective sticker instead....

I could care less about the cages, however....  

[BBurton]

Rocks kicking up can be cured by a tire hugger, I think they look pretty good too!! Any trimming that you may do on the B12 rear will be an improvement in appearence, I still have enough left to keep water off my back and help deflect rocks.

[terrebandit]

Rocks kicking up can be cured by a tire hugger,

 

It might help but it won't "cure" it.  They sit too far back on the wheel.  About the only thing a hugger does is keep your shock clean.  They do look good however (I have one).

[solman]

I wanted a cleaner look on my 03 bandit 1200 on the rear.  I trimmed almost all of the plastic away, except enough to remount my license plate. I bought the clear alternatives tail light and tried wiring in a trailer converter to combine my tail light and turn signals and ran into problems on long rides(got hot and gave my problems). So I got rid of the trailer converter and bought LED lights from Walmart and changed out the red bulbs. For turn signals, I took apart one of my short stalks and used the inner parts. On each side of my license plate light, I drilled a hole on each side and inserted my turn signal lights. I also drilled a hole in the plastic next to it to give more brightness to the side. After putting it back together, it looks and works great!  I have pics if anybody wants to see what it looks like. Just send me an email. BTW, is there a place I can post pics?
_________________

[solman]

I got hooked up on uploading pics, here is a couple of pics of my mods.  I switched to LED tail lights after this pic.

[davesavvy]

here is what I recently posted on another board:

Hey all-
I've been staring way too long at the ugly fender (no offense to any fender lovers) and I finally got the nerve up to introduce Mr. Dremel to it.
First, I traced the original fender's bottom curve on to a piece of paper. Then I traced it so it came out so the bottom of the curve was just below the license plate. I had to free hand the contour to the sides, ending up just below the inside bracket for the signal lights.
I used the Dremel's cutting wheel to make the cut. After a few attempts, I realized that it was better to do a series of little cuts with a sawing motion. Then I used the little barrel sander to buff it out...one important tip, use the low setting for this or you'll make it uneven. Then I used some blue plumber's grit paper to fine tune it. i was a little careless and marked up more than the edge, but it may blend in with a good washing.
I originally thought I was going to put some car door edging on it, but it came out better than I expected so I'm leaving it alone.
Here are the pictures:

Before-


After-



After Closeup-


Finished with plate back on-


Sideview-

[Mongo]

I started out by trimming mine down too the plate but after my buddy put a fender eliminator kit on his ZRX it was time for mine to go. I checked out this thread and decided to take a few pictures of my shot at fender elimaniton!

After about a six-pack and a few cigars these were my results!






Click here for more photos

I used a right angle grinder with a thin cut off wheel to do the initial trim leaving about a 1/4" of material off the mark and then swapped out the cut off wheel for a 80 grit sanding disk to bring it down to the line. I pulled a blade out of my utility knife to do the final shape and the hand sanded the rest of the way.

I made up a couple of L brackets out of some flat stock and riveted them to my license plate bracket and bolted on a set mini turn signals that I picked up at Cycle Gear!

Just remember go slow and it should look OK!
 

Todd

[dsartwell1]

I finally hacked off some of the fender. Left the stock signals in place and just shortened and neatened things up. I'm pretty happy with it. I may do the Holeshot thing eventually but this is good for now. Gonna try to post a before and after. Pics are with a camera phone so they aren't the best but you get the idea.

Just read the FAQ and don't have a way to post pics. Help anyone?

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Thanks for the help Red. Still not good at it but got the job done.[/img]

[Red01]

Just read the FAQ and don't have a way to post pics. Help anyone?

You read this thread?

http://forums.banditalley.net/viewtopic.php?t=520

And missed this part?

Free image hosting site links to store and post your photos:


http://www.imageshack.us

http://www.photobucket.com

[Mongo]

I finally hacked off some of the fender. Left the stock signals in place and just shortened and neatened things up. I'm pretty happy with it. I may do the Holeshot thing eventually but this is good for now. Gonna try to post a before and after. Pics are with a camera phone so they aren't the best but you get the idea.

Just read the FAQ and don't have a way to post pics. Help anyone?

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Thanks for the help Red. Still not good at it but got the job done.[/img]

Cut it all the way off!

[WEINERDOGBONE]

I did that Holeshot fender mod to my B12 about a year ago. I was cleaning the bike the other day and discovered that the small portion of the fender that remained to mount the license and turn signals had broken almost off the bike.

I'll be moving to a undertail kit of some sort as soon as I find one I'm willing to pay for. Heads up on hacking!

[Mongo]

I did that Holeshot fender mod to my B12 about a year ago. I was cleaning the bike the other day and discovered that the small portion of the fender that remained to mount the license and turn signals had broken almost off the bike.

I'll be moving to a undertail kit of some sort as soon as I find one I'm willing to pay for. Heads up on hacking!

Any chance of pulling a repair with sheet metal and a little JB Weld?

[WEINERDOGBONE]

I had thought about a patch job of some sort but it's pretty well trashed. Thanks for the suggestion though.

[dsartwell1]

Hey Mongo. The second pic is after the hack job. I may finish it off but for now I'm out 0 dollars and it looks alot better. Not sure which signals I want to go with yet.