SuperMoto Junkie banner

DRZ fender Trim

13K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  VZuke 
#1 ·
I happen to have an old scratched up fender in my possession and I decided to do a trim job for a different look for the bike. Just cutting the fender straight looked too chunky to me up front, so I did a gentle radius just to break it up.

I started the cut about in the middle of of the fork tube indentations. Very low angle then did the radius, came back toward the outside edge to capture some of the stock flared part then around the front and off with the nose.

The tricky part is matching both sides. What I did was use some thin masking tape (pin striping tape would be nice) to mark it before the cut. That way you can experiment with different styles before the cut. Just hold the fender out there, squint and imagine everything below the tape is gone.......

I used a Mototool with a fiber cut off wheel. That is some thick plastic back toward the center of the fender! Try to keep the cutting wheel at a 90 degree angle as you cut and you'll have less filing and sanding to do. The speed of the Mototool and the speed of how you cut is another delicate balance. It seems to work better to make multiple cuts instead of trying to power through it one time. It's a fine line between cutting and melting/welding. Keep an eye on the cutting wheel mounting screw, you don't want that gouging the good side of the cut.

The tip or front of the fender is tough because you are going from the side radius into the rounded nose. Try to make it as gentle as possible so it looks, well like it's supposed to look on a fender.

Make sure you wear some eye protection. I wasn't at first because I was cutting down low and the plastic was hitting me in the stomach. But I adjusted it up for this one trim and a piece of melted plastic got me right in the inside corner of the eye, more tear duct area. That was hot!

I think it turned out ok. I wonder if I should have "cut it" a little longer? Have a little room for a Suzuke "S" on the front. It's weird not seeing the fender out in front while riding.
 

Attachments

See less See more
4
#6 ·
Plastic sheen

White plastic does hide the scratches well. You have to look at it just right to see the scratches and scuffs.

What happened was when I bought the motorcycle and I noticed these three deep scratches on the top of the front fender. I requested a new one from the dealer. He offered an aftermarket one but I held out for a stocker. I wasn't as immersed in the SuperMoto counter culture as I am now!

After I got the new fender I asked him if he wanted the scratched fender gack and he said, "What am I going to do with it? Keep it." So that's how I got an extra one. That's the reason it still has that new plastic shine.

I realize that no amount of buffing will get those deep scratches out but what can you use to get say... boot scuffs off. Can you restore that sheen to the plastic with something? Does Plexus polish out those scuffs or is it more of a plastic wax/preservative?

I picture any kind of polishing compound just turning the plastic hazy and it will never be as shiny as it was when they popped it out of the mold.
 
#7 ·
Plastic sheen

White plastic does hide the scratches well. You have to look at it just right to see the scratches and scuffs.

What happened was when I bought the motorcycle and I noticed these three deep scratches on the top of the front fender. I requested a new one from the dealer. He offered an aftermarket one but I held out for a stocker. I wasn't as immersed in the SuperMoto counter culture as I am now!

After I got the new fender I asked him if he wanted the scratched fender gack and he said, "What am I going to do with it? Keep it." So that's how I got an extra one. That's the reason it still has that new plastic shine.

I realize that no amount of buffing will get those deep scratches out but what can you use to get say... boot scuffs off. Can you restore that sheen to the plastic with something? Does Plexus polish out those scuffs or is it more of a plastic wax/preservative?

I picture any kind of polishing compound just turning the plastic hazy and it will never be as shiny as it was when they popped it out of the mold.
 
#10 ·
looks good! I have the same model of bike, i have been going back and forth on doing it myself or just buying a new one... do you have any pics of the bike from more of a distance so i can gauge what is looks like? Good job tho!!!!
 
#11 ·
looks good!
 
#12 · (Edited)
Per your request breed77 (pull back fender shot)

Here is my 08, I celebrated its first birthday (ownership day?) back in April. I'm just shy of 8000 miles now.

My tail bag is a little faded but still functions. I tried to dye it black by brushing on dye straight from the bottle. Oh it looked nice, until it rained! Apparently that type of fabric doesn't take dye well, once the water hit it bled all over the back fender. Luckily it washed off. Maybe I'll try a Sharpie.......

I hooked up my Zeta hand guard lights as running lights because I didn't think they were bright enough for day light turn indicators.

Do the running lights help make me more conspicuous? Sadly no (suspicions confirmed), people still pull out in front of me.

Is it me, or do cars seem to pull out in front of you more often with these types of bikes (moto, dirt, smaller front profile)? It's almost like they see you, but don't think we're going that fast. But as we know, WE USUALLY ARE!
 

Attachments

#13 ·
Per your request breed77 (pull back fender shot)

Here is my 08, I celebrated its first birthday (ownership day?) back in April. I'm just shy of 8000 miles now.

My tail bag is a little faded but still functions. I tried to dye it black by brushing on dye straight from the bottle. Oh it looked nice, until it rained! Apparently that type of fabric doesn't take dye well, once the water hit it bled all over the back fender. Luckily it washed off. Maybe I'll try a Sharpie.......

I hooked up my Zeta hand guard lights as running lights because I didn't think they were bright enough for day light turn indicators.

Do the running lights help make me more conspicuous? Sadly no (suspicions confirmed), people still pull out in front of me.

Is is me or do people seam to pull out more in front of these types of bikes (moto, dirt, smaller front profile)? It's almost like they see you but don't think that we are moving that fast. But as we know, WE ARE!
 
#16 ·
Merryland

I'm near the Ft. Meade/Laurel area (Geographic reference, Washington D.C.- me - Baltimore).

The seat is a Renazco. It is more comfortable than the stocker but still not a touring seat. I don't think it will ever be possible with that size seat pan or my size butt.
 
#17 ·
All Wet.

I discovered something about my Supermoto trimmed fender today.

There are still quite a few places on the roads around here where the water is draining across them (Lots of saturated ground after our monsoons). Long story short, what ever is on the street ends up on the front of you! And if you're riding at just the right speed you can see the tire slung droplets leaving the front lip of the fender, catching the wind, and splat your looking through it as it dries on the visor.

I need to reevaluate the abbreviated front fender.

I remember with my DT250 Yamaha (circa 1975), us dirt riders would put a mud flap on the front of the raised fender to deflect all that crap downward. Not very pretty, but effective.

Don't worry I won't deface the moto with a flap. I'm sure that would screw up my aerodynamics. The front fender might need to be just a tad longer so the crap gets blown downward when it leaves the fender.
 
#18 ·
Hey VZuke, how do you post pictures on here? Can they be uploaded into the post from my computer or do they have to be on a website and I inbed the link?
 
#19 ·
Down load from your PC.

On the Reply to Thread (or New Topic for that matter) you just scroll down to the Attach Files and click the Manage Attachments.

That will bring up your Manage Attachments window. Here it will tell you the types and size of images that you can upload.

Hit browse and tell him where the image is and then upload. :bannana:
 

Attachments

#20 ·
New Tail bag on the way

After posting pictures of my bike in this thread I noticed that the bike still looks pretty good, except for that funky faded tail bag! So I ordered one from the Motorcycle Super store.

Chase Harper Stealth Dual Purpose Tail Trunk (black Box)
Capacity :
10" x 10" x 5"
500 cubic inches or
8.19 liters of space !

Now it's not going to be as versatile as the Suzuki expand up bag but I'll give it a try. Probably carry a back up bungee net.

My mounting method involves cutting off all extraneous straps and buckles (yes it does hurt). Then I put a stiff piece of plastic in the base of the bag. Another reason for this bag, it shares the basic dimensions of the old bag. I make some holes in the bag and attach it to the rack with rubber insulated conduit (?) straps.


They also have a contoured bag with different color zippers (actually this is a tank bag). From the Chase Harper web site.
Stealth Capacity
multi colored or black zippers:
12.5" x 9" x 5"
.33cubic feet or
9.2 liters of space !
 

Attachments

#21 ·
Zuke, thanks for the ideas. Been looking for a new tail bag, and would like something harder than the Suzuki expandable.
BTW, what mirrors are those? I like how far out they sit. How's the vibration?
Nice lookin' bike.
 
#22 ·
Bag Mount

Those are CRG mirrors (mine are the non folding type), read all about them here:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-bar-end-mirrors/crg-mirrors.htm

I like the way they look and function. I don't notice any blurring due to vibration. The ones I bought have the convex mirror glass in them so it gives you a slightly wider view. Remember that objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. They are a little pricey at $70 EA! That is to remind me not to do anything stupid out there that would put them in jeopardy!

I mounted my new bag yesterday. Man, you don't get anything with that bag. So I didn't have to trim anything off. I just cut down my custom made Suzuki bag base and stuck in this one. I heated up a 10 penny nail with a torch and "drilled" some holes in the base. I would call this bag a semi rigid construction. It's some sort of dense foam covered in fabric (inside and out). Durability or ruggedness doesn't come to mind when you first see it.

There was a little piece of paper inside talking about the fading of fabrics in the sun. Mmmmmm I guess we'll see how it holds up. I have an old Cortech bag on my 02 Vstrom that still looks good. The only thing that faded were the zippers. The fabric still looks good.

Oh and 8 liters isn't that big when you look at it up close. I guess I should have taken a picture of it with something in it for scale. This is primarily a bag for my lunch bag for work. That should still fit in there. I might have to leave some snacks out which in turn will help with my long term power to weight ratio.
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top