aquila Posted March 1, 2004 Posted March 1, 2004 I need a rear fender eliminator kit for my V11- I hate big, plastic crap, and that rear end screams it! Nobody makes a rear fender elimator kit without throwing in some weird thing with it: 1. Ferrachi- Kit is back ordered till the end of March - Come with LED tail light, even if you don't want it! $79 2. Evaluzione - Kit forces you to ditch the tail light and run funky tail/ turn signals/ Kit price $140! Nobody makes a simple aluminum brack to clean the whole thing up and retain the stock lighting... Fabricators: Make one from aluminum, and sell it for a decent price, and you've got one customer right here!
Paul Minnaert Posted March 1, 2004 Posted March 1, 2004 aquila, things even got worse, someone made a complete tailsection to get rid of the fender, sells you a led light and plate holder with it and is even more expensive. And only because he hated the look of simple fender eliminators. So why don't you make your own.
badmotogoozer Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 In disgust with the kits that are out there I had a look at what I could do with what was there on the bike. By the time I had everything off and mocked back up again I realized with the plate and stock tail light I wasn't going to gain much space by fabricating brackets etc. Maybe 1.5 inches at most. Too much effort for not much result. What I did was to change the turn signals to short stalk Lockhart Phillips (made them more visible with Techno bags) and cut off the rear fender just above the bottom of the license plate. Looks much tidier, shows more tire, and no longer looks like I backed into a concrete wall. Retains protection for lights/plate/wiring etc. If you don't replace the signals this is a no money mod that gives a significant improvement in style. Not an eliminator, but an improvement. cheers, Ryan
al_roethlisberger Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Check out our forum Tail-light/Fender Eliminator FAQ There are several options, including the aluminum job I got from Kelly Baker Performance. I don't know if he is still making them, but he was 18 months ago, and was converting future models to carbon fiber. If you are interested, give him a call. He's a great fella, and offers fantastic customer service
emry Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Give me a day or two and i'll post the one I made out of 18ga. sheet steel and some black spray paint. Used simple hand tools, sheers, angle grinder, and a drill. I'll even post the template I made. I think it is still lying in my garage.... I found a taillight at Autozone for $6 if I recall, smaller than the orginal but still DOT. Fits much better than the hideous OEM.
Guest friz Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Aquila, when you take the rear fender off use the stock bracket mount the turn signals and plate to bracket then I bought a license plate frame with led lights on it use the led for tail and brake lights looks great!!!
Steve G. Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 I should point out for the smaller group of Canadian guys here that both Ferracci and Evoluzione fender eliminator kits are too small for our bigger license plates, so you have to drill into the main body of the plate, and I think that is illegal in B.C. I like Ryan's idea, and will have to check it out next time I see it. Only problem is, once you've cut the fender, there's no going back. Ciao, Steve G.
al_roethlisberger Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Fits much better than the hideous OEM. ....aww now, be nice........ I actually like the OEM tail-light Honestly, I do al
Guest captain nemo Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 As soon as I do my wiring work, I'll post a pic up of my fender. It looks very similar to Al's because I also like the big brake light. But I use some funky round blinkers AND I've mounted the license place IN FRONT of the rear wheel and just behind the shock. Pretty radical, but you can see it fine from behind. I also dropped the battery an inch and angled it so that the terminals are much easier to get a hold of. Many changes coming.....
al_roethlisberger Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 As soon as I do my wiring work, I'll post a pic up of my fender. It looks very similar to Al's because I also like the big brake light. But I use some funky round blinkers AND I've mounted the license place IN FRONT of the rear wheel and just behind the shock. Pretty radical, but you can see it fine from behind. I also dropped the battery an inch and angled it so that the terminals are much easier to get a hold of. Many changes coming..... .... I don't know what Washington/Seattle area police are like on this issue, but in California the police tend to give grief to the riders around here that "hide" their plate up in front of the rear wheel Just something to be aware of if you don't want to increase your chances of police "scrutiny" So just be sure it indeed is easily seen from behind. As always, YMMV of course al
Guest captain nemo Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Yea, I was thinking about cops, but I know that on choppers some of them display the plate on the side near the foot pegs. I was thinking of getting a brighter plate light and making sure it shines right on the plate back there. That ought to do it. Of course, if I get stopped I can explain to them that it is one of those 'oddities' with Guzzis. I wonder if he'll buy that. Bike plates are pretty small and you really have to be within 50 feet or so to read them. I believe from a car position my plate is still visible back there. But thanks, and I'll keep my eye on it.
badmotogoozer Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Only problem is, once you've cut the fender, there's no going back. Ciao, Steve G. Come on over Steve! I don't mind cutting your bike up! Honestly, I had that thought too - point of no return. But I figured I hated the thing, it had to go, and if I didn't like it I could continue my search/fabrication of a fender eliminator. Turns out I like it just fine! I'll have your fender chopped while my girlfriend distracts you with a NewCastle! cheers, Ryan
al_roethlisberger Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 I wouldn't worry too much about cutting the rear fender and entering a "point of no return" There are puhlenty of removed rear mudguards out there you could buy, or get for free, that have been discarded for various fender elimination kits... kinda like finding original exhausts.... easy ...it's not like you drilled a hole in your gas tank Anyway, why don't you ask around to see if someone has a rear fender they no longer want, and cut that one up? That's what I did with an airbox a while back. It's much more relaxing knowing you have a spare or two al
Murray Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Dunno not sold on this whole fender elimination thing, it might be related to the huge stone chips in the front fairing of the 1100 sport couple of them right down to the fibreglass. Done by japanese sports bikes that I cought in the corners and then gave it a big squirt when the road striaghtened out. You guessed it no fenders and sticky tyres. The bike has done 83 000kms so a bit of wear and tear is fair enough but when it doen't have to happen cause a couple people obsess over how the back of thier bike looks (who spends a long time looking at the back of thier own bike anyway?) kinda annoys me. Your bike up to you.
al_roethlisberger Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Very true ...I however just couldn't deal with the HUGE fender as stock I don't mind a small and hopefully functional fender perhaps, that big wing-thing was just a bit much for my tastes al
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