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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
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Message started by xaman on 09/22/15 at 21:24:51

Title: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by xaman on 09/22/15 at 21:24:51

Long shot here, but hoping there might be an easy option for a high mount front fender. Have you seen one?

If not, is there an easy option for a different than factory front fender, slightly higher to accommodate some knobby tires?

Thanks.

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/22/15 at 23:06:23

How much higher do you think you should go?
A welder with a mig could add tabs to extend the mounts and add wire stringers to stabilize the ends of the fenders. Would also be a good time to engineer enough room for a mud flap, longer than Serowbots. It'd take some good work, I'd probably cut the tabs off, and replace them with wider and taller tabs, wide enough to drill and mount the bracing.

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by xaman on 09/23/15 at 06:18:34

That's a good idea, and pretty straightforward (therefore likely to work!). I don't NEED much room really. I was liking the look of a high mount, and was considering drilling into the triple but was hoping there was some universal or specific bracket/fender combo someone else had already done.

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by Dave on 09/23/15 at 06:37:27

There is a fellow that made his bike more "off-road" worthy as he went on a lot of dirt and back roads.....he has posted on the forum but I just haven't found where. He had a high mounted plastic fender on his bike - you are not going to find anyone that makes a bracket and will have to do it yourself.

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by BSTON on 09/23/15 at 07:32:02

Is the fender that comes with the Ryca scrambler kit any higher or is it just a different design?

http://rycamotors.com/RYCA-cs2-standard-&-scrambler-kit.html

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by Dave on 09/23/15 at 07:44:19

Found it!

http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/savage-ls650-flat-tracker.872900/

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by old_rider on 09/23/15 at 08:18:42

If you are going to raise the fender make sure to put some boots on those shocks.... :)

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by xaman on 09/23/15 at 13:49:41

Awesome info, thanks for the links! I'll probably just have to fabricate something on my own. I need to learn how to weld, yesterday...

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/23/15 at 18:33:18

Get some scrap about the same thickness of what you want to weld.
If it's like the fender, I don't think a stick welder will do that. We used migs in bodyshops. For such a small project, and that the outcome needs to be decent,, and knowing the learning curve and cost of a welding rig and the cost of having it welded,, you'd be ahead to pay someone. You get the parts together, shaped up... Cut off grinder,
Start with a heavy paper, design the tabs. I'm seeing the stock tab cut off and a radiused to fit piece with a tab on it raising and making it more rigid.
I think the plastic fender was way ugly.

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by WD on 09/29/15 at 09:51:40

Deep six the stock headlight in favor of a sidemount with a metal bucket. Use the stock headlight holes in the lower triple as your fender mount. Hammer a flat spot into a metal fender, drill 2 holes and bolt in place, using the widest washers you can find inside the fender. Sit back and eyeball how the fender sides need trimmed to flow properly. Mark with a paint pen or narrow tape, trim, and touch up the fender edges.

Mandatory additions: Fork Gaiters to protect the tubes from pitting/galling. High arch fork brace, preferably 3/16" aluminum. Use your stock fender to set the hole spacing, and make sure you have half an inch or so above the tire knobs. Intruder 800 or similar rear shocks to gain valuable tire to fender clearance.

I'm working on a tracker type seat for Savages based off my parts roach 98. Thick steel seat pan with a slight rear rise, bike frame trimmed and a proper rear frame hoop added, proper 1970s and older metal rear fender. Already has a dirt track tank and a drum front wheel. Might actually get inspired to redo the electrical system and start using it as a bike again...

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by xaman on 09/29/15 at 11:01:16

A That's a great idea about the headlight! I'm having a bracket fanned by a friend that will accomodate an extra triumph scrambler fender I had laying around.

Your build sounds much more appealing than mine, I'm going cheap and dirty for this first round. But who knows, maybe I'll like it enough to jump back in and make it better. Gonna get it on the road and see how she does first. It's actually primarily for my wife. If she really likes it I'll spend more time and money to make it better.

Here's the bungee cord mock-up:

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i138/xamaneli/918B7494-914E-4557-BA46-93389145FC44.jpg (http://s71.photobucket.com/user/xamaneli/media/918B7494-914E-4557-BA46-93389145FC44.jpg.html)

17" rear wheel and side covers are being built, a dyna muffler should arrive today or tomorrow. 50/50 tires are in garage waiting to mount. She wants a little tail rack too for storage, might even eventually do a side mount ammo can. My wife always brings stuff along.

Fitted a little fly screen too, to take some wind pressure off at highway speeds. Eventual chain drive conversion. The idea was a lightweight standard/scrambler for under $2500. I'm a backyard hack and have no idea what I'm doing but enjoying the process. Looking way under budget as of now, but that Ryca break upgrade is trying to lure me in...

Thanks again all for the help and ideas.

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by Tocsik on 09/29/15 at 11:37:29

that's actually lookin' really sharp.
The back end looks good raised up like that. A thicker seat might help complete the look and comfort.

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by strang on 09/29/15 at 13:09:53

Looks great.
I've been tempted by the high front fender as well but read it is a bit of a liability at high speed/acts as a sail on the motorway. Might be just talk. Anyway looking forward to more pics.

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by Dave on 09/29/15 at 13:41:10

The small front fender you have bungeed onto the bike looks nice - but it is going to do very little to keep your wife from getting things thrown into her face. I rode without a front fender for a summer.....and was constantly getting small things thrown forward by the tire, and they would come back and hit me in the face, or chest and land in my lap. It was worse when the roads were damp or wet, as the water would allow the small gravel pieces to adhere to the tire long enough to get thrown forward. It was very noticeable at night when the headlight would light up all those specs being thrown off the tire. And in the rain - there was a water roostertail being thrown forward that I got to then ride through!

If you want a high mount fender to do anything....it has to be very big to be effective. High mounted fenders come from dirt bikes that would get so muddy that the sticky mud would clog up the low mounted fender and stop the wheel from turning.

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by WD on 09/30/15 at 07:26:02

This is the bike that had the monster electrical failure. Internal short in the alternator, massive current dump, the reg/rec literally melted.

It donated its floorboards, rear fender and saddlebags, exhaust system, Versy timing tensioner and headlight assembly to my 2003 daily rider and became a parts roach and mock up dummy.

The local 4wd park became ATV/bike only, so, turning the parts roach into a dirt bike.

http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y490/mphsgal/LISA-HP/Photos/Savage/bigbags_zps78b2dfad.jpg

New front fender is being made from a slice of barrel steel, seat pan is reworked from an exercise machine, rear fender is the shiny part from an XS650, rear frame hoop from black iron pipe. I'm not employable off farm, have a blacksmith shop and a couple tons of metal to play with, plus have the welders, tubing benders and such to make what I need. Will repurpose the stock exhaust off the 2003 for the 1998 Scrambler build. Gas tank is out of a melt down pile at the last bike shop I worked for, front wheel is off an early Suzuki T500 Titan (2 stroke street bike) with an early CB/CL/SL 450 twin pivot brake plate, levers and perches are Vincent-Indian-Knucklehead replicas..

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by xaman on 09/30/15 at 11:32:14

I am very much looking forward to seeing your creation!

Title: Re: Has Anyone Done a High Mount Front Fender?
Post by WD on 09/30/15 at 14:13:06

Only change to the above list... found a VW Beetle (real one, air-cooled) junk bumper behind the garage, front fender will be cut from it instead. Perfect curve, may need to widen it a touch. Will use the other end to stretch the front fender on the daily rider.

And if I do screw up the bumper pieces, I'm getting ready to do a bumper delete on my 72 Super Beetle lowrider before it goes back in service later this month... 4 ready ends to play with.