Jahoo wrote on 12/15/12 at 12:06:50:


Missing that the fender is mounted to the swingarm.  Like the front fender hugs the tire.

Also, adjusted your avatar, sharper, read better:

Two L brackets, 2 pieces of flat stock and some self-drilling screws. Costs about $10 to make a floating fender... well, and a bit of time to get the material bent properly. You can do the same thing with a 2up seat and a full fender, just need some bar stock welded to the frame as seat reinforcement. Think Kawasaki Drifter 1500 or HD "Rocker" swingarms and fender tabs...

Use a solid rear fender hoop made out of 3/16" x 1" flat stock. Or make the fender hoop and sissy bar as a unit, plenty strong.

Look at Paughco and V-twin Manufacturing's websites. They've done all the engineering (decades ago), you just rescale the design as needed. J&P Cycles website has them as well, look in the Vintage Catalog. Also look up Jammer's Handbook...

It isn't as hard as you fear or as easy as you hope. I've been building custom bikes for 25 years and change. Take your time, eyeball it several times. If you get in a bind, there is always somebody on site to give you a hand.

I am about to take on same project ! Let m know how u make out  or if I get to it first I will let u know , I didn't see your bike do u have shocks or struts? Also I assume you r from Bmore me too ! darn Ravens. Stunk it up today

Bubba, at least the birds are in the play offs. I'm going to try and make some bolt on hardtail struts too just to see what I think about how bad it is on my kidneys. If I can't stand it I'm going to go with a floating fender, If I can deal I'm going to start work on basically turning my stock Sav into something like this. Kinda frisco almost looks like an xs650 custom.

Having grown up riding springers on rigid frames... most with hard mounted seats...

I'm 40 and about 60% of the time need a cane.

Yes, rigids handle better. Yes rigids look cleaner. Yes, a rigid frame and a springer are traditional (but only with suspended seats if you want to be truly accurate). I prefer them, okay, I really loathe seeing shocks on a bike, completely destroys the lines of it. If I'm going to ride a suspension bike I'd rather have a Virago chassis, VN800/900 or Softail. They look traditional, the shocks are hidden.

Suspending your seat... Forget the cute little generic chopper seat with clothes pin or tug boat spec Detroit Diesel valve springs. The Savage frame will accept K model Harley solo seats, use the police spring package, your lumbar spine will thank you. Or better yet, get a seat and springs for a KZ900/1000P series (same ones Harley still uses on police Road Kings for a lot less money). They are big enough that your butt doesn't hang off the sides, the foam is much better quality, the vinyl cover is higher quality and the springs are designed to work.

I outgrew fast a long time ago. Except dirt track parallel twins... with twin leading shoe drums on both ends.

I like the way a rigid doesn't get squirmy in corners. I like the way a springer doesn't dive when you use the front brake. The combination of the two works great for where/how I like to ride. But the bikes we have at the farm aren't suitable to be set up that way. I tried hardtail struts on my Savage, didn't like it. If I want it to be a rigid, I'll order a proper weld-on conversion kit for it. And a real sprung seat.

If I'm stuck in town I'll take my Savage. If I'm stuck having to ride the super slab give me a Vulcan, a Harley, a Road Star, a Royal Star, an 1100 ACE or something else that can get out of its own way w/o squashing me up on the tank (no repli-racers).