No front fender.....you better wear a full face helmet and shield.

Last summer I rode without a front fender as I just didn't have time to get one made.  I had changed the fork yokes and the new ones were narrower - so a stock fender was no longer an option.

On the Dragon Run event last year Oldfellor, old-rider and I headed to run the Dragon and we got caught in a rainstorm that just kept beating on us. Everytime we stopped and let it pass and the roads dry....10 minutes down the road we would ride right back into it.  Turns out that we were following the storm but with the mountains and overcast it was not possible to see which direction it was headed.  I found that without a fender the front wheel would throw a 1" wide strip of water into the air and I would get sprayed by it.  I could see on my visor that the spray would come right between my eyes if I was centered on the bike.....and that strip also soaked my chest right down the zipper of my jacket.  At one point we reached a spot just out of Waynesville where a road construction project had been going on earlier in the day before the rains came.....and as we hit the section of road that had the clay dirt on the road.....I got a 1" wide orange/brown stripe (skunk stripe?) right down the center of my visor, and a matching stripe down my gray mesh jacket.  The rest of the year I was able to avoid riding in the rain.....as I am a fair weather rider when at home.  Sometimes at night I can see the front fender throwing small pieces of gravel up into the beam of the headlight while I am riding.

If you only intend to ride on fair weather days you can get by without a front fender.  If you intend on riding on days when the weather is "iffy" or riding on multiple day trips.....or in the mountains where the short storms can come daily.....you better have a front fender.

Some say that the fender helps front end stability. if you do away with it , you may wish to consider a fork brace of some description.

You could install a minimal fork brace that could accept 3 or 4 bolts for an attachable bracket for a fender or for a small fender. That way on a trip you could take it with you and install it when needed or when you think you "might" need it.

boy scout motto, "be prepared"

Well Guys, she's home! got her home and safe no problems(: Little bit of a pickle, though. When i picked her up, The PO cold started her(i checked the header for any sort of warmth, no problems, fired right up. after the two 1/2 hour drive home, pulled her out of the truck and tried to fire her. she turned over, but wouldnt fire.  after a couple trys, she started clicking. assuming I've got a gimpy battery issue? gonna buy a battery tender tonight, and hook her up. might try bumb starting when i get off work. here's a couple looky loos for now, will get some better pics after work. Any suggestions? gonna look through the forum as well

battery is a tiny little thing, its on the stock emissions plate down low. the "battery box" is holding most of the electrical.  Also the front is lowered 2" and he just had them rebuilt. I'm getting kind of scared, there has to be something wrong with this thing for the price. call me skeptical, lol.

Will grab a batt tender on the way home from work, and plug her up. Anyone see any downsides to bumpstarting the savage, besides a heaving lung? suggested amps for the battery tender?

you wanna stay under 1-2amps? and im about 150, but i used to own a 1991 RM250 that had to be bump started every time, and let me tell you, in the bottom of a muddy valley in the middle of a trail, bumpstarting a 2stroke monster is not an ideal.  and iv'e bump started my cbr600 a few times. Like to think I've gotten it down pretty well. don't know if thats a good thing or not. More info to come soon.

just read it! lol thank you verslagen