This is an archived version of the Road Star Clinic. The Road Star Clinic can now be found at www.roadstarclinic.com. Please join us there!

Reinforce the Rear Fender

Print
User Rating: / 41
PoorBest 
Written by Frank   
Friday, 11 June 2004
Welcome to RoadStarMagazine.com!
Welcome to RoadStarMagazine.com!

Reprinted by Permission of RoadStarMagazine.com

There has been a lot of talk about the rear fender cracking on our Road Stars. I have posted on the Road Star Riders forum a few time on how I reinforced my rear fender to stop the cracks. The way Delphi works now, it's not easy for the new guys to see the older posts. I thought you might want to post the instructions( and maybe polish up the wording a little) on how to reinforce the rear fender your site. It's a very easy mod to do and anyone out of warranty, especially those who have a custom paint job should really do this mod.

Frank
Bear Delaware

  • Go to Pep Boys and buy a one qt can of truck bedliner material and some epoxy Lightly sand the fenderfor metal to metal, a sheet of sand paper, acetone, a few cheap paint brushes, and some spring clamps. You will also need two strips of aluminum flat bar 1"x.125"x10" long that any hardware store will have.
  • Just lightly sand the underside of your fender to rough up the paint some and apply the aluminum strips (making sure you place some cardboard between the clamps and the finished side of your fender so you don't scratch your paint) about 1/2 inch from the edges of the fender right below the subframe toward the bottom of the fender with epoxy and let cure. Attach bars
  • Put some masking tape on the outside of your fender to keep from getting any bedliner material on the finished side and use some acetone to remove any unwanted bedliner material while it's still wet.
  • Paint over the whole underside of the fender incasing the strips and the braces that are already there and make sure you fill the lip of the fender completely with the truck bedliner material.
  • I made the thickness on the sides just thick enough to cover the strips encasing them and thinner on the top of the fender. I found it easier to lay the fender on it's side to paint the sides where your trying to get some thickness. Just cover the bar
  • I add about three coats on the sides on my fender You can add and remove the subframe while you work on it, so you can tell where to add more or less material. Then just remove it to paint. I painted the whole underside of the fender even under the subframe( there is plenty of room) just thinner under the subframe rails.
  • When your done you will have created another inter fender bonded to your steel fender. Make sure you don't get any material on the bolt holes.
When I feel the underside of my fender the sides just feels flat with no indents. Most people can't even tell what I've done to it, but if you ever seen any sprayed on truckbed liner then you know how strong but flexible this material is and you cracking fender problem will be history.

Write up by Frank
Additional photos courtesy of John Beddoe
June
2003

Copyright © by RoadStarMagazine.com All Right Reserved.



Questions should be asked in our forum (Use discuss link below). The forum is very active and you stand a good chance of getting your questions answered there. If you would like to leave feedback for the author, or have additional information you think will benefit others, please use the comment section at the bottom of this page.

Discuss this article on the forums. (13 posts)


DISCLAIMER: This information and procedure is provided as a courtesy and is for informational purposes only.  Neither the publishers nor the authors accept any responsibility for the accuracy, applicability, or suitability of this procedure.  You assume all risks associated with the use of this information.  NEITHER THE PUBLISHERs NOR THE AUTHORs SHALL IN ANY EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OF ANY NATURE ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR MISUSE OF THIS INFORMATION OR LACK OF INFORMATION.  Any type of modification or service work on your motorcycle should always be performed by a professional mechanic. If performed incorrectly, this procedure may endanger the safety of you and others on your motorcycle and possibly invalidate your manufacturer’s warranty.


Quote this article on your site | Views: 38623

  Comments (3)
Written by methotom, on 07-10-2012 07:57
I noticed a crack on rh side just below the rear of the 2 mounting bolts .A lot of the old pommie bikes had a wire bead rolled along the edge so after laying mudguard on its side on a table a got 2 wire coathangers cut to the longest practical length to fit into the curled edge section.All i did was hammer the wire into a rectangle shape that fitted into curl,then high strength epoxy resin was used to encapsulate and fill the curl .On its side at the right angle on a blanket and some tape on the paint plus a fibreglass epoxy patch over crack it flowed and cured perfect.I did both sides ,a day on each .This is how muguards were made in the old days and with rough dirt roads and rigid frames they never cracked.If you have right profile on the wire it just sits there while cureing..
Written by martinh711, on 08-28-2010 11:46
After a 1500 mile trip,my cracked rear fender is cracked all the way up. If anyone knows of anyone that is selling a used fender, drop me a line.
Fenders
Written by BIGBEN1, on 09-23-2009 20:11
Will 2004 fenders fit a 2000 R*

Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register.

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved

 
...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... -->

The Road Star Clinic is a collaborative community of riders who archive and publish user contributed technical data about Yamaha Road Star motorcycles.

Copyright 2003-2007 Road Star Clinic and its respective authors.
<-- -->