When I got this bike I found that the undertail plastic was removed. In other words, if I lifted the seat I could see straight through to the tire beneath. Anyway, I plan to raise the tail with shorter dogbones to fit a hugger. The extra attention down there is likely to show just how rough things really are unless I can hide it. If I block off the area with something flat just because there is enough room when raised, I effectively lose the clearance I intended to make for a hugger.

I already planned to put Kawi-green hexagonal mesh elsewhere on the bike and I was thinking that this might be a goot place to put some more. My plan is to curve a sheet of hexagonal mesh in a shape similar to the wheel well that the old undertail formed, but I'm clueless on how best to accomplish this.

The bike will be black with green highlights, so I may paint it black instead. Yes, I know to paint AFTER bending the mesh. ;) case86 actually came up with the idea and suggested green accent lighting shining through. Though I think accent lighting is usually gaudy, it would give me one more reason to use mesh.

What do you guys think?

Pictures....

Pictures....

If I can pull it off, of course. :thumbup:

Anyway, I looked under the seat last night and noted that it would be a very deep curve where it meets the remaining bit of undertail (cut well past the point where the seat latch springs attach, thus, no automatic seat latching). I now think it should be deeply curved toward the shock, where I need the room, but gradually flatten toward the tip. I don't have the original undertail to shape it to, so the only way I can think of to do this is to sandwich it between some wood or something with a U-shaped cut-out then press it down on a wheel. As it curves, it will pull additional material between the layers but leave the excess flat.

What material and thickness that hexagonal mesh is?

What material and thickness that hexagonal mesh is?

It's rusting without paint, so I assume it's steel, but it's easily thin enough to bend and fold. I got it from a PC modding website because that was the only place I could find a true hex mesh (most are elongated honeycomb shapes), so it's meant to be cut up and used in projects. It looks about a million times better than the drainage stuff people usually use (diamond mesh of perforated sheets). If I need larger sheets I'll order from McMaster Carr, which is the only other place I've seen this stuff since.

Then it may be easy to conform with a rubber hammer against a concave or convex surface.
Be aware that many of the hexagonal cells will look deformed after the shape of the part is obtained.
They will tend to buckle before they stretch, simply because it is the easier way for the material to release the stress that the new shape introduces.
I would try the max deformation on a small piece first and see how it behaves.
Best!

Then it may be easy to conform with a rubber hammer against a concave or convex surface.
Be aware that many of the hexagonal cells will look deformed after the shape of the part is obtained.
They will tend to buckle before they stretch, simply because it is the easier way for the material to release the stress that the new shape introduces.
I would try the max deformation on a small piece first and see how it behaves.
Best!
Yeah. I've already folded a piece after seeing how much would be needed to cover the side openings on a newgen, but all that was expected to be behind the fairings. Doing this while minimizing the buckling is exactly what I'm looking to do. It may be easier just to make an angular, multi-piece design with perpendicular walls. *shrug*