Fender eliminators and rain?

[adouglas]

Basic question:

Like almost everybody else I don't like the looks of the stock fender.

However, my bike is a transportation tool, not a fashion statement. I'm not willing to sacrifice anything just to make it look good.

I don't ride in the rain if I can help it, but stuff happens. I'll wind up riding on a wet road sooner or later.

Now, if you ride a bicycle, you know that riding without a fender means a guaranteed skunk stripe of dirt and mud up your back if you get stuck out in the rain.

My question is, does the bike's undertail and dangling license plate provide enough of a "fender" to keep you clean if you get caught out in the rain?

Or will the spray whack you up the back and get your helmet and jacket filthy?

Please, only respond if you have real-world experience. Not interested in opinions or guesses.

Thanks!

[Momaru]

I've got a DIY fender elim with the plate immediately below the rear light. I've done about 200mi of rain riding at various points; I get a lot of mud/crud splatters on top of my back seat, on the license plate and the brake light, but other than a really rare spot on my backpack, it doesn't seem to be a problem.

[adouglas]

K thx, but what about the commercial eliminators? A stock chop will stick farther out to the rear, won't it?

[Nevrfastenuf]

I have the rumble concept fender eliminator and I get about the same splatter as Momaru described. I have done a few hundred miles in the rain and I haven't really noticed any dirt on me or my pack but the tail light and passenger seat get a little dirty. There were a couple things I didn't like about the brand I bought though...I had to drill another hole in each side of the bracket to mount the turn signals and it left a couple gaps for the water to get up in the tool compartment and on the wiring for the tail light. I was able to just drill another hole to mount the signals and I found a way to fill the gap but it should have been designed a bit better and not had these problems at all. Don't know if this helps but here is a picture of mine:

[ScorpionNinja]

well i did a rear fender CHOP, like alex did!

ive ridden in the rain ALOT, and my back NEVER has gotten wet or dirty from it! although, my gf dawn got alil wet when me,her & sugarbear rode out in the rain to Pontiac,Mi. the other week!

Fender eliminator.... kit might give you a wet back, but if you do a CHOP like me, you WONT or shouldnt!

[Nevrfastenuf]

I really like the way that turned out I kinda wish I had just gone that route because it gets a little complicated when it comes time to strap anything to the back of my bike.

[adouglas]

I like the commercial eliminators better than the DIY chop because of that great big license plate light housing sticking out.

I'm sure I could figure something out for mounting a tailbag, up to and including just putting the original fender back on. I'll only use the tailbag if I'm traveling and that happens rarely.

The spray thing is a bit of a downer...I hate getting the bike dirty.

However, I just had an interesting idea.....

Fabricate a removable fender that can be fitted quickly and easily should you wind up getting caught in the rain.

Maybe... a piece of plastic (Coroplast, e.g.) with some plastic bolts and wingnuts to attach to the license plate and/or some industrial-strength Velcro for the back of the plate. It'd have to be small enough to fit under the seat/cowl so you could carry it at all times, but large enough to do some good as a fender.

[Momaru]

Very interesting idea. If you wanted to go that route, might look into housing it on the underside of the mud guard forward of your rear tire. You'd lose a little tire clearance, but it'd give you more leeway for a longer fender for more complete splatter prevention.

The industrial strength Velcro you might take a look at is dual lock from 3m. Depending on how fancy-pants you really want to go, might even put in on a rail system. Now I want to start playing with AutoCAD again.

If you go with a commercial eliminator, you might check into the legality of the placing. I know around me having the plate way up under the mud guard (above/in front of the rear tire) isn't exactly legal.

[killerkay3]

well, it it doesnt reach your back but dirt does get on my license plate sometimes

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by Momaru

Very interesting idea. If you wanted to go that route, might look into housing it on the underside of the mud guard forward of your rear tire. You'd lose a little tire clearance, but it'd give you more leeway for a longer fender for more complete splatter prevention.

Not too worried about that... the undertail is just black plastic anyway and isn't covered by the existing fender as it is.

Interesting idea about rails... just slide the thing out when you need it. Could be ugly, though. The whole point is to streamline things.

Regarding a place to attach tailbag straps... on my trip I just looped them around the existing reflector bracket. For trips, I could simply bolt it back on between the license plate and its mount, just as is done on the stock bike.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by killerkay3

well, it it doesnt reach your back but dirt does get on my license plate sometimes

DIY chop or commercial kit?

If commercial, which one?

(I'm leaning towards the Targa because it includes a license plate light.)

[g21-30]

You can get an LED plate kit cheap and still chop it yourself! More fun that way!

[cochraneap]

I've got the bikelitez ss undertail fe and it's the most extreme kit available...the license plate doesn't even hang down. If anyone should get splattered...it's me. i've probably done 500 miles in the rain...including routes through construction zones...and i've yet to be splattered. imo fes are gtg.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Sailariel]

Andrew, I cut the fender one inch above the square reflector using a Dremel. I rounded it out for a neat appearance. I got a red bicycle reflector and mounted it on the fender. It looks way better than the original setup. There are some pictures of my bike somewhere in the Picture Section. I considered a chop, but like the way this mod. looks.

[tjkamper]

if it is raining hard enough the rain will wash anything that is thrown on you off anyway.

[Rayme]

Originally Posted by adouglas

I like the commercial eliminators better than the DIY chop because of that great big license plate light housing sticking out.

I'm sure I could figure something out for mounting a tailbag, up to and including just putting the original fender back on. I'll only use the tailbag if I'm traveling and that happens rarely.

The spray thing is a bit of a downer...I hate getting the bike dirty.

However, I just had an interesting idea.....

Fabricate a removable fender that can be fitted quickly and easily should you wind up getting caught in the rain.

Maybe... a piece of plastic (Coroplast, e.g.) with some plastic bolts and wingnuts to attach to the license plate and/or some industrial-strength Velcro for the back of the plate. It'd have to be small enough to fit under the seat/cowl so you could carry it at all times, but large enough to do some good as a fender.

You will get alot wetter with water sprays from cars and the rain itself than rain coming from the back. The fender is only there to protect the cars following you anyway(from rocks, etc..).

[killerkay3]

Originally Posted by adouglas

DIY chop or commercial kit?

If commercial, which one?

(I'm leaning towards the Targa because it includes a license plate light.)

currently I have a DIY chop, but sometime soon im going to be buying the targa..

[adouglas]

Okay, in looking through a bunch of pictures I've observed something.

The Targa tucks the license plate up under the tail, while the version of the DIY chop that removes the license plate light positions it farther aft, where it looks like it'll keep spray off the light and tail.

My objective is to keep both the bike and me as grunge-free as possible.

I might go buy a replacement fender to hack up... it's way cheaper than a fender elminator kit. When I sell the bike I want to have all the original bits intact.

[MtnCruiser]

I really don't think the chop or the aftermarket undertail either one will have a huge effect on you buy if you regularly ride with other bikes it can be a nuisance to them. When I had my Bandit my wife would always ride in front if it was raining.

[Sound Wave]

i had the r&g racing one. my friend was following me on a rainy day and he said that my bike was spraying water from the road up like a roosters tail. he said he had to go to the next lane over so he wouldn't get sprayed from me. my passenger seat was pretty dirty, but it seemed my back wasn't hit.

i tried modifying it a bit, but i never got caught in the rain again after that to see if my mod helped any.

with my bike now, i am going to keep the stock fender. for this one, i think i gotta go with function over looks. besides, my fender now is no where near as ugly as the ninja's one was.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by Sailariel

Andrew, I cut the fender one inch above the square reflector using a Dremel. I rounded it out for a neat appearance. I got a red bicycle reflector and mounted it on the fender. It looks way better than the original setup. There are some pictures of my bike somewhere in the Picture Section. I considered a chop, but like the way this mod. looks.

I looked but did not find your pic. Could you post it here or link to it, please?

[CRXTrek]

Originally Posted by adouglas

I looked but did not find your pic. Could you post it here or link to it, please?

From SmugMug