custom rear fender

to start with sorry for asking so many questions ok so i will be attempting build my own rear fender out of 14g alum... i would like it to go from asphalt to asphalt and cover the whole tire up to the rim. i am not sure how much clearance i should allow for tire bounce, water displacement.. ...ect. i would like for it to hug the tire as much as i safely can. also thinking of splitting it with a piece of plexiglass down the center. what do ya think?

 

when aluminum vibrates it cracks, need rubber mounts
how will you clean the inside of the plexiglass ?

 

i was thinking having two mounting points to the frame one for the front(under seat) and one for the back(tail of bike). somewhere around where the seat ends having it cut and laped over held in place by some bolts so i could remove the rear if i wanted to clean the plexi or change the tire. make sence? plexi was just a thought.....could look cool...could maybe incorperate l.e.d.s as a night time full wheel brake light... still just a thought. think a rubber gromit in the mounting holes would prevent cracking?

 

Decapitated...I still think the plexi is going to be a bane to your existence, it wont take much stress before it breaks.

Maybe if you do it in a window like thing arrangement down the center.....

 

If you have the two halfs of the fender have a ladder type brace along it... then you could mount the plexi to that. Say about every 5 or 6 inches wiht the brace starting at the bottom and going around. Should give you about 5-7 good brace points about half inch wide should surfice. That should hold the plexi in place. If you have a heat gun, you can apply just enough heat to the plexi to form fit the peice to the fender, giving less chance for breakage.

 

Use Lexan instead of plexiglass, it won`t crack.......

 

alright... well its still just an idea... not sure if i will do it but thanks for the pointers. if i do try ill use lexan and i was going to try to mold it into a smooth fit.

 

Lexan is a great idea! We use it in the kitchens all the time. DT, that sounds like an awesome fabrication! I'd love to see pics when you're done

 

Decap toy.
If you mount the fender to the swing arm you don't have to worry about clearence.
You can have the fender right down on the tire, it will all move together.

 

i was planning on doing just that... i am welding it into a hard tail so i fig the tire might balloon a little more when it hits bumps and what not. i will probably mess up few before i get the look i want but i will post pics as soon as i have it made. i can pick up some lexan at a normal hardware store yeah?

 

Most glass shops carry Lexan.

 

The rear tire does expand... I could be wrong, but when I was researching rigid fender struts, I believe the recommended clearance is like 3/8". I could be wrong though.

 

I may be crazy here, but if lexan/plexi was set ontop of a fender of about the right size and some heat (torch, heat gun) was applied, wouldn't the lexan/plexi mold to the shape of the fender? Then if you could "pop" it off the fender, you'd have a lexan fender. If you've got the time and money, it may be worth a shot. I could be WAAAAAAAAYYYYYY wrong, too.

 

They make aircraft windshields by laying very hot plex on to a felt covered mold. Old aircraft windshields.
I don't know how to turn flat Lexan into a compound curve.

 

that right there is what i was looking for... thank you!

 

i doubtthat a heat gun will do the trick, been there and tried that, with a heatgun the heat will be concentrated in one spot, if you hold it in place too long, the plexi will distort and turn brow, i think the same method that is used for automotive windsheild is what you need, which is a metal mold and a large over so the plexi can heat up evenly.. i may be wrong,but don't think so..

 

i am going to try a hair dryer for a LOOOONG time and see what happens

 

Slight heat sounds like a good plan. Patience young grasshopper. I'm stoked to see what this looks like when its done

 

I think hot water would work better than a heat gun. Won't burn or scorch either. You should be able to shape pexiglass after boiling for 5 mins or so. Not sure how lexan would react. May fail but its worth a shot...

 

thisisjust a suggestionhere,but if i were trying to dothat, i think i wouldfabricate myfender from fiberglass, then make cutouts in the glass and insert the plexi or lexan windows andfinish itoff with polished stainless or aluminum strips..