Hi everyone I would like some advice on going without my front fender on my heritage. We are going on a long trip here not just bar hopping so what do you all think...pro's and con's please. I worry about riding in the rain, rocks etc. The trip is this coming Friday so please let me know your thoughs.

Cameron

 

Short trips around town, no fender is OK, but for any kind of distance, the fender goes back on.The slightestmoisture on the pavement goes straight up the bike and directly into your face without a front fender. It takes me less than 5 minutes to put the fender back on.

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Why would you go without a fender? Doesn't make any sense for a long ride.

 

I wouldn't, change it maybe. But never eliminate it, even for local riding.
Around here they have this inexplicable habit of dumping fine loose gravel over a tar surface in too many places. Its bad enough trying to slow down fast before you hit a road treated that way. Butlong after the loose stuff has been crushed in otr blown off by cars and trucks its still got lots of loose bits that the tires like to kick up into the bottom of the bike. Sounds like a nut with a BB machine gun peppering the bike from below. Without a fender everything below the top of the tank, including your legs would be subject to an unholy media blasting.

 

Bad Idea! Front fender is a must...you can not imagine how much water is on the road that will soon be on your FACE![:'(]

I tell you what I have seen that looks sick,cut the tabs that areholding the fender on to the forks off and mount the fender down lowwwwwwww....one of the guys here has done that and it looks slammed and sweet!

 

I guess I never explained why I would even consider going without the front fender. It's because my bike is still in the shop being repaired from my accident of June 16th 2007. The shop is waiting for the fender to come from the factory and they told me that this usually takes six weeks or so. Anyway the front fender is not here yet and we have this ride planed so the only thing that the shop suggested to me was go without the fender. That is the one and only reason I would go without the front fender...sorry I should have expalined my reason. This dealership is not a BIG dealership and they do not have parts like the fronf fender lying around nor do they rent Harley's so I don't have many options. You are sure not making me want to go without the front fender though that's for sure. I want the truth though so anymore thoughts out there.

 

oh that bites man...I waited way over 6-8 weeks to get my new fender...I just noticed you have a windshield...that should help a bunch...why don't you take the bike for a spin and on purpose go through some water and see what happens...you might be ok!

 

It sure does bite...we have been laid up with broken bones since the accident too and now we want to get back in the saddle and get on the road. This road trip is our get out and try to get something out of this summer trip because we did not get to go on the trip we had planed. I don't know about this trip now after some of your replys to the no fender idea....I have no desire to have rocks and other s--t coming up and hitting my motor and tank plus my face. It's been 7 weeks as of tomorrow since the fender was ordered so there might be a small chance yet. If I would have know this sooner I would have tried buying a front fender of the Forum or something just to have gotten one. Now it's to late for that too. Send me some Karma for the fender.

 

Sorry about that, I was under the "missimpression" you intended to ride without one as a matter of course, not need.
Any chance of banging the old one out enough to just cover things up without it rubbing on the tire or hitting something? I mean it might look like hell with a coat of auto primer to cover the flaked off paint spots. But it would limit the amount of crap the tire can tossup at thebike.

 

I asked the dealer if they could put the old beat up fender back on and he told me the mechanic did not want to do this...I am not sure why. All I know is I only have two days left to get the fender then it's either not go on this trip or go without the fender. I really don't think I can put my bike through having it sand blasted by road s--t thought so I an at a lost.