HOW TO: Xbones to Fatboy Rear Fender Swap
#81
Hey guys, I finished my rear fender conversion this passed weekend and it looks great! It took me a little longer because I used a`46 Harley replica tail light I found on Ebay. Problem... new light socket had only two wires (red & black) not three as I mentioned in an earlier post,factory has three(black, orange/w & red/y) Did`nt want to ask H/D because you know how they are! I decided I needed to reuse the tail light circuit board assm. I had to gut the new tail light and use the Harley factory tail light socket assm. in the `46 housing with a lite mod to the socket bracket inside the housing, it fit like factory when I was done. I bought a 4"x2.5" black plastic box from Radio Shack (They call it a "project Inclosier") to house the circuit board, It came with two lids a plastic one and a metal one,the lids attachs on with four screws,I cut the correct sized holes in the plastic lid to pass the plugs though.I attached the box to the bottom right side of the fender below the brace with outdoor velcro and a small amount of windshield urithane sealer (I am an autoglass installer by trade for the last 25 years), I exstended my harnesses 10", wrapped them and neatly ran the harnesses down under the brace and plugged them into the box and then sealed around the plugs with windsheild butyl seal (soft dum-dum) I then took the metal lid and bent it in the vise and used it as a stone gaurd over top the plastic lid and wires. Plenty of clearence to the tire,two of the guys I ride with said it looked factory (the one guy is super picky!) so that made me feel good! As for the ECM I did like SKEEZ and notched out the lower seat brace so the plug is`nt stessed. At the top of the ECM plate instead of grinding it away I bent mine just a little at the bolt hole to match the contour of the fat boy fender and used the original seat pan flat head screw to hold it down...NOW FOR THE SEAT PAN...HERE`S HOW TO GET RID OF THAT GAP PAN TO FENDER AND YOU MAY NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH A BIB, this will work with both xbones & F/B fenders.Go to your local Auto glass shop and ask for "FLEXTRIM UNIVERSAL MOLDING" This windshield molding is self sticking and comes in 75'foot bulk rolls PART# FTU0830-75. Get about 3'feet or if they dont have it ask for PART#WFS D1226 fits late 90`s to early 2000`s Dodge Caravan windshield.I put this molding on upside down around the part of the seat pan that touches the fender(I mean gapped at the fender), Like SKEEZ no need to drill out the fender to bolt down the seat pan it sits on there snug,now just ask your glass shop for a cowl plug,snip off the end and glue it in the hole with just a dab of black silicone. It looks like it rolled of the line at York,PA. it looks that good!!! 2010 Crossbones in Black Ice Denim with 01` heritage front fender ,03 springer heritage bags`10 fat boy rear fender,Vance and Hines Big Radius flat black pipes...DONE!!! Thanks to everyone for the advise. Doug in Maryland. (potata potata potata potata)
#82
My camera and computor are not getting along right now I`ll try to get some pictures up by this weekend. I took pictures of the process with the box and the wiring,seat pan with the w/s molding installed and plenty of the bike finished. 2010crossbones.
Last edited by 2010 crossbones; 06-19-2012 at 10:46 PM.
#83
After forever-and-a-day, I finally did an accompanying HOW TO thread for the front fender. If anyone is still interested you can find it here: https://www.hdforums.com/forum/softa...l#post10012404
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
#84
#85
You will need to drill a hole in the fender for the bolt to go through. No big deal really. You can then use a rivnut or one of the "HD Fender Seat Nut Kits" (part number 59768-97)
Just make sure you measure correctly before you start drilling.
NOTE: you will have to bend the front bracket of the pillion seat a bit down as otherwise the plastic bottom pan will crack due to the tension put on it with the difference in curvature of the fenders.
#86
You will need to drill a hole in the fender for the bolt to go through. No big deal really. You can then use a rivnut or one of the "HD Fender Seat Nut Kits" (part number 59768-97)
Just make sure you measure correctly before you start drilling.
NOTE: you will have to bend the front bracket of the pillion seat a bit down as otherwise the plastic bottom pan will crack due to the tension put on it with the difference in curvature of the fenders.
Just make sure you measure correctly before you start drilling.
NOTE: you will have to bend the front bracket of the pillion seat a bit down as otherwise the plastic bottom pan will crack due to the tension put on it with the difference in curvature of the fenders.
Thanks man...glad to hear its just a little adjustment. Love this website!
#87
Last edited by brattwurzt; 02-13-2013 at 09:53 AM.
#89
I had this same problem, but I hated to half-*** it, so I full-assed it. I started with a raw metal fender, and instead of living with the gap and filling it with trim, I took a maul and gently hammered the section of the fender that obstructed the pan from sitting flat. Surprisingly, it hammered very easily and neatly. Then, by relocating the ECM holes, I also did not need to modify the seat bracket. The seat cover fits really flush now, and covers the hammered area completely.
I guess I wouldn't have thought of something like this because I was working with a nearly new already painted fender so I didn't want to modify it and have to spend the money to repaint. Otherwise I would have gone ahead and plugged up the stock tail light hole and run a different tail light such as a beehive or a tombstone.
Is that one of those raw replica fenders you can get on eBay? If so, how is the fit? I briefly contemplated one because of the price but I wasn't sure how it held up to a stock fender. Also, looking at those replica fenders on eBay, I noticed that they don't have this extra plate on the inner sides that I assume strengthen the walls of the fender where it bolts to the struts.
Please show us photos of your set up with the pillion on it.
I will include photos soon of the solution that I half assed in order to run a pillion.