sweet, looks really nice. thats one sizeable fender, looks real good, definately different from what i seen around. that sissy bar sets it off just right. will set it off once the fender is painted.

 

Hey Babs,
How about fuel tank stretching? It isn't as indepth as primary guts but "hopefully" I won't be going into the primary again anytime soon. We were discussing somewhere else about the final drive that I was going to wind up with, well, I didn't like it and had to decrease the tranny pulley size, and that in turn takes a special socket which I had to order. It has been fun, no kidding.
So I do think I will stretch the tank next. I have to buy a usedtank first though b/c I could screw it up.

The rear tire is offset to the right by ~3/16", measured by putting a straightedge down the frame. The pictures are deceiving. I have about 4-5mm between the pulley and widest part of the tire, I could machine down the hub to move it over to the left a little but it wouldn't be worth the hassle. Thefatty drives and tracks as good or better than it did with the Metz 150.
When I first purchased my bike, the tire was offset to the left by 1/4" from the factory. So the tire has been all over the place now.

Texflstf,
The outer struts were cut from 1/2" stock steel by a hydrojet. I created a template and had them cut. I then cut in two partitions with a cutoff wheel to 'bend' the strut into position, the frame width is 11.75", the fender is 9.5"(no way these can be bent unless you have some sort of mega dollar press). I positioned and bolted the struts to the fender (see pictures) and then I tack welded the cuts with a MIG. I took the struts off and let a pro welder with a TIG fill in the cuts.

This is internally braced with 3/8" thick plate because the fender is so long, lowand heavy. The picture you see shows wire looms for lighting welded to the fender, not the internal strut. I left them intact, even though I didn't need them all the way down, for extra support.You can see the weld burn outlineon the outside showing where the struts are.

To go with an internal strut only, I probably would have gone to a wider fender so as to use wider stock steel plate on the inside.

The tire and the internal struts take up most of the room inside the fender.


Thanks for all the compliments, I should have it completed in 2 weeks!!

 

Yeah a stretched-tank mod could be pretty interesting.

I'm itching to see some engine rebuilds and definitely some OD-6 or DD-6 gearset installs.. But I'll never pass up a good tank-stretch thread by a long shot. hehehe

I have to say, I kinda dug the fender that's in your current sig pic.. I'm catching this one in the 4th quarter but what became of it?

 

Babs,
It's on a shelf in my garage, and it's for sale!

 

I appreciate all the photos step by step it helps me understand the whole job. Thanks alot.

 

Thanks for the info. I couldn't tell that was tubing from the pic. Keep up the good work and the great info.

I am also looking forward to the tank stretch.

Would you please post a pic of the rear straight on now that the fender is bolted up? Thanks.

 

Chops,
Again, thanks for all the great pics and sharing your experience with everyone here. The bike looks great! I'm sure you'll be very happy with the final product. Can't wait to see the next set of pics. In the meantime, have fun, ride safe, and stay cool.
-Randy

 

Hey Chops,

Love what you are doing on your bike.That rear fender should look sweet and looking forward to seeing the end result.

I too am putting a new front fender,9 inch rear fender and a stretch tank.Want something a bit different for the rear fender and yours could be just the ticket.Got a Heritage so i want to have struts that will still accomodate saddlebags when i do a trip.

Keep up the good work.

 

ttt

 

And.....
Just back from the painter!

3 basecoats, 8 topcoats, it has a deep, deep shine to it.

The struts are still being worked on at the plater, one strut hadtwo tiny pinhead size pits where the welds were done, the pits are the result of gas pockets. The plater is building up the two pits with many times in the copper bath, and buffing out.
He said it takes about 4 hours in the bath each time. When they showed me the pits, I had to look real close to even see what they are talking about, but they have this reputation to do top shelf work only. I'm not complaining. Hopefully by mid week they will be finished.

This weekend I'll do all I can without the struts: mount the tail light and run wires for the running lights....and wait.

Even tough the temp around here is in the high 70's, it is like A ZOO on the roads with the Superbowl going on. I'm staying off main roads this weekend and keeping a low profile.

More later..............