Hello Guys and Girls, I have a question regarding my 93 sportster 1200. I want to put a bobber style rear fender but I do not want to cut my fender struts as they are very close to mint condition. Can I buy shorter fender struts that will allow me to install a bobber rear fender so I don’t have to chop the originals in case I sell it one day? Thanks in advance for your input. Geeker….✌🏻

 

Im pretty sure those fender struts are
part of the frame, so I think the answer would be “no.”

But, you could cut your fender such that it still utilizes the full length of the fender struts to attach the fender but the fender doesn’t run the full length. Kind of like cutting an “M” shape in the rear of the fender, if that makes sense. The sides are full length, but the middle is not. I’ll try to find some examples and post them here.

Is you bike completely stock right now? I wouldn’t be worried too much about this mod affecting resale unless it’s completely stock, in which case I wouldn’t modify it at all (for resale purposes, if that’s your main goal). If it’s already modded somehow, I say cut away. Make it yours and enjoy it. Just my two cents…

 

If you don't want to cut your stock fender you might be able to fit the copped rear fender from an 'Iron', Forty-Eight or Seventy-Two model. The fender strut covers on your '93 1200 are curved and the rubber mounted Sportster's have straight covers, I don't think it would take much work to make a later fender fit your earlier Sportster.

Below is a 1993 Sportster that's had it's rear fender bobbed.



Here is a 2009 Iron 883 so that you can see how it's stock bobbed rear fender looks.

There are plenty of used stock late model Sportster Iron and 48 rear fenders for sale, during last years COVID-19 lockdown I bought a used 48 rear fender on Fleabay to replace the one on my 2011 Iron 883 that was showing signs of corrosion.

Good luck with your project.

 

Thanks guys , I appreciate the input. She is a super clean bike and I don’t want to butcher it lol.

 

Your Sportster is in near mint condition, if it was my machine I wouldn't bother bobbing the rear fender and keep the stock fender, it matches the period of the motorcycle. Some things weren't mean't to be tampered with, I think your Sportster is one of them.

 

Yea Rob, I bought a nice solo seat for it so I could see more of the rear fender, I also got some new led turn signals with a badlandz load equalizer.

 

Dude, that is a really clean Anniversary model, do not hack anything on that bike, big mistake for sure.

Now if you need to Bob her, find another fender and struts on the Bay and hack them. Save the original parts in storage, very safely. They will become more valuable over time.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/13376544529...temCondition=4

https://www.ebay.com/itm/16423183517...temCondition=4

The Bay is your friend. But seriously, I would leave that bike alone.

I would go the other way and fix everything that is not stock, make her 100% they way she left Milwaukee. Find the exhaust etc.