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DIY: Fiberglass front fender

248K views 60 replies 31 participants last post by  JaySV6 
#1 · (Edited)
So I received my 600rr fender, and I hated the look. So I decided to build a front fender. This is how it goes. (BTW - this is the first time I've ever built a fender. Just kinda winging it, but following good rules, so I figured it would help).

Some of the tools(paint brush, roller, glass, resin, scissors, etc.


Start off by cleaning the tire off, so the tape will adhere.


Then tape off more than enough area to lay down the fiberglass. Try your best to make sure things lay flat. The end product will thank you.


(Here I used a piece of rubber hose, to give it a ridge down the middle, like the rest of my bike has)


Then cover everything up so you don't get excess glass, resin, etc on it. Don't cut corners here. This stuff is nasty to get off, especially if you don't notice until its hard.


Then cover the taped area, with a mold release of sorts. I used this PVA mold release. You can spray it on, or brush it on. Only use one layer, and anymore will dissolve the first layer. Then let that dry for 15-30 mins. You can use car wax if you are in a pinch though.


While it was drying, I pre-cut my fiberglass. I actually used 4 layers. A piece of advice. Put some spaced out cuts from side to side, so the fiberglass will conform to the curve of the tire, without bunching up.


(sorry not alot of pics, this gets really messy)Mix your resin, and lay down a layer on the tire. Then lay a layer of fiberglass. Then brush on some more resin. I then rolled the 'glass to make sure all the air bubbles were out and it was laying flat. Then another layer of glass, resin, roll, glass resin roll, glass resin roll. After the final layer, I made sure to roll it very well, to make sure it was laying quite flat. Then let the resin dry and cure. Go have some beers.






Once its cured, you can pull off all the stuff you protected the bike with. Then try to wiggle underneath the fiberglass, on top of the tape. Then slowly pry it up with your hands, and you will see it start to release. High pressured air works too. With little effort, it'll pop right off.


I quickly trimmed the excess off the ends, to get perspective on it. This is what I have.






It fits super close to the tire, conforms perfectly, and will turn out pretty nice. I'll be cutting a bit off each end. and making it super flat, but this is the first step. I plan on attaching it to the sides of the original fender, modified quite a bit though. That will be the next step.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
So this is what the fender looked like after it was all cured. I then mapped out where I wanted to cut.




Start cutting. This is what you have. (I used a cutoff wheel. Worked well, wear a mask)


Then I took a DA with some 40grit to flatten it out, and as I did that, I noticed it was alot flatter than I had thought it would be. No need for filler. Barely a need for icing.




So after going over it all with the DA, I spread some icing on it(Thinner than body filler. Used mostly for filling imperfections, not as much building or shaping). Then I hit it real fast after it dried with the DA again.


So here it is very roughly sanded, just sitting on the tire. Next step is to make a mount for it.




 
#3 · (Edited)
So here we go on the 3rd installment. Deciding on a way to mount the fender, and actually please to the eye. That took me a long ass time. I am not showing the first design, as it was close, but I modified it to this. So here we go.

I took some steel spacers(from your local Ace Hardware) and used those for the allen bolts to go through, into the stock tabs. Once those were in, I sat on my stool looking at it, trying to decide on a bracket that would look decent. I managed to look up at my headlight bracket, and figured I'd go the same route. I went and got some 5/16" steel bar, and went to town. No fancy tools. A hammer, a cut off wheel, a bench mounted vice, and a welder. Here is what it looked like tacked.




Once I decided I liked it, I ground the fender a little more, to match the profile of the brackets. I then welded up the brackets.


I couldn't find a decent way of mounting them, so I devised this plan. It works for now. I put tabs under the fiberglass, then drilled a hole through, and threw a rivet it in. It doesn't look bad at all, and sure is sturdy. Also, it sits rather close to the tire, which is what I was looking for.




I then did my bedliner theme that follows the rest of the bike, followed by priming and painting the fender.




After it was dry, I assembled it, and riveted it together.


Then installed it on the bike.






Overall, I'm happy with it. I'm going to use this bigass head of mine to maybe think of a different way of mounting it. Until then, this works well. Hope this encourages you to give it a shot yourself.
 
#4 ·
im hella jealous...im a klutz and i would like take the extra steps to tape every thing and it would still fuck up some how...im gonna subscribe to this one tho for future reference maybe ill practice with paper mache
 
#6 ·
#9 ·
I think a good tip for anyone attempting this, would be to start with a new tire to ensure clearance every time you mount a new one(profile will be taller).

Get er done!
 
#14 · (Edited)
Finished it up. Let me know what you guys think. First time building a fender and it turned out alright. I'll let you know if it flies off tomorrow!
 
#17 ·
Thanks guys. BTW, for those who haven't seen, all the updated pics are on the first page.

Seb - There is a good pinky's width or so clearance there. I'll see exactly how it performs today!
 
#21 ·
I believe it does. I used car wax when I did my carbon fiber sheet(although it was between two pieces of glass, like glass windows). I know the PVA makes a layer that is nice to pop it apart, but I think it can be done with auto wax. Try it one something small with a complex shape, and see how it works.

That shop looks nice, but its really bothersome. Crack head neighbor, hot in the summer, cold in the winter, mice, dirty as all hell, etc. Take a glance in the Man Cave thread, got pics of the up-and-coming shop there.
 
#22 ·
When releasing fibreglass from a fibreglass mould, the norm is to use wax & PVA.... You can use just wax, but you really want a wax that doesn't contain silicone. Carnuba wax is the best, but like wise make sure it doesn't contain silicone. The reason for this is that paint will not adhere to the silicone....

Excellent DIY Fathead. Awesome job, really diggin the flow of it and I still love that fuckin colour!
 
#28 ·
Thanks man. Shall we sticky my first three posts in the DIY thread, or maybe one of the fabrication forums?
 
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