losing the front fender and rear shock question

[79-GS550-L]

I've seen several pictures of bikes with no front fender. I like the way that looks, and besides my front fender is all rusty and banged up. Are there any problems with losing the fender? I wouldn't think too much solid stuff would get kicked up since the front wheel is not under power, but maybe just a bit of water/sand could cling to it and splash around the engine. That's ok with me. But does the fender provide any significant fork bracing?

Also, I've read conflicting things about mounting a rear shock upside-down. I'd like to do that to gain a bit more clearance for a different fender I'm putting on. I have progressive springs on it, and I remember being told on this forum that the progressive end (tighter coils) should go up, and the wider spaced coils should go down. I'm not entirely sure why, but if I flip my spring before mounting upside down, is there any other problem with having the shock upside-down?

[spchips]

No fender looks cool, but riding in the rain is downright deadly.

My uncle, very old school, mostly harleys, had a chopped honda (hard frame) in the 80's. No fender of course. He went through a puddle, and was completely blinded by the spray and lost control. In addition, since he had the old school tall sissy bar, he couldn't get off the bike and went down attached to it.

To this day, no matter how wild his projects, he won't have a sissy bar, and will always have at least a bob style fender.

[darkbane]

My bike didn't have a front fender when I purchased it, and I loved the looks of it, but screw looks when you're stuck in the rain. If you are on the road right when it starts to rain, the dirt and grit and oil hasn't had time to wash off the road. It is a mess. Nobody like a constant flow of water in their face, and it's worse with a mouth and nose full of dirt (riding without a full face helmet of course).

Anyways, after an unpleasant experience in the rain, I decided to get a fender. I purchased a front fender off of ebay. It was plastic and it came with a small fork brace that I had never seen before. I liked the look of the brace and decided just to put that on instead. I haven't driven in the rain since, but I'm waiting to see how much it blocks, and if it's significant, I'm just going to run that instead of the whole fender.

Here's what it looks like:

If I decide to keep it as is, I'm going to smooth it out and weld in the hole thats at the top and paint it with the same scheme as the rest of the bike. Right now it's not a cosmetic piece so it's kind of rough.

Just my $.02

Cheers

[79-GS550-L]

hey, that looks really nice! I like the tires, too, what kind are they?

I don't intend to ride in the rain at all (still a beginner rider, so only short trips in perfect sunshine for me). So I think I will ditch the fender for now. I can always put it back on later. And I always wear a full-face helmet, so it I do catch a bit of spray or sand it won't be too bad.

So then rear shocks, anyone see any problems with mounting them upside-down?

[TheCafeKid]

I dont run a front fender either. Love the look. the forks on my cafe even have the mounts shaved off. Needless to say i wouldnt ride without a full face in the rain anyway, so im not too worried bout that. However, if i decide to change my thoughts on this, i have a set of stock forks i can throw a fender on.

[79-GS550-L]

That's a great idea, shaving the mounts. After they're ground away and reshaped, does the hole go through? I mean, do you need to fill anything in? I'm planning on polishing mine, so filling would be a bit weird.

[lurch12_2000]

My chopper from years ago didn't have a front fender. I would not recommend you take off yours.
Besides getting wet and splashing your face and frontal body parts you look funny with that mud and dirt line from head to crotch when you get off your bike.
A full face helmet isn't much help other than not getting crap directly in your face and eyes. But you might have to lift the visor to see(and get crap in your eyes anyways) or take a hand off to wipe off during an inoppurtune time and trying to reach for your clutch lever when needed in a hurry. Some states it's illegal to not have a front fender for inspection time.
Even sunny days you might hit puddles or sand patches!!

[tkent02]

Are there any problems with losing the fender?

Rocks.
Sand.
Gravel.
Bolts.
Nails.
Mud.
Auto parts.
All of these can fly forward at up to twice the bikes speed (the top of the tire's speed) and hit just about anyone.
Water in many different forms and quantities.
It just screams "PULL ME OVER" to any cop you ever ride past.
And one more... OH yeah, it looks stupid.

[Steve]

I don't intentionally ride in the rain, either, but I can't tell you how many times I have left home on a sunny day and come home in the rain. :shock:

Some shocks do not take kindly to being mounted upside down because the damping mechanism won't be in the oil or the seals are not made for constant immersion. And, I am trying to picture how you are going to save any room for a fender by mounting the shocks upside down. I haven't seen any fenders that interfere with the shocks.


.

[bwringer]

Hard to picture how you'd save any room by turning the shocks upside-down...

If they're the stock shocks, they're evil dangerous crap anyway, so it couldn't make them any worse. If they're not stock, then we'll need a photo to ID them and offer suggestions.

You might also be able to remove a shroud from the shocks if it's in the way. For example, Progressives come with a plastic shroud that doesn't really do anything.

[79-GS550-L]

thanks for the suggestions guys. I will have to give the fender thing a bit more thought now

As for the shocks, the top of them is much thicker and has a chrome shroud, which I do want to remove regardless. The shock gets thick immediately after the frame ends. If I flip it upside down, it stays skinny for a bit longer (there's the preloader, etc) before the spring starts and it gets thick. It's not a suzuki fender I'm trying to put on there, going for a different look (bobtail). With the fender right-side-up I'd need to cut a notch the fender, with it upside-down I don't think I'd have to, or at least not as much.

Why are the stock ones dangerous? I'm not sure whether mine are stock or not, but they have progressive springs on them. Here's a pic:


If the shocks are not designed for upside-down use, like Steve said, what will happen? Will their usability decrease or will they just not last as long? Is there any way to tell whether a shock is OK with running flipped, aside from doing a post-mortem?

[Steve]

As I mentioned in my previous post, the damping mechanism might not be immersed in oil, as it is supposed to be, if you turn the shock over. Also, since the seals are now at the bottom of the oil chamber, there is a chance that they might leak, allowing any chance at damping to leak right on by.

Why are stock shocks dangerous? Because they are worn out. Stock shocks of the era typically did not last very long before the damping orifices wore out and the fluid degraded to uselessness. This reduces the already minimal damping characteristics to virtually nothing. When you have no damping on the suspension, strange things happen to traction, especially in a corner. Co-incidentally, 'in a corner' is when you want the most predictable response from your suspension. :shock:

Are your current shocks stock? Not sure, but they could be. The stock shocks on my wife's bike have progressively-wound springs, but they don't have the chrome collar that yours do. Not sure how much it would affect the look, but I would rather notch the fender and leave the suspension in its intended orientation.

Some may argue with me, but control is a lot more important than looks. 8-[
I happen to have looks rather high in my priority list, so you know where that places control.

.