They say there is more than one way to skin a cat (which is a pretty weird saying if really think about it). Let's just say there is more than one way to mount a custom rear fender on your motorcycle!
Here at Lowbrow Customs we have tons of great options to make your life easier with the best selection of rear fenders and fab parts to make mounting your fender (and thus your life) easier.
WATCH VIDEO: IAN'S SHOVELHEAD BUILD - PART 4: MOUNTING THE REAR FENDER
Ian Olsen has been plucking away at his Shovelhead build and Brian Radmond from Geared Science has been documenting the build for us. In this latest installment Ian walks you through how he mounts fenders using one of our Lowbrow Customs 4-3/4" Manta Ray Fenders, some 5/16 leather washers and a couple coped steel bungs. The concepts of mounting it are the same, but the way you choose to do it is completely up to you. There are many options, so you can make the process your own!
LOOKING FOR MORE? To see yet another way to mount a custom rear fender check out this step-by-step video, where Tyler mounts a fender on one of Todd's Triumph bobbers.
PHOTO STEP-BY-STEP ON HOW TO INSTALL A CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE FENDER
Brand new Lowbrow Customs 4-3/4" Manta Ray Fender ready to get installed on Ian's Shovelhead build.
Drive train is all set up with wheel and tire mounted.
STEP 1: MAKE SURE TO HAVE YOUR ENTIRE DRIVETRAIN SET UP
Be sure your primary and drive chain, with the wheel and tire you are going to run, are all aligned and installed on the bike. Otherwise your wheel spacing may change and your fender will be off-center!
Ian's going with a chain link to give himself some tire / fender clearance.
STEP 2: SPACE THE FENDER OFF OF YOUR TIRE
Use a piece of chain or -1" garden hose and lay it over the wheel to give ample clearance.
This is when it really starts feeling like a chopper, getting that rear fender on the bike.
You can see how Ian used bungee chords to keep the fender in the position he liked.
STEP 3: SET THE FENDER WHERE YOU THINK IT LOOKS BEST
Using bungee cords can help you to walk away and look at the position of the fender and really get a good idea where you want it to live on the bike.
Ian uses a straight edge to mark out fender placement, does top and bottom of the rail.
This is where the top bungs are going to live, in between these two lines which is where the top rail is located.
STEP 4: LOCATE WHERE THE BUNGS WILL MEET THE FENDER
Use a straight edge mark the fender where the top frame rail is top and bottom. Determine the length of bung you will need from fender to that top rail. In this case 1-1/2" coped bungs will work well.
Ian's using a tape measure to determine center of the lines and center of the top rail as a reference to determine where his bungs will live.
Measure and determine the best placement for your bungs in your marked location for the top rail.
Use a center punch before drilling to help guide your drill bit.
Ian went with a 11/32 drill bit just a bit over sized to his 5/16 bolt this is to help with clearance when painting your fender etc.
STEP 5: DRILL THE MOUNTING HOLES IN YOUR FENDER
Use a center punch to mark your drill holes and then drill one drill bit larger then the bolt size you are going to use. This will help if you are painting or powder coating your fender to give good bolt clearance through.
Use a counter sink bit to clean up your holes and de-bur them.
Use a counter sink bit to clean up your top drill marks, it de-burs and gives a cleaner more professional look.
Using leather washers between the fender and bungs will help protect the paint and give just a little less vibrations straight to the fender.
Loosely install 1-1/2 bungs to fender using leather washers in between the bungs and the fender.
With the bungs loosely installed Ian can slide the fender back over the wheel and put the bungs into position where they will live.
STEP 6: POSITION THE FENDER ON YOUR BIKE AND LOCATE BOTTOM MOUNT
Put the fender back onto the bike and into position with new bungs in place. Now you can determine what you will need to use for the bottom mount.
Ian had to make his own bung to fit this gap, he measured twice and cut once.
Note* In this case Ian measured more then an 1-1/2" and needed to make a custom bung to fit his needs which you also may have to do. Instead of making a bung another option could be grabbing one of our Lowbrow Customs Weld-On Lower Fender Mounting tabs.
You can see where Ian traced the bung and center punched to drill his hole.
Ian drilling out the bottom hole location for the bottom mount bung.
After determining length and making the bung, trace the where it will live, take the fender back off the bike. Determine center of your trace, center punch and drill out again one bit size larger then your bolt size.
Tac Tac Tac baby!
STEP 7: BOLT THE FENDER IN PLACE AND TACK WELD BUNGS TO FRAME
Install the bottom bung onto fender, fasten all bungs tightly and place the fender back on the bike. Tack weld the bungs onto the frame and make sure you are happy with your work before finish welding the bungs to the frame.
You can finish weld after you take the wheel back off to make life easier. Tac it for now and move on to the sissy bar if you so desire.
Thats it! You are really chopper building now!
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