How to make a front fender (well... at least one way)

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Inspired (and intrigued) by ShowBizWolf's café front fender, and in need of something for my current build project, I decided to try my hand at making one.  And since there was no thread about how to do it, I thought I would give that a shot too.

Firstly, props to SBW for the genius idea of simply combining two existing GS 500 front fenders... it certainly seemed like that was the best place to start, so that's what I did.  No need to reinvent the wheel (or the fender). 

However, I wanted a slightly larger fender (that way that I could cut it down later if I decided to) so I started with two complete rear halves from two donor front fenders, marked and cut right down the middle with a hacksaw.  One had some heat damage so I got it for next to nothing and the other came from the project bike so cost was minimal... even better! 

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Next, I bolted the two halves to the fender mount making sure that the sides were even and everything fit together properly. I ran blue painter's tape on the outside of the side seams between the fender halves and between the fender mount and the top of the fenders. 

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Next came the "glue," JB Weld Plastic Bonder, applied to the inside of the fender at each seam.  I applied it one seam at a time and let the preceding seam dry (about 10 minutes) before moving on to the next.  I've used Plastic Bonder before and it is super easy to work with (not to mention industrial strength) and can be sanded once it dries completely.  I was pretty liberal with the application (obviously...lol) and pressed it into the seams to make sure it filled any gaps.  I probably could have smoothed it out a bit...  but I suspect that if you're seeing the inside of my front fender once it's on my bike, something has gone horribly wrong and your opinion of my handiwork probably won't be relevant to either of us at that moment. lol   

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After about 30 minutes I unbolted the fender mount and removed the tape.  For the most part there was a nice smooth surface on the outside of the seam (thanks to the tape). I applied a very thin skim coat of Plastic Bonder so that I could cover and sand out any imperfections and then let it dry overnight. 

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The only thing left was a final sanding and a quick shot of primer.  The primer showed a few small spots that will need a little more attention but all in all I'm super pleased with what turned out to be only about 60 minutes of actual work.  So, there it is...

Once I see it on the bike I may go back and re-shape it a bit but for now I'm calling it done.  Final color TBD. 

Comments, questions or suggestions welcome! 

[ShowBizWolf]

That looks fantastic!!! Very nice work Can't wait to see what color you pick!

That plastic bonder looks pretty neat.

I scored/grooved both surfaces under the fender with a cutting wheel on a Dremel (like x patterns) where I was going to join the two halves together... then used fiberglass resin and mat.

Back when I was making my first 2 fenders, heat damaged GS fenders were plentiful on eBay. They are great donors for projects like this!

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That looks fantastic!!! Very nice work Can't wait to see what color you pick!

That plastic bonder looks pretty neat.

I scored/grooved both surfaces under the fender with a cutting wheel on a Dremel (like x patterns) where I was going to join the two halves together... then used fiberglass resin and mat.

Back when I was making my first 2 fenders, heat damaged GS fenders were plentiful on eBay. They are great donors for projects like this!

Thanks!  Excellent idea on the scoring/grooving.  Not that I think this one will ever come apart but the devil is in the details.  Will definitely incorporate that into the next one.

Thanks again for the inspiration!   

[peteGS]

That right there is a neat bit of handiwork, nicely done!

Don't things look great when they go from a bare horrible looking thing to a single colour and all smooth, even in primer? Amazing the difference a spot of paint makes especially when things are all smooth