Fender fix

[Neez]

I have never liked the idea of the rear fender bouncing up and down on the trailing arm and I have heard lots of sad stories about cracked bolt holes, broken mounting lugs and fenders disintegrating mid-trip. Therefore, I decided to suspend my stock fender from above. In my case, I connected it to a modified and reinforced Industries 7 luggage rack, but I believe the average home fabricator who is willing to do a bit of "eyeball engineering" should be able to do a similar mod regardless of the rear frame or rack setup. I made brackets of bent flat bar and struts of half inch steel tubing enclosing three eights inch threaded rod. As the corroded fasteners were tough to remove, I replaced them, where possible, with stainless steel 1/4- 20, double nutted and locked with 2 wrenches. The rear licence light/reflector, another known source of grief, was replaced with the well-known Walmart brakelight/tailight ( $11), wired in using positaps. This also means that burnt bulb induced limp mode can be quickly cured via Phillips screwdriver. The whole fender assembly comes off quickly for ease of maintenance, yet has proven strong and vibration free.

[NancysToy]

Nice job! I like it.

[arntufun]

I agree Scotty, That is Sharp !!! Way better looks than Stock.

[fastfraser]

Great mod ! It realy opens the back-end up and gives the Spyder a nice clean look. I know at 15,000 miles I replace both fender brackets under warranty .

[dshogman]

Looks like a great idea. But before I go any further, I need clarification of the following:
The rear licence light/reflector, another known source of grief, was replaced with the well-known Walmart brakelight/tailight ( $11), wired in using positaps. This also means that burnt bulb induced limp mode can be quickly cured via Phillips screwdriver.

Like what source of grief is this? And what is burnt bulb limp mode - a burned out bulb will put you in limp mode?? And how about a model number for the Wally World replacement? Noobie stuff but........
Thanks to all.

[Neez]

Looks like a great idea. But before I go any further, I need clarification of the following:
The rear licence light/reflector, another known source of grief, was replaced with the well-known Walmart brakelight/tailight ( $11), wired in using positaps. This also means that burnt bulb induced limp mode can be quickly cured via Phillips screwdriver.

Like what source of grief is this? And what is burnt bulb limp mode - a burned out bulb will put you in limp mode?? And how about a model number for the Wally World replacement? Noobie stuff but........
Thanks to all.

The stock plastic lens, which is held on by only one screw, falls off or breaks off. You cannot buy just the lens from BRP, but must buy the complete fixture, over $50. Also, being only a reflector/licence plate illuminator, it does not do much to brighten the Spyder at night. The Walmart fixture ( Blazer C465R 20-3912-4) must be modified by cutting a window at the bottom of the lens and gluing in a clear piece of plastic for tag illumination.( Do a search and you will find this mod described.) The new fixture will provide tag light, running light and a bright # 2057 third brakelight. Remember that if both brake light bulbs burn out, Nanny will throw you into limp mode, and the stock brake lights are awkward to change out. The new brake light is easily changed with a Phillips screwdriver.

[mcaccamise]

Interesting mod why wouldent one just leave the fender off rather than mounting it so high making it non functional for rain deverision or stone protection just sayin?

[Neez]

Interesting mod why wouldent one just leave the fender off rather than mounting it so high making it non functional for rain deverision or stone protection just sayin?

Mcaccamise, I live in a rainy climate and often carry a passenger. I have tried going without a fender, but my passenger got wet. This does not happen with my raised fender mod. You can't see it in the photo very well, but I have included some added sheet metal between the fender and the back of the Spyder, to fill the gap. It's a bit of a complicated mod so I have not included any detailed instructions. If you attempt it , you will have to work out the details by trial and error, as I did. So far it works very well, keeps the passenger and bodywork clean and dry, and has put an end to fender bracket cracking.