Fender extensions, how to inspect for damage

The other day, I replaced the back part of a front fender, and the customer had stated "this will be the 4th time its been replace. The last time I had the rubber part of the extension cut off, and it's happened again."

Since I see so much of this, primarily on trikes, I felt the need to share what I know. First off, in the 2 wheeled world, there's one lesson most 2 wheeled GL1800 riders quickly learn ... that GL1800s like pavement, or they fall over !!! However, since trikes don't fall over, trike riders seem to forget that rule, and I often see them leave the pavement to complete u-turns and such. Here is what probably happens, and how to correctly assess the damage for a proper repair. Most DIYs can easily replace these parts.

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At the base of the arrow below, is crack.

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This rotor cover has no cracks, but I've seen damage in the read area, so don't forget to check for them.

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Here are the rearward ones. Often I find cracks around these mount holes.

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In my world ... I've seen 1 fender broken that had an OEM Hondaline extension as shown in the 3rd picture in the first post. However, just last week, I replace 2 fenders that had longer extensions on them. Finding one broken, is so common, that I wish I could afford to stock all fenders in all colors.

Cheers and out for now :)

Timely information. I regularly ride by a truck stop, and frequently find grease & oil sprayed up on the cowl. That means I gotta go to the car wash, use a liberal amount of Dawn liquid & high pressure spray to get it clean, instead of the usual polish/cloth.

I am considering a fender extension, but have heard so much about the rear section cracking. I did not realize the length difference between OEM & after market. Your reasoning for the cracks is sound, IMO.

I may just keep spending a buck-fifty at the car wash.

[QUOTE=keepinon;445037]

I am considering a fender extension, but have heard so much about the rear section cracking. I did not realize the length difference between OEM & after market. Your reasoning for the cracks is sound, IMO.

I may just keep spending a buck-fifty at the car wash.[/QUOTE]

The chances of you having a problem with a Hondaline one is little to nil.

Interesting ... today a 2-wheeled customer, who had a long extension, says his lower front fender broke after he went through deep water. I never considered that as a possibility.

I used front fender extensions in the past but will never use one again. I'd rather clean a little dirt then pay for part of a fender. Think carefully before you install one. Especially if you ride over rough roads

This customer came in for a fork overhaul (OH), and after removing the upper part of the front fender, this is what I found. Apparently, a few weeks ago, the rear part to their front fender was replaced by a dealer up north. It appears that the dealer did a poor inspection of the total damage. Their fork OH included replacing the fender stays.

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:GoodPost: Great report :clapping:

Well aware of the "hazards" of the longer fender extensions. Installed the longest one I could find at the time, with support braces. Always been careful of situations that could contact it. Bike is a 2006 Wing. No problems thus far.

Another thing to consider on trikes is the rake kit. When the trike is raked, the rear of the fender moves away from the cowl, lessening the chance of the extension rubbing back there. But - isn't there always a big but somewhere?- the rake kit effectively rotates the fender around to the back, lifting the nose and bringing the rear bottom edge closer to the ground. I saw a trike with a chrome extension get caught in a construction zone drop about 2" going from old pavement to an unfinished new section. Ripped the heck out of the rear of the fender.

More pictures from my photo library. Obviously, red is a popular color.

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I had a fender extension on my '03 Goldwing two wheeler and went through two fender sections before

admitting this was nuts.

When I bought my '12 new before adding the Roadsmith conversion, I had the Honda dealer order

Honda's OEM extension out of the catalogue so I got a full guarantee from Honda that it wouldn't cut/break,

and, it was installed by a Honda dealership.

So far no trouble but it is a little shorter then some after market ones.