Yam RD Front Fender Cut Down

[2_DONE_THE_TON]

hey forum!

i´m in the process of cutting down my front fender of my Yam RD.

I know theres a lot of discussion about Hipsters,clown shoes front braces and front fenders so i will ask before i start reducing it.

i found a pic of a nice RD someone made in the forum which pretty much shows how i would like to cut it down,but it looks a little bit too much minimised.

i want no dirt in my face !!

whats your opinion on that front fender?

 

[jpmobius]

Fenders are a pretty important part of your bike. You can trim them down, but not very much before you start sacrificing a lot of functionality. Pure racing bikes have fenders for a reason. Look at what they use for an idea of the minimum under ideal conditions. A lot of guys like the minimalist look of even no fenders at all, but it is a serious sacrifice of practicality for looks. Sort of the opposite of the "form follows function" concept inherent in a motorcycle. More than 20 cm off the front and 10 cm off the back (of the front fender) and the functionality will become noticeably reduced. That said, I do cut stock fenders without hesitation even on a "stock" bike like this one.

 

[2_DONE_THE_TON]

Besides keeping dirt out of ones face i guess they stabilise too the forks like a fork brace.

I will never ride in rain so the stability of the forks will be primary.how much can i cut down without comptomising the function?
Thanks for your expertise!

 

[jpmobius]

Fenders also keep dirt from sandblasting your engine, frame and pipes. As far as the brace goes, it is important, but you can cut the fender down as much as you like without disturbing it - just look at the inside of your fender. It is a bit wimpy, but combined with the outer fender it adds a lot. The bike in my avatar has only a fiberglass fender, and you can tell when you push it hard. As far as the rain goes, I never ride in it either - except when I get caught out in it. Guess it must not rain often in Austria!

 

[2_DONE_THE_TON]

Interesting how such a 'small' piece of metal/fiberglass influences the riding performance.
I tend only to ride bike on weekends,living in the center of vienna with a lot of cars and nervous people (had an accident last august) i want to ride out on the countryside and then i always watch out for good weather.
But then again getting caught in rain while having a countryside ride is not nice.

I saw some people cutting the fender 'assymetrically'.the part more near to the motor was longer then the one more far away.which part of the fender is more important?

 

[jpmobius]

I think you will find most all front fenders to be longer in back. Visually, there is a lot more to how they look than you might expect. The fender on the black bike started out as a stock chrome 1974, which is pretty giant looking on the original bike. It has only been shortened up 10 cm up front, but that also eliminated the front braces. The center mount/fork brace was smoothed out and the mounting holes slightly relocated to get it to fit closely to a 19" tire. Painted black, it looks so light and svelte you would never believe it if you only saw the stock installation. Point being that you can get a good compromise of function and looks with fairly small "adjustments". This fender works like stock and still looks pretty good considering.