Topic: Intro, and a question... Fender or No Fender

[tmht]

Hello All,
My name is Terry. I live in New Orleans, LA and recently started to re-build a 76 CB400f. The frame was flooded, but the motor came from a non flooded bike. I am planning on turning this into a cafe style bike. Here is my progress so far...
Frame Stripped to the bones, rust busted and painted
Tank Stripped and bondo'd
Cracked side panel has been glassed on the back side to repair and the small crack filled with bondo
Fork sliders painted and forks re-assembled with new seals
Bronze bushings installed in swingarm (see my post in Tech about that. :-/)
Swingarm and Trees back on the bike
Centerstand and sidestand back on bike (WAY easier on than off.)

I plan on painting the tank and side panels tonight as well as busting the rust off of the seat pan and battery box/air box

Now my question... Since I am doing this bike as a cafe style, I have a delima. I also plan on commuting on this bike and it rains pretty much every day here in the summer. For those of you who have cafe style bikes out there... Do you have a problem in the rain with just the mudguard in place and the cafe tail or should I leave the rear fender on and just trim it some?

Thanks!

[ProTeal55]

I have both fenders off my bike , and have had no real issues thus far.

I have never been caught in the rain, but have ran thru puddles/mud/muck/etc...
The rear is fine, as I have never had a "skunk stripe" sprayed up my back. If you plan to do allot of riding in the rain, I would have SOMETHING for the front fender. Maybe just take the stocker and trim it down some, paint it black to make it less obvious, etc...

[cbjunkie]

i got a thin plastic fender - i believe it's for a dirtbike - popped the rivits out of my stock fender and screwed the plastic one to the stock fork brace - also installed the lower stabilizer and, y'know, some spikes

painted black it almost disappears onto the tire...

[cbjunkie]

oops...

spikes. 

[ElCheapo]

Welcome to the boards

I have both fenders off my bike , and have had no real issues thus far.

I have never been caught in the rain, but have ran thru puddles/mud/muck/etc...
The rear is fine, as I have never had a "skunk stripe" sprayed up my back. If you plan to do allot of riding in the rain, I would have SOMETHING for the front fender. Maybe just take the stocker and trim it down some, paint it black to make it less obvious, etc...

Teal, are you even using the brace that was on the O.E. front fender? I thought these required some extra bracing.

[GroovieGhoulie]

Good to see a fellow 400F owner.  I'm up in Leesville LA, at Fort Polk.  Thought I was the only one in this State with a 400F.  Glad to see I was wrong.

Anyway, the front fender has a brace in it which helps with fork flex.  Apparently these things are hairy at decent speeds without it. I would buy an aftermarket fork brace ($$$), or just do as has been suggested: cut down my existing one and paint it.


PS: Is the (flooded) engine you took out thrashed or are there any savable parts on it?

[Gordon]

When it comes to the front fender, even just cutting off a few inches from the front of it will cause water to spray up in your face when riding on wet roads.  I cut about five inches off the front fender on my 550 because I wasn't planning on riding it in the rain, but water does spray up off the tire whenever I ride through a puddle or wet runoff ditch. 

[Roach Carver]

TMHT, I  lived in N.O. until last year. Katrina and I did not see eye to eye, so I moved. I know what you mean about the rain in the summer. When I lived there I had a bike with no front fender. I always tried to avoid riding in the rain, but the way N.O. is sometimes the streets have puddles long after the rain. Anyway, my vote is ditch the fenders purely for looks and just squint while you ride if you do get caught out in a shower. Good luck and post up some pics to show your progress.