KZ750e removing front fender- need a brace?

I've read the metal front fenders provide a degree of fork bracing on bikes. I'd prefer to remove my front fender, or possibly install a tiny plastic one, and want to know if it's absolutely necessary to use a brace. My experience and penchant for safety tells me yes, but I'd rather not buy one if I don't need to.

I'd also prefer not to find out the hard way that I needed a brace.

I've seen a few around the web, they're few and far between. I wouldn't mind if it's the simple hoop or the type that mounts on the top of the fork lowers. Cost is a factor but I don't want something so cheap it will crack in 3 months.

Yes. Why are you removing the fender? Better not ride in the rain. :lol:
Steve

swest wrote: Yes. Why are you removing the fender? Better not ride in the rain. :lol:
Steve

because it looks so damn COOL...

I understand the ramifications of removing it- water, stones, etc. I am reconsidering and thinking more along the lines of a small plastic one, which I think will still require a brace. I may just chop down the one I have, I'm still considering that but my metal working abilities are um, a bit limited to a cut off wheel, hacksaw, and bench grinder.

I pride myself on my forecasting abilities, I think I could do a better job than those hacks on the news lol. I might get caught once or twice a year, and I usually will park somewhere and wait it out. If there's any chance of rain for the day I will leave the bike at home. I also downloaded a new app called Dark Sky that's pretty good and it warns you when rain is in the area (you can set the range in miles) so I can get my butt home.

The original fenders have a brace built in; to retain decent handling you should have a brace.

Regarding removing the fender entirely - bad idea. I rode without one for a short period of time on my BSA and was amazed at the volume of road slop thrown up on the bike and on me. Even a little bit of water on the road makes a damn mess of everything. To add insult to injury, I decided to put a fender back on, but before I got around to doing it I got a ticket for no fender. Check the laws in your state; I didn't even know riding sans fender was illegal.

Original fenders in good condition have value. If yours is in good condition I would not cut it. If you must cut one get one from eBay in rough shape; cut it, sand it; and paint it. You can always re-install yours when you decide to sell the bike, or simply sell the fender by itself. Ed

650ed wrote: Original fenders in good condition have value. If yours is in good condition I would not cut it. If you must cut one get one from eBay in rough shape; cut it, sand it; and paint it. You can always re-install yours when you decide to sell the bike, or simply sell the fender by itself. Ed

That was my other reason for not hacking it. For my CB project thats exactly what I did- find a couple that were dinged on the ends that were going to be cut away.

My bike isn't perfect, but I do want to limit the number of items chipping paint and dinging the pipes, not to mention flying up and striking my arms, face etc. I think more research is required on how to trim fenders to have a desired look but still be functional to some degree.

I wondered about the legalities and a requirement for a fender. I try to consider those factors when making modifications because I don't want to get pulled over by someone with an attitude who is going to go over the bike with a fine toothed comb and write a ticket for every violation. I recently moved my plate to a side mount off the rear axle, and I also wonder about the size of the turn signals I have (they came with the bike) and whether they are big/bright enough. I've been riding daily riders for about 20 years on historical plates, which in Ohio are technically for riding to and from shows only. I've never been stopped on a bike with a historical plate so apparently they don't care much if you're riding all over town with one. Again, though, reference the officer above with a bug up his butt...

Another thing I factor in is insurance. If there's an accident, will they try to deny a claim based on features of my bike? I don't ride non-DOT tires on my enduro for that reason- they could try to claim that the reason I didn't stop fast enough is because my tires are not for road use. Were my turn signals were too small for a guy to notice reasonably, contributing to the accident. Stuff like that. While I find that a fender isn't much of a liability, I always try to think it through.

In my case I was amazed that the cop ONLY gave me a ticket for no fender. I had no headlight (but it was a bright, sunny day) and no mufflers. In fact, at the time, the front bake was not even hooked up (no cable). See image below. If you were a cop would the missing fender be the only thing that would cause concern? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Maybe he was cutting me some slack and being the dumb kid I was I didn't even know it. :blush: Ed

Wow I've had a bike towed for fewer violations than that! Usually stuff like a headlight or non-functional brake they determine the vehicle is unsafe to operate and won't permit you to ride it away. you've lucky!

Sweet ride! What year was this taken?

Picture was taken back around 1975-76 timeframe. Pre- KZ650. :laugh: Ed

awesome I assumed, because I have photos of my dad's bikes from the same era that are of similar appearance.