GSX1400 Owners .org

Hi All,

Ive been thinking for quite a while on how to make the pathetic front mudguard more fit for purpose..

Before I divulge the info its worth pointing out that the Pyramid Plastics version of the Fenda Extenda is 40mm longer that the one I fitted originally to the white mudguard.(140mm Total actual extension) The original one was 100mm actual extension.. I cannot remember the make..

Anyway I bought a Pyramid extenda and yes it was a step better than the previous one, but still not really good enough..

So I had bought off eBay a sheet of 2mm thick ABS.
The Front mudguard is made of ABS

I cut on the band saw at work the approximate size and shape that I wanted to extend the extenda by..
The Pyramid extenda was new and not fitted to the bike at this point.

With the help of a heat gun and CAREFUL heating up I bent the flat sheet to roughly resemble the contours of the Fenda Extenda...
Eventually after many heat up / cool down cycles it was near enough to clamp into place..
I then ran some very thin Superglue along the edge where the ABS extension sheet meets the underside of the Pyramid extenda...
Super glue works very well indeed on ABS plastic..

This has added a total of 200mm to the original Honda Mudguard (60mm more than the Pyramid extenda)..
Originally it was about another 40mm in length but unfortunately the ABS buckled because I got it too hot, so I ended up having to trim and reshape the end..
If you look carefully you can see the remains of the buckled area..
I must stress to be VERY cautious with the heat gun.. The heat difference between melting and reshaping isnt very much at all. You may need to wear gloves as well.. It starts to melt at around 105C

Overall I am pretty pleased with how it turned out..
I have attached a photo with the original Extenda on so you can see the difference.

S

Nice job Simon  :clapping:

Nice job Speedy but keep a close eye on it, I've seen standard extenda's rupture mudguards with their additional weight so your extended one will give it extra leverage.

Agree mjgt, they catch crap but also wind buffeting, always vibrating.

Looks great
1 of the replacement exhaust clamps has rotted through, so a longer mudguard will help reduce the crap under the motor and muddle 2 downpipes.  :cheers:

Thanks for your responses..
On my past 12 bikes I have put on "extendas" and haven't had a problem with splitting etc..
This one is fitted with loads of the sticky silicon pads (as many as I could fit in the area of contact) and so I assume that offers a bit of "shock absorbtion"..
On the Honda the standard mudguard is pathetic (in the name of trendy bike fashion) and without an extenda the cow muck literally spatters the radiator!
You can see on the photo that the Suzuki Front fender is quite a bit longer than the Honda one.

My other pet hate with the Honda is that the exhausts were designed by a sadist!
Just look at the criss-cross nature of the headers.. They are a pig to clean!
The 2005 GSX1400 I had was a beautifully simple set up by comparison (standard 4 into 2 silencers)

On the subject of the Extenders, I contacted Pyramid (the manufacturer) and asked if they could do a custom longer extender.. For a price..
They replied "We get asked that LOADS of times...... Errr No !!"
Pretty short sighted of them in my opinion..

I cant say I have noticed any vibration issues with it fitted..
In fact the only handle bar vibration I did notice was when I temporarily fitted a Puig screen...
This wasnt evident till I removed it. Then the bike felt smoother at speed and also the wind pressure was less concentrated in my upper chest / neck!

I think naked nikes should be naked..

P.S The GSX is my old bike..

S.

The only bike I've seen with a proper front mudguard is the Suzuki V Strom, it almost reaches the ground.