Mudflap

[Lucasind]

We had talked earlier about buying a mudflap,or making one....there certainly is alot of them to choose from online !

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/1718471737 ... rmvSB=true


I kinda liked this one......and was interested in a third brake light along with a additional rear running light,so the last time I was at NAPA I saw this light and decided to just make my own as opposed to buying one off the rack.




I serviced the forklifts at this factory here ,that makes conveyer belts on Friday....so I asked if I could look thru their scraps for something usable to start this project...here is what I got :



I laid the job out ...got a plan together ,and started cutting ! I decided AGAINST drilling holes in my rear fender,and decided to fab some support brackets .



painted the brackets with black rustoleum and mounted them to the trailer hitch,then fitted the rubber "stock" in place to have a look.



The light from NAPA comes with a template that makes layout and cutting of the material pretty easy,then the light is installed into the rubber mud flap, A couple of sheet metal screws are provided to attach the light,but I ended up also sealing and adhering the whole light to the rubber piece with black RTV silicone, that ended my Friday evening work session out in the shop,waiting for the RTV to harden.

[Lucasind]

Saturday morning was sure COLD here in northern Ohio, I went out into the shop and cleaned out the ashes from the wood stove and got a fire going to generate some HEAT for the first time this fall
So back to the mudflap project...I decided to round off the lower corners of it and then remembered ,that I had some trim type molding in one of my cabinets ,and the hunt was on ! Found that and installed it. Didn't like the square look,so it had to go !





Made up my wiring connections ,then mounted the mudflap to the bike for the last time. The process of making it myself meant putting it on and taking it off many times before I got the desired results ! Here is a look at the completed job for now.....I may take it back off of the bike and paint it to color match the bike....not sure yet. Here is a look at it with just the tail light lit and lights off in the shop.



Here is the brake light lit , it is VERY bright ,and should help greatly to avoid being "rear ended" .



So anyway ,that is how I spent Friday evening ,and Saturday morning ...out in the shop ,improving my Voyager !..........................Tony

[ekap1200]

" A busy man is a happy man "


Is that more shinny items on the bike also this year ?

[Lucasind]

http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/g ... an.527702/


Speaking of getting "rear ended" on a motorcycle.....Here is a really great read(if you haven't already read it) that ends badly after this motorcycle adventure is over. The guy "Trevor" in this story is the victim of being rear ended by a car...and to this day ...I don't think his rehab has progressed (if ever) to be able to ever ride again.

[trikebldr]

I spent some time in the 'Vegas area in 2007 and attended some hearings on bicycle/car accidents. Almost every one of the car drivers claimed to not be able to see the cyclist. Especially when it was a recumbent trike, which are admittedly very low to the ground.
The two judges that hear such cases in Vegas are both cyclists themselves, and have adopted the attitude that if a driver can't see a cyclist, that means they are not fit to drive a car, since a cyclist is much taller and bigger than roadway markings and signs. They give the drivers the choice of losing their license permanently over poor vision, or negligence (which also brings a criminal charge!).

Tony, first thing I thought when you mentioned being rear ended was "By what, a turtle?" (that low!). It never hurts to have extra lights, and they do look great, but if they are going to rear end you, a hundred lights won't help.

This is what I came up with on my first Voyager. A standard "Back Off" flap from NAPA, cut down just a bit, and attached to a bracket that I made part of my trailer hitch. The flap was stiff enough to not "sail" much at all, so it was quite effective at knocking down any debris from hitting my trailer.

[Lucasind]

...Yeah , those darn "rear ending turtles" /......I was most worried about ALL of those VW bugs ( that look like turtles ) that are still on the road !... ..... I agree , ...anything we can do, to be SEEN ....with half(perhaps a small percentage) of the driving population,that I encounter with their heads down ...looking at a communication device ...just makes me nervous.

[Barry]

Tony,
Since you're concern with visibility, I'm surprised you haven't removed the paint from the factory lens located below the license plate. Also there's another lens surface that was painted over on the trunk. The 86-87's had no paint and look great in the dark. Check this link:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8905&hilit=paint" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If the link doesn't work, just search this site for paint removal.

[Lucasind]

Thanks Barry, I read that post ,and was aware of the paint. I havn't decided what I might do with that area yet ! The snow months are coming .....NO riding !....I spend alot of time in the shop" killing time" till spring riding season returns A bit of a "bonus day" tomorrow here in Toledo , forcasted for 62 degrees and sunny skies Not time to take the XII apart for winter maintenance and upgrades just quite yet !.....Tony