How-to: DIY Fender Eliminator
[The following was submitted by Bryan T… Thanks man!]
Instead of spending 100.00 plus dollars on a pre made fender eliminator kit where some of the after market versions say they won’t except the option rear seat cowl I thought I could make something for free and spend the 100 bucks somewhere else.
Tools that I used: Dremel with spiral cutter, grinding stones/burrs and the flex shaft attachment.
Time involved: Be ready to spend some time as the whole section of the bike must be taken apart where you will need to strip off the tail light housing so that you can work on it closely.
Picture 01 — Tail light section with the fender cut down leaving the stock sections for the blinkers and the metal brackets.
Picture 02 — Same shot different angle
Picture 03 — The rear fender section with the very bottom portion cut off and separated from the housing assembly. Not finished with this piece just yet so hang on to it.
Picture 04 — Mounting bracket for the licenses plate cut out of the rear fender section. you can see it in picture 03 before I cut it out of the left over scrap piece. you will need to drill two holes at the top so that the two bolts can be run through where they will attach to the small plate that comes with the bikes original setup.
Picture 05 — How it looks on the bike after it is all put back together with the licenses plate bracket added. it mounts in between the metal plate and the two bolts that secure the actually red lenses for the brake light to the housing assembly. Its tough to explain but once you saw it in person you would hopefully know what I was taking about.
Picture 06– Another view with paper plate attached. one will need longer bolts to mount the actual license plate to the bracket as the home made bracket has rubber grommets (used for the original licenses plate light) that are thick where I though this would be helpful to absorb some of the shock of the actual licenses plate bouncing around.
Picture 07 — Another rear shot
Picture 08 — The carnage left over from all the cutting. from this shot you will notice another cut that was made below the big hole at the top. The additional rectangular piece was cut because I needed a spacer to add some distance between the licenses plate mounting bracket and the actual rear brake light housing to drop it down just a smidge for clearance
Side note: It may not be for everyone to try, (and might be illegal in your State / Country / Planet.. So check your local laws first!!!) but it is one solution where you don’t have to spend a cent if you already have the tools. If done right it can look really clean with a simple factory look.
deercelica Said,
July 16, 2008 @ 10:08 am
Looks wonderful, I might take my fender chop to the next level.
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Jasen Said,
July 16, 2008 @ 10:12 am
I just chopped mine off at the plate. But this looks WAY better! Now I have something to do tonight! Thanks Bryan T…great post!
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Bill Said,
July 16, 2008 @ 11:11 am
Looks good, nice write up.
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Terry Said,
July 16, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
I won’t even attempt to do this -
I might just cut mine off right above the plate.
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Bryan Thornhill Said,
July 16, 2008 @ 1:25 pm
There is room to play with the design aspect as it’s not set in stone. It can definitely be added to or customized to fine tune it. The cool thing is that this can be used as a starting point but I thought it might be good for people to see someone jump in and attempt a major grinding session on it first as it can be scary going in and cutting on the factory equipment. Once you cut into it you can’t hit the undo button like on the computer. I did something similar to this on my SV where it came out looking very sharp and again it was free. The mod was very durable and held together nicely over time. At the least this might get people thinking were they can come up with something better. I am already working on a little revision where I was at Cycle Gear the other day and they had a LED blinker/bracket package marked way down from $80 to $28. I bought it and may incorporate pieces of it into my newer design. I’ll post picks when I have the bike all back together. I will also be getting in my new Area P “quiet core” full exhaust where I will have to install it along with the jet kit. I am not really look forward to this as I live in a smallish apartment which means I’ll have to clear out my living room and disrupt my dogs lives.
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Tjkamper Reply:
May 7th, 2009 at 8:51 am
What did you use for the license plate light?
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Julian Emmett Turner Said,
July 16, 2008 @ 1:34 pm
Thanks! Very nice. I really don’t want to go with low-profile blinkers, especially after reducing the area the bike’s light up and reflective parts occupy in a follower’s vision with a fender eliminator, so I was wondering: Is there any aftermarket blinker set that looks better but still sticks out and is not flush with the undertail section?
I found that first paragraph hard to read at first…
except = accept
option = optional
That’ll fix it.
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Bryan Thornhill Reply:
July 16th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Julian Emmett, I apologies for my spelling and grammar as I am horrible at writing. It’s just not my gift. I do try and use spell check but the computer does not always understand my quirkiness. It bothers me as well, so I will try and be more careful. Thank you for your correction.
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Jasen Said,
July 16, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
Oh no!…someone is checking spelling now!? I’m in trouble!!
About the blinkers…my buddy has these on his V-Rod and they look pretty good or at least they are better than the stock ones. And they are very bright too! I’m sure you can find them cheaper somewhere else…
http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?item=MRX_LA1
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Jasen Reply:
July 16th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I think these look just as nice if not better!…The back side almost looks like the mirrors!
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Bryan Thornhill Said,
July 16, 2008 @ 3:32 pm
I got some blinkers that are a little smaller then the OEM units but they are the LED type so they are actually brighter and stick out just about the same as the stock ones. There are a ton of different blinkers out there but I just got these LED blinkers because they where included in this marked down kit where I wanted to use the pre-fab aluminum licenses plate bracket. I was fine with the look of the stock blinkers except for the fact that they are built to use that one bolt for the Kawasaki mount.
Here is a link to kit that I got by Motrax
license plate turn signal kit:
http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=2&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=MRX_CRS1&tier2=14
Here’s is what it can look like with the blinkers attached where they are adjustable in or out:
http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=2&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=MRX_NPBH1000_G&tier2=14
If you got this kit you would need to get in touch with me because the relay that’s included needs to be used where it replaces the stock one equipped with the bike. Otherwise the blinkers turn on but they don’t blink. I almost pulled my hair out trying to figure out the the correct wiring procedure and the positive and negative hookups on the relay. Me and a friend got this figured out so I can easily talk someone through it. My finished fender mod should look great as I have high expectations.
With most blinkers upgrades you will need to do some cutting of wires and some soldering just so you know.
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MJ Reply:
September 4th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I need help with my turn signals!!!! I replaced the back turn signals with aftermarket LED signals and now they light up but don’t blink. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!
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BThornhill Reply:
September 4th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
I understand your problem as it happened to me and I had that o’crap look on my face. My LED blinkers came with a relay and your might have one depending on the manufacturer included as I did. It looks like a small black box about the size of a small box of matches with one red and one black wire coming out of it. What you have to do is disconnect the stock one from your bike and cut off the connector that came with it and solder the positive and negative wires together from the two different ends. Not as hard as one would think so don’t panic. If you can’t solder then there are different ways around that but just reply back to me when you figure out if you have an added relay or if you need to buy one from the store where you bought the flashers at. Also in the mean while you may try reversing the wires plus you need the front blinkers connected as well which includes all four plugged in when you try to get them to function properly.
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ricky Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:33 pm
what is the relay called were can i get it
keeganttu Said,
July 16, 2008 @ 11:03 pm
License plate lighting anyone? Illegal much?
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Bryan Thornhill Reply:
July 17th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
That’s a good question as I rode in Texas for many years where I never had one and my bikes always pasted inspection there. I have also seen countless other bike in Texas and in Arkansas where they have not had licenses plate lights on them as well. There are companies that make this unit that I’ve seen where it goes in place of the bolts that hold on your licenses plate and they have an LED light in them. They are really neat where you just trade out your old bolts for the new ones and position it where it will shine on you plate. Simple solution and problem solved. I’m not saying that running your bike without a plate light is legal but I’ve never been stopped or ticketed. Please use your own judgment.
here is a video link where you can see what I’m talking about: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/led-motorcycle-license-plate-bolt-lights/2778832474
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Kenny Said,
July 17, 2008 @ 2:30 pm
It’s not illegal in every state. It IS illegal not to have on in California though.
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DJAZ Said,
July 18, 2008 @ 1:31 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rRJfb-Qanc
Brian
I jost posted a drive by of the 18″ AreaP on Youtube. EnjoY!
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Bryan Thornhill Said,
July 25, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
Here is a link to new pictures that I have taken of my bike with a new and improved license plate and blinker design that I like better.
http://www.freelanceshots.com/Kawasaki_250R.html
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Jen Said,
August 9, 2008 @ 5:53 pm
Bryan, great post. So easy, just one thing….Dremel from the inside out. Much cleaner cut. Thanks for saving me $100.
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Brendan Said,
August 18, 2008 @ 1:08 pm
I did this mod took a while… You have to pull the seat and the back ferrings to get to the lights wireing harness for the lights. cutting went easy with a dremmel. it turns out really well.
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e.feasible Said,
October 26, 2008 @ 5:06 pm
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST THREADS ON THIS SITE!!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR POSTING!!!!!!
The directions are super easy considering i have NEVER used a dremmel before and the finished results looks pretty fucking awesome!! it looks really clean and professional. i used the same tools as mentioned in on this thread.
u can buy aluminum sheet metal and fabricate your own bracket to hold the stock reflector
ti should kind of resemble a “T” and it will mount to the bottom portion of the license plate with the bottom part of the “T” (looks like “I”) sticks out below license plate and the top of the T is bolted to bottom holes of license plate.
the bottom T portion of the sheet metal is used to mount the stock reflector. make sure to utilize the “nub” (drill a second hole next to where the reflector bolt will go thru) to keep the reflector from swinging all over the place.
i got pulled over for using those small reflectors they sell at cycle gear that bolt on to bottom license plate holes. in California, reflectors must be visible from 100 feet.. i used the stock reflector and secured the license plate to the bracket with bolts that HAVE MINI LED LIGHTS INSIDE THEM!!!! go to bikerlitez.com to check them out. i’ll post pictures as soon as i get a new digi camera.
i have not had any problems with the DIY “kit” after i changed the reflector back to the stock one. its a trip but the reflector actually makes the license plate look better! looks like an extra light!
its really is ridiculous to pay $100 for some low quality kit. just man up, do it yourself, feel proud of what you are doing, and save the $100 for Steel-braided brake lines!!
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Steven Said,
June 2, 2009 @ 1:16 am
i did my fender elim and it looks wayyyyy better than this imo all i did was pop a few rivits and replace the stock signals here take a look and if u want more info on how to do it just email me… sterry830@yahoo.com id be happy to help yall out…
before the blinkers:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30877569&l=c18d5795fb&id=1029212044
after the blinkers:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30878883&l=9a6bf42fcd&id=1029212044
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RobertoG Said,
June 13, 2009 @ 7:24 pm
Dude, I just bought an ‘09′ Ninja and I went to Harbor Freight Tools and bought a small body saw for $29 and a China Dremmel-like tool for $8.99 on sale and did this same thing. It looks TIGHT!!! I’m getting comps from my friends and I would never pay for that Kit. Mine looks better than my buddy. I’ll try and post some pics tomorrow. Thank for the threat, Dude! Best piece of advice out here! The mounting bracket was a great idea. I didn’t spend a cent except for tools and LEDs for the License bolt.
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Krissy Said,
June 18, 2009 @ 8:43 pm
Does anyone have a pic of what the “chop” at the plate looks like. I am considering doing it to mine but would like to see a pic. Also, I like all of the homemade eliminators, but what about the license plate light? Did I miss that post? I hate how that light sticks out! its horrible. I love my bike though.
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jonathan Said,
September 10, 2009 @ 1:59 pm
thanks!!!!!!!!!!!! i did it in one our………………i save money because i was looking for a kit but i did this instead ; it was all easy until the Mounting bracket adapter because the tag look to the sky but i figured putting a piece of plastic on top it really help …………..again thank you!!!!!!
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ricky Said,
April 2, 2010 @ 6:32 pm
what is the realy called were can i get it can i just get it from autozone or something my LED blinkers dont blink im going crazy i have been working on it for 5 hours please help
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