Pre-Kat: how do I remove front fender?

[black&blue]

Silly question, but there doesn't seem to be any way to remove my front fender, the forks keep it from being removed from the bike. It doesn't look like removing the wheel will help free it. The dogbone shaped brackety thing it sits on keeps it from being removable because there's no way to get it out from between the forks-- that I can see, anyways.

I destroyed the front half of my fender the other day and need to replace it somehow.

Suggestions on getting it off, or do I need to pull the whole front wheel to do it?

if I do need to pull the front wheel, how difficult is removing and reinstalling the front wheel, and how much do i need to dismantle in order to do it, and will I need pneumatic tools?

[Wild-Bill]

You do need to remove the front wheel.

Start by removing the brake calipers. Pull the pads out, unbolt the calipers and hang them with some coat hanger or safety wire from the oil cooler brackets. Unscrew the speedometer cable from the hub drive and tuck it out of the way. Unbolt the front wheel (takes two wrenches to loosen), and pull the axle out, making note of the order the spacers are in so you can get them back in in the right order. From there, the fender's pretty much a no-brainer.

Putting the front wheel back on, be sure to re-attach the speedo cable before tightening the axle. If you don't then it's about 100% that the attachment point on the drive hub will end up pointing the wrong way. DAMHIKT

Don't let any yahoos touch your front brake lever while the calipers are off the bike. If that happens then you're going to have a lot of fun getting the pads back in.

[black&blue]

Darn. Okay then, this is definitely going to have to be a weekend project because this isn't something I can do between 5pm and 9pm before work the next day...

Looks like I have weekend plans once I grab a fender for $20 or so.

[soulless kaos]

you do NOT need to remove the front wheel, just remove the 4 bolts and kinda turn it sideways and it should just come out.

[MikeyZ]

you do NOT need to remove the front wheel, just remove the 4 bolts and kinda turn it sideways and it should just come out.

ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I dunnnnnnno

[Wild-Bill]

You have to get at the nuts on the underside of the fender. On my 750 they weren't tacked in place so as soon as I broke the bolts free they started spinning. Only way to get at them with the wheel on is if you don't have a tire.

In any case, Removing and replacing the front wheel shouldn't take more than about an hour, even the first time you do it. Make sure you've got all the wrenches handy, a small flat-head screwdriver for the brake pad springs and some needle-nose pliers for those pesky pins. Never hurts to put a little grease on the pad-retaining pins when you put them back in.

[scottynoface]

Only way to get at them with the wheel on is if you don't have a tire.

[phantasm]

I undid the mounting plays from the forks. Then I could reach the nuts with a 10mm wrench. Easier then pulling the wheel.

[Wild-Bill]

I've tried that. It didn't work for me. If your fingers are long and thin enough to make that work you should take up the piano.

Of course, the quickest and easiest way to do it since you have a replacement fender on the way is to just trim the old one at the fork brace and worry about it once you've got the new one ready to install. So why didn't we think of that earlier???

[black&blue]

I've tried that. It didn't work for me. If your fingers are long and thin enough to make that work you should take up the piano.

Of course, the quickest and easiest way to do it since you have a replacement fender on the way is to just trim the old one at the fork brace and worry about it once you've got the new one ready to install. So why didn't we think of that earlier???

Actually that's what I did - I trimmed off the front half of the old fender to the fork braces specifically because I couldn't figure out how to remove it.

[Mojoe]

You have to get at the nuts on the underside of the fender. On my 750 they weren't tacked in place so as soon as I broke the bolts free they started spinning. Only way to get at them with the wheel on is if you don't have a tire.

In any case, Removing and replacing the front wheel shouldn't take more than about an hour, even the first time you do it. Make sure you've got all the wrenches handy, a small flat-head screwdriver for the brake pad springs and some needle-nose pliers for those pesky pins. Never hurts to put a little grease on the pad-retaining pins when you put them back in.

it's a 50/50 thing. if you can spin the bolts fast enough with an impact gun, or if the nuts are rusted in place, you can indeed remove the fender without taking the wheel off.

however, when it comes time to put it back on you will indeed have to remove the wheel, so you might as well just do it from the start.

[91talon]

What? I've removed and installed my front fender multiple times, and not once have I removed the front tire/rim.

It's a tight squeeze, and not exactly comfortable, but you can just slightly tilt the front fender up and have access to the nuts on the underside that hold the fender onto the plate. Just did it this weekend, in fact.

[black&blue]

What? I've removed and installed my front fender multiple times, and not once have I removed the front tire/rim.

It's a tight squeeze, and not exactly comfortable, but you can just slightly tilt the front fender up and have access to the nuts on the underside that hold the fender onto the plate. Just did it this weekend, in fact.

you should consider piano, your hands must be much nimbler than mine.

[91talon]

you should consider piano, your hands must be much nimbler than mine.

LOL, they must be.

[89gsx750]

taking the tire off makes it alot easier to get to the 4 nuts on the underside of the fender. Just did it on my 750 and it would have gone a lot faster if i had just pulled the wheel.