GT750 front fender questions

[KraigG]

As I try and decide whether to rechrome or replace my very rusty front fender on my 74 GT750L, I wonder what are the differences in the front fender for the various years.

Mine has the stays screwed into the top of the fender with two screws, and that method is repeated at the lower rear as well.

Did all the years have this same design? What will be an equal match if I decide to buy a new or newer one?

[Suzsmokeyallan]

Only 73 and 74 front fenders had that design with externally fixed stays. 75 and 76 have the screws hidden inside the stays. 72 and 77 were different styled fenders.

[Coyote]

I THINK that 75 and 76 used a single stay (the lower). The 77 had no stays at all --------------- like this ---

[Suzsmokeyallan]

Close there Coyote but not quite, 75 and 76 had twin stays with the threaded portions inside the stays screwed on from underneath into the stays. Its the 550 model that had a single stay on it.

[markj]

All right no one flame me here but I wonder if this wouldn't be a cheap alternative for those who don't need thier bikes to be completely stock.

http://www.sportsterspecialty.com/narro ... tster.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[KraigG]

Only 73 and 74 front fenders had that design with externally fixed stays. 75 and 76 have the screws hidden inside the stays. 72 and 77 were different styled fenders.

Thanks. So I need to find an NOS 73/74 fender.

[oldjapanesebikes]

Thanks. So I need to find an NOS 73/74 fender.

You may locate a used one on the auction sites, but that style is somewhat rare so the odds of locating a good used one is slim. I think Reiner may still have an NOS one for Euro 266 (about $352 USD) plus shipping, but you would have to contact him to confirm.

I just had mine re-chromed. which turned out well. It has to be really far gone to not be repairable if you can locate a decent shop, or do the work yourself.

[KraigG]

Made a few inquiries on ebay, and one seller with the ID of "jrwdfanot" (Paul Miller is jrwdfa) has the 73/74 NOS fender for $330 plus $24 for shipping.

The pitting is so deep on the fender I have, that I don't think I'd be able to grind off the pits and fill them in for a good finish.

An NOS fender seems like a good xmas gift to myself

[H2RICK]

Kraig, I wonder if you could fill those pits with some body lead or maybe brazing of some kind....either brass or silver ??
I'm not sure at what temps a plating bath is held but for sure I'd think that the brazing would withstand the bath temps even if the body lead would not.
Some of you guys with more chroming knowledge than me can chime in here.....

[Suzsmokeyallan]

If the pits are approx down as far as half the thickness of the metal in the fender it can be fixed. Once its been totally stripped It may need two thin coats of copper dipping during the first stage. The first dip will be to fill the majority of the pits and then a 'sanding' to bring the copper down all over the surface to a thin even coating, then in some cases a second copper dip and a repeat 'sanding' to get a thicker coating and cover some remaining pitted areas.
Sometimes they will also increase the charge to the piece and create a thicker copper base layer, if the prep technican feels this may allow the mto get the pits in a one stage 'heavy' copper dip.
I use the word 'sanding' as a generic term here since in this stage they use a type of sanding buffer to literally level the copper coating to an even layer with a textured finish making it ready for the nickel second stage.
I am referring to a copper, nickel and chrome three step process, also known as triple plating which costs more but gives a deeper looking shine.

[markj]

I just sent out my front fender and some other parts to get rechromed. Got a good quote from New England Chrome for $175 for the fender and stays. But I ordered a chrome sprorster fender just for yuks to see how it fits. It's onstayed and if I don't like it I think it would look good on my H2. I'll report back once I get it. They're cheap - less than 60 bucks on ebay. Might be a good alternative for folks who want to keep the chrome look but don't or can't use the original fender.

[KraigG]

Mark:

Will you have to do any work before sending it in, or are they doing all the prep work for that price?

[markj]

They'll do it for that. Really there's only one small dent in the fender which I mentioned in the email. Oh yeah, you can snap some pics and send it to them. They seem very reasonable. Well see how it goes.

[markj]

So I got this aftermarket sportster fender today and I have to say it's really nice for $60 bucks to my door. I measured it up and it's almost a perfect fit you'd just need to elongate the bolt holes a tad. As soon as I mount my forks I'll mount it up just to see how it looks and share the results. Depending on how long my stock fender takes at the rechromer I may leave it on for a while.

It's certainly not stock but it looks cool and it's cheap. I may do a scraps Buffalo project next and use for that one.

[tz375]

That's a good price for a fender - especially if it fits without too much messing around.

BTW, Suzuki did fit both styles of fender to the 74 L model. If you look at the one page advert for the L it clearly has the later style fender without the saddles. The screws are hidden. Was that because they used more than one vendor with two different designs or was a it a part year change? I have no idea, but the fact that it's shown in an official Suzuki US publication is good enough for me.