Modify Rear Fender Bolts for Wider Tires
Disclaimer
Information has been provided
on these pages in hope that it will be useful.
Each of these pages contains steps followed to complete certain modifications
on my bike.
This is not a shop manual. I am not a mechanic.
I assume no liability for any damages, direct or otherwise, resulting
from the use of this information.
If you choose to follow the steps on these pages, you do so AT
YOUR OWN RISK.
In many riders' opinion, the Valk has a much better looking rear with a large fat tire. Some people choose to install the Metzeler 200. Others have gone to the dark side (car tire). Using these wider tires requires modification of the fender bolts in order to avoid ripping into the tire. Following is a thread that has been posted at the VRCC Tech Board on the steps followed when modifying these bolts.
Note: I'm not advising anyone to do this modification. The following is for information puposes only.
Note: Click on any image to view the full size picture.
Modifying Fender Bolt For Car Tire:
The easiest way is to remove the rear half
of the fender (2 fender bolts and a 1 smaller bolt under the passenger
seat).
Unplug the turn signal connector (and
running lights for std & tourer). You'll see the fender bolt cover
in the picture below.
For me (and most folks I've heard of)
the right (throttle side) cover is the
one that rubbed.
(did it slowly and didn't build up any appreciable heat). It's not necessary to cut them off flush since at least the bolt
head will be sticking out there. Even so, I rounded off the edges
with a grinding attachment (Dremel, again!)...just didn't like the
thought of anything sharp next to the tire.
towards my sidewall... So I reversed the bolt so that just the head was inside the fender
and replaced the brass nut with a stainless one (see next picture).
If you're doing this on a standard, you'll probably want an acorn nut.
