Yet another broken rear fender.

[hasenpfeffer]

With my new factory racks, I did a simple mod that significantly stiffens up the rear fender. I just used some thin metal strap found in the framing section at the hardware store. It was thin enough to bend by hand and use tin snips to shape. But it's plenty strong for this short length. Best thing is you don't even know it's there. And I think I spent about $1.50.

 

[Motosportz]

Here is my high tech fix that has been tested down many a rough gravel road and jeep trail...

 

[MadDogTR]

Its going into the dealer on Thursday for warranty repair. I am going to support the new fender with the rear rack and a bolt/sleeve combo and order a tail tidy kit just in case the new fender breaks too. im just saying that after the 9500 i put into the bike and the full warranty the rear fender should have lasted longer than 261 miles. the worst bump i hit was some slight washboard......oh well

The TCI rack system will most likely tie into the fender to keep it from breaking.

 

[MadDogTR]

You can do what you want, but the TR650 rear fender, and *eventually* the TR650 OEM top rack seems destined to fail at some point. Personal opinion only.

Not sure if I believe this. Especially if the 12 pound license plate bracket/fender weight is removed.

And to re-ask a question asked earlier, has this happened to a bike with said bracket/weight removed? My bike has 1,000 miles with no problems yet. And that weight was removed as soon as I got home from the dealer.

 

[bluegopher]

Not sure if I believe this. Especially if the 12 pound license plate bracket/fender weight is removed.

And to re-ask a question asked earlier, has this happened to a bike with said bracket/weight removed? My bike has 1,000 miles with no problems yet. And that weight was removed as soon as I got home from the dealer.

After mine self-destructed on a trip across some minor washboards with about 150 mi on the bike the boat anchor/ bracket was never reinstalled on the new fender and I haven't had any issues since. I've ridden the bike much harder since then, crossed the same washboards, bottomed the rear suspension quite a few times and generally given it hell without a problem.

 

[Ogre_fl]

Do you think it is just the weight of the big licence bracket or is the tire catching it or its mounting bolts?

BTW, do the Terra and Strada have different exhaust?
I have only noticed square hole outlets on Stradas.

 

[Scutler]

Not quite sure how you guys are breaking the rear fender and racks....I drive my bike pretty hard (It runs better when riddin hard...I know weird). Anyway ive bottomed the suspension out multiple times taking a few jumps (4-5 feet off the ground), on dirt roads, or light atv trails im usually bouncing everywhere, kinda like ski moguals. ive got 3000km on the bike now and the fender is fine.

Even the rear rack has taken a fair mount of abuse. I trailered the bike from Nova Scotia to my parents house in Newfoundland and back (3200km). Cargo strapped the front forks to the trailer like you would usually transport a bike but I didn't want the rear end of the bike jumping off the trailer as the Hwy can get rough in sections or if a 1000lb moose jumped out in front of my suv (bad day). So I took 2 cargo straps looped them around the rear rack on each side and tightened them down to the trailer...compressing the rear shock about 3-4 inches. bike didn't move an inch and the rear rack held up to the abuse.

Do you have the metal license plate carrier attached to the rear fender? I'm sure this was a major contributing factor in why mine broke.

 

[bluegopher]

Do you think it is just the weight of the big licence bracket or is the tire catching it or its mounting bolts?

I think it's both. The weight of the bracket is definitely a big contributor but it looks like the tire is still hitting my license plate when it bottoms because the plate is bent in half when I get home a lot of times. This is after the bracket has been removed.

 

[hasenpfeffer]

Do you think it is just the weight of the big licence bracket or is the tire catching it or its mounting bolts?

BTW, do the Terra and Strada have different exhaust?
I have only noticed square hole outlets on Stradas.

I think the big license bracket by itself is a problem, but I think it can also act as a pendulum and if the right bouncing happens then it can interact with the tire and then it's all over, I bet.

The terra does have a different exhaust than the Strada. The terra has spark arresters.

 

[MadDogTR]

After mine self-destructed on a trip across some minor washboards with about 150 mi on the bike the boat anchor/ bracket was never reinstalled on the new fender and I haven't had any issues since. I've ridden the bike much harder since then, crossed the same washboards, bottomed the rear suspension quite a few times and generally given it hell without a problem.

This is kind of what I expected to hear.

 

[Ogre_fl]

FWIW there has been at least one broken fender where the licence bracket was not installed.

http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/tr...der-eliminator-ideas.28894/page-4#post-293771

This is a major bummer for me.
I am not really riding my bike like I want to because I am fearful of breaking the fender.
I dont have a dealer within 400 miles of me.
If mine breaks and takes out anything like the link above I have spend 2 full days trucking the damn thing back & forth (1600 miles total) to get it fixed under warranty.
Honestly, I am better off paying for new parts out of pocket for what it would cost in fuel, not to mention the time.

 

[Coffee]

FWIW there has been at least one broken fender where the licence bracket was not installed.

http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/tr...der-eliminator-ideas.28894/page-4#post-293771

This is a major bummer for me.
I am not really riding my bike like I want to because I am fearful of breaking the fender.
I dont have a dealer within 400 miles of me.
If mine breaks and takes out anything like the link above I have spend 2 full days trucking the damn thing back & forth (1600 miles total) to get it fixed under warranty.
Honestly, I am better off paying for new parts out of pocket for what it would cost in fuel, not to mention the time.

I knew there was at least one that broke.

In retrospect, I should have tied a bungee from the back of the rear rack to the fender. Bungee them together. I was extremely careful and monitored the vibration of the rack and fender off road, that vibration did not instill confidence.

 

[Motosportz]

In retrospect, I should have tied a bungee from the back of the rear rack to the fender. Bungee them together. I was extremely careful and monitored the vibration of the rack and fender off road, that vibration did not instill confidence.

Sorry I have that patented.

 

[nev..]

Just out of interest. Under the tail of the Terra is this plastic piece, which I have seen referred to as "the secret compartment" which doesn't appear to do anything except possibly reinforce the tail section of the bike around the point where these have been prone to braking. I'd be interested to know whether the bikes which have suffered fractured tails have this part installed, or whether this was an improvement which was introduced after the production run had commenced.

 

[Chuffa]

FWIW... My rear fender broke and it never had the metal license plate holder fitted and it does have the hidden compartment. It's unlikely to break when you're on the road but off-road is a different matter. In my case, the fender to frame attach points broke (under the rear side plastics) causing the fender to become loose & bouncy and increase the damage. If I get a new rear fender then I will reinforce these fender to frame joining points and really doubt I would have fender breakage problems after that.

I am curious to know if anyone had a broken fender where these fender to frame joins remained unbroken.

The main problem with the stock rack is the bouncing around it does, causing the mounting bolts to vibrate loose, causing more vibration & movement in the rack. Ultimately this leads to bolt shear or rack breakage (I've had both). Just ask someone to ride behind you & tell you what they see. Even securing the rack to the fender didn't work as the rack bolts sheared off and the rack bounced so badly it caused my rear brake light to smash. Beefy rear rack needed for me. Until then, check the bolts regularly and change them out at the first sign of wear.

Over 22,000 km's on my Terra so far and plenty of dirt in the mix. These are only minor complaints compared to the sheer joy of riding this bike.

 

[hasenpfeffer]

Just out of interest. Under the tail of the Terra is this plastic piece, which I have seen referred to as "the secret compartment" which doesn't appear to do anything except possibly reinforce the tail section of the bike around the point where these have been prone to braking. I'd be interested to know whether the bikes which have suffered fractured tails have this part installed, or whether this was an improvement which was introduced after the production run had commenced.

I was wondering a somewhat similar thing. The rear-most screw that holds that vented plastic (secret compartment) to the rear fender has a nut that can easily turn on you when tightening. If this nut turns, then it seemed to me that the vented plastic was not doing nearly as good a job of helping strengthen the fender. I was wondering if broken fenders had this nut turned out of place. I think the boat anchor license plate holder would still be too much even with the vented plastic correctly attached, so this theory is really only for broken fenders without the boat anchor.

 

[William Clark]

Just out of interest. Under the tail of the Terra is this plastic piece, which I have seen referred to as "the secret compartment" which doesn't appear to do anything except possibly reinforce the tail section of the bike around the point where these have been prone to braking. I'd be interested to know whether the bikes which have suffered fractured tails have this part installed, or whether this was an improvement which was introduced after the production run had commenced.

yup mine has that part. still broke. but with the rack to fender brace i put in it is solid now.

 

[Coffee]

Every TR650 I've seen has a 'secret compartment' so to speak. While obviously that does not mean a lot, I've seen several TR650s.

 

[MadDogTR]

FWIW... My rear fender broke and it never had the metal license plate holder fitted and it does have the hidden compartment. It's unlikely to break when you're on the road but off-road is a different matter. In my case, the fender to frame attach points broke (under the rear side plastics) causing the fender to become loose & bouncy and increase the damage. If I get a new rear fender then I will reinforce these fender to frame joining points and really doubt I would have fender breakage problems after that.
I am curious to know if anyone had a broken fender where these fender to frame joins remained unbroken.
The main problem with the stock rack is the bouncing around it does, causing the mounting bolts to vibrate loose, causing more vibration & movement in the rack. Ultimately this leads to bolt shear or rack breakage (I've had both). Just ask someone to ride behind you & tell you what they see. Even securing the rack to the fender didn't work as the rack bolts sheared off and the rack bounced so badly it caused my rear brake light to smash. Beefy rear rack needed for me. Until then, check the bolts regularly and change them out at the first sign of wear.
Over 22,000 km's on my Terra so far and plenty of dirt in the mix. These are only minor complaints compared to the sheer joy of riding this bike.

The TCI rack should address the fender breakage and weak rack syndrome. Not sure what shipping to Australia would be though.

 

[Scutler]

Just ordered a Tail Tidy. Hopefully it fits