Ducati Monster Forum

I removed the front fender on my S2R1000.  I like the look.   [evil]

Other than the obvious rain issue... considering this is probably my summer mod, what issues will have have with grit in my face, sand in the airbox etc?  Anyone ride around with an open airbox and no fender?

I lost my camara, pictures to follow:

when i removed mine to have it painted a while back, i thought it looked really good that way also. i had the same sort of questions about what the negatives would be, or rather, how much road dirt, rocks, water, etc would be kicked up into the bike and/or my face. i have an 02 s4 so i do have a radiator guard but i was still never brave enough to ride without the front fender. and i was too lazy to ask this forum if anyone else had ridden without it before.

if you do ride without it, please let me know what happens because i agree, the front end looks a lot better minus the fender.
my 3cents

I rode sans front fender for a while, it wasn't bad but the gravel in omaha was horrible I put it back on to save the frame from a sand blasting.

There was another thread somewhere about this. There were enough negatives that I was convinced I should NOT take mine off. If anything, I would switch to a carbon front fender....

I've ridden with mine off for a while, but keep it for asthetic value. In my experience the dirt/sand/grime doesn't bother the rider much, the horizontal cylinder takes the brunt of most of the extra drit and debris.

I like mine with out. However, I should say that if you decide to keep it off, find a way to protect the forks, specially if where you ride there is gravel.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/2485135918_a2e37f1f1b.jpg?v=0)

juan,
what have you done to protect the forks? i just noticed you did not have the front fender today. how much riding have you done without it?
thanks

I rode without one for about 3K miles before the accident, never had a problem here in Phx...

I like the look minus fender, but I'd imagine the biggest potential issue is rocks pinging off your fork sliders...

OK here are a couple shots with the fender gone.  I like it.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2147/2544504008_a4845c78d1.jpg?v=0)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/2544493270_ecf90e96e7.jpg?v=0)

cool beans, man!  [thumbsup]

Nothing..  :( at all..!!  but there are options. the most expensive is the carbon fiver parts of the Hypermotard..!! You can also cut the pieces of your stock fender if you are not going to use it any more, and I know they sell come fabric like sox for this things.

teddy037.2 what a sweet looking bike.   [thumbsup]  I really like those polish heathers and pipes.

Another function of the front mud guard is to prevent the brake cables from interfering with the spinning front tire.

fixed  ;) my bike isn't nearly as pretty

     thanks...

Well have put a hundred or so miles on it without the fender and I haven't notices and grit or problems with the forks. 


     I don't think this is a problem either as you can set the distance away from the tire with the banjo fitting nut.

I wonder if anyone has explored trimming the front part off the fender, and leaving the rear and fork attachment portion to guard the forks and the oil cooler from debris kicked up by the front tire. I have heard that the superbike style fenders are the only ones that offer the fork tubes any real protection.

Fact is the stock fender doesn't do dick to protect the fork sliders. That's why I had to spend hundreds rechroming mine :'(

If you want protection you go with SS or SBK style fenders in which the mounts cover the sliders. If you want the nakid look, motard style guards or fabric slider covers are your best bet. If you're not going to do a replacement fender or guards, you may as well go au naturel 'cause your forks are at risk anyway ;)

ive put a few miles on without the front fender....havent noticed much of anything, except that it looks cooler  [thumbsup] but if the roads are wet or i think it could possibly rain i usually put that sucker back on there.

heh...last night as i was wandering my garage I wondered aboot the fender and took it off.
then I see this thread...great minds, man...great frikken minds.

Front fender does nothing to keep my brake lines from hitting the tire. Maybe on the older models that have the brake line that goes over the tire...

i've ridden with no front fender for +6000miles.  no problems. some spray when streets are wet but you're getting wet anyways....

I don't know whether it's enforced much but in some places it is a legal requirement.  /shrug

I have been stop by the police for the angle on my license plate, but never for my lack of front fender. Interesting point however.

Made me think of this song and thought I'd share. See here;

Nevermind - didn't work. Was thinking of that N.W.A. song. Yeah that one!

Here is another shot without the fender....  I really like the look.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2543633351_8a87100808.jpg?v=0)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3078/2543654377_2fce53d4a2.jpg?v=0)

Or try chopping it short,looks awesome too!

Yeah....whatever [roll]

I agree that it looks good, but when you come on the board with blown fork seals and pitted sliders asking us how to get back on the road for less than $1k...I'm not gonna have a lot to say :-\

I guess then it will be time to gut the forks and put ohlins inside.  Do any of you really know of anyone that has blown the seals and pitted the sliders?

I did it like this: See pic. In this way the forks are protected. It gives the front also a kind of muscular look, I think. Have made fenders (lower triple and above oilcooler) to protect the POD-filters. Marcel

(http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll286/StradaleNuda/28b.jpg)

Yes. Me :(

Wanted to switch the stock one out;

Naked
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/2568320315_34549494e4.jpg)
Stock
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/2569146584_126793ca42.jpg)
Fashizzle [evil]
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2197/2568321181_7f60d4b0de.jpg)

wish the pics in this thread still worked :/

Juan, What make belly pan is that and where did you get it? Really sharp! I don't like the way the coolers look hanging out there all alone.

Someone on the other forum had fabbed up some aluminum slider protectors for his sport classic.  I can't remember, he may have even been offering to produce some for those who wanted to purchase.  Not sure if they'd be a direct fit, but they didn't seem too difficult to fabricate.

I like the sans front fender look, that plus a tail chop makes a modern bobber IMO. 

My old bike had a nick in the fork and weeped a little when I sold it, no thanks.  I went with a SBK fender on mine just to protect the fork legs.  I had considered the neoprene socks for the slider but I like the look of the SBK fender better anyway.

Only downside, the SBK fender is shorter in the back and I think the engine gets more spray in the rain.

Scott

i recently saw a ducati stunt team video at Ducati Seattle, and one of the guys was riding a 696 sans front fender, and it also looked sick. i would worry about my engine, oil cooler etc. not necessarily my forks, but good point.

I removed mine for ages ,
really liked the look but in the rain  [puke]
The only solution in the rain I found was to go faster [evil] that way the spray was blown more horizontally
and didn't hit me in the face.
I folded and put one back on but what I did was picked up a black used one for cheap used the original as a curve template and cut off a little of the fender in front and behind near the struts, fine sanded and re-sprayed.
Looks better IMO in a subtle way.
Sorry for the cr@p image
(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff57/ohana181/P2130589.jpg)

Looks really nice shortened like that.

Desmo Times sells seal savers $27, under the modication section.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/ducati-motorcycles/gt-1000/fork-guards/ (http://www.webbikeworld.com/ducati-motorcycles/gt-1000/fork-guards/)

(http://www.webbikeworld.com/ducati-motorcycles/gt-1000/fork-guards/gt-1000-fork-guards.jpg)

I had gotten CF fork guards that were designed for the sport classic from here: http://www.carbonfiberman.com/ (http://www.carbonfiberman.com/) (the site seems to be down now though).
I also installed the DP CF "Diversion" Front Fender.  I had to shave a little off both with a dremel to get them both to work together but the fork guards could be used without the fender.

(http://i690.photobucket.com/albums/vv270/drkmojo/Moto%20December%202009/DSC00472.jpg)

I'd vote for the CF guards over the Seal Savers.  You have to remove the forks from the triples to get the Seal Savers on.  Kind of a pain.  When I was into mountain biking many years ago there was a company called Lizard Skins.  They made protectors for forks, shock, chain stays, etc.  They were thin neoprene with a velcro closure.  Super easy to put on, stayed in place well.  I'd like to see those for motorbikes.

Scott