KX 60 conversion fender

[86T3]

After a year and a half of trying to get this fender i finally got the deal done and have them in my possession. I think these are the same as the fenders in this article. (courtesy of Dcreel)


If anyone has any ideas other than this let me know.

Also, i plan on making a mold from these and selling fenders so that people can build new trikes and the ones with existing ones can run them without worry of ruining their originals. If anyone has any advice on making a mold i'm all ears.




Sitting next to 86-7 rear for perspective

Sitting on my KX60

[Eric250R]

If you don't have the ability to make a mold yourself, contact DCplastics, they are usually willing to make anything.

[big specht]

I second the idea on making a mold I would like to make one, one of these days.

[nstyle73]

I might as well jump on the bandwagon too, my oldest is only 4, so I have a couple years to get this going.

[loizl]

as you can See in my thread i'm really in Need of One of These fenders http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...+60+conversion

[oile]

If you get this started I'll take one also

[jr315rn]

nice to see someone from western ny . i really like the idea of having a new trike, wish there was a kit i could buy

[El Camexican]

Also, i plan on making a mold from these and selling fenders so that people can build new trikes and the ones with existing ones can run them without worry of ruining their originals. If anyone has any advice on making a mold i'm all ears.

I assume you are talking fiberglass and not plastic?

If so it’s not that hard, just messy as all heck. I haven’t done anything like it for over 25 years and I was always the helper on really big projects like car hoods and boat hulls, but it starts off with applying a special wax to the good fenders and covering them with fiberglass cloth leaving a little extra hanging over the edges then popping the fender out of the “mold” when it has cured and repairing any defects that may have transferred from the original fenders.

Once that is done you have your mold and you have options like applying colored gel coat before laying in the glass for a new fender, or spraying it in with a chopper gun. I’ve only used the gun to spray gel coat, never the glass. I hear it’s weaker than cloth, but a lot easier to do. If you do go with get coat you can put it on thick and wet sand it to perfection, or you can just use black and paint it after using Bondo for any imperfections.

Keep in mind that if you have a part like say a circle to exaggerate the point, you have to make it in two halves and glass it together afterwards otherwise it will be trapped in the mold. From what I can see in the photos the rear fender looks ok to make in one piece. You can also install an air valve to “pop” larger parts out of the mold.

I can’t stress enough how dirty and unhealthy the process is. You’ll want to do it in a dedicated shop and you will need industrial supply products, not that do-it-yourself AutoZone stuff. Fiberglass resin uses catalysts that are very sensitive to temperature and humidity. If you aren’t skilled with mixing for conditions you can make a real mess and if you don’t buy them in bulk the cost will be prohibitive.

Even with my experience with glass (about three years of boat repair) I’d take the fender to a local boat repair shop and ask them for a quote on a mold and a per piece quote simply because I don’t want that mess in my shop or home. The money you save on not having to buy things like super expensive scissors, cutting discs, 45gal. drums of resin and a 5 gal. buckets of Acetone should more than cover the labor costs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibergl...lay-up_process

[oldskool83]

get a mold made!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[3 Wheel Drive]

Id be in for one, id like to build a kx80 myself.

[86T3]

Wow, lots of interest in this. Thats great, we need to get more little kawi s out there beating 70s. Two things i forgot to mention in the first post. Im definitely going to reproduce this because i need to make a couple for myself. It litterally took me years to find this so i could never just put it on a trike and ride it in good conscience. The other was that i was planning on making it out of fiberglass. This one is fiberglass and i figured that was the only way to do it. I think i will contact DC plastic and see if they can help. Ill keep this thread updated as stuff happens. Thanks for the ideas fellas

[loizl]

I think DC only can do small items like front fenders and shrouds. Any news on this?

[86T3]

I talked to some people and there s a local place that could do it. Im going to go talk to them when work slows down. I decided that im definitely not making a mold and making them myself, way more involved than i thought.

[El Camexican]

I talked to some people and there s a local place that could do it. Im going to go talk to them when work slows down. I decided that im definitely not making a mold and making them myself, way more involved than i thought.

A very wise choice.

There are two companies you might want to talk to. Beasley and FRP. Both make fiberglass motorcycle bodies

[loizl]

Sorry for being so impatient but Is there any update on this?