Fender Eliminator fiasco!!

[FB400]

Since 2010 I have the popular Ebay 3679Larry fender eliminator kit. I did probably 25,000 miles with it. I have been very happy with it.

Until Sunday. The rear tire must have caught it and bent it so badly it broke off the bracket and scraped against the tire. I rode it a short while maybe 1.25 miles. My license plate is now illegible. I am actually lucky it didn't rip out all the wires (directionals, hyper lites and license plate lights) - they survived ok.

So I began to think what caused this and how to avoid again?
some theories
- Roads here suck and are especially bad in the past 2 years. Really bad road defects that resemble fricken speed bumps in the left lane of major highways. Lately I have gotten lazy and have not lifted my weight off of the seat. I had actually done this many times this season.
-The rear shock is going bad? I had it set at a pre-set of 5
-I gained weight and the suspension cannot handle the weight.

Besides being a safety issue I am kind of bummed out I have to replace everything. Wanting to continue with the stock signals I went and ordered a replacement FE kit. Tomorrow I have to enter the DMV pergatory to get a new plate.

Anyone with suggestions? I already set the shock preset as high as it can go at 7

 

[Erci]

Ah yes.. I remember seeing that particular FE get sucked into the tire.

#1 must absolutely make sure that there's a 5" clearance between the bottom of the plate and the top of the tire. You have to be a bit creative with this measurement, as the tire doesn't travel straight up.. so you'll have to account for the angle of the travel.

Not much more to it than that, really. If the clearance isn't quite there.. bend the plate up slightly.

 

[FinalImpact]

As far as initiating event, a tiny bend in the plate can be enough to get it sucked in. Once it gets a taste its bye bye plate and in your case, TT with it!

Not sure what exhaust you have but might I suggest a shameless plug towards a used Evotech TT in the FS section!! :thumbup:

Seller is a Good Guy! :ban:

 

[beatle]

Good question. I have the same bracket and have had no issues the past year I've had it on. I have a set of Scorpion cans, though I can't say for sure how they affect the placement of the bracket and the plate.

I'm about 170 without gear, and I also have my preload set at 5. Bike has 19k on it.

 

[aclayonb]

Mine has been mangled by the tire more than once. Plate is worse for wear but still functional. I just had to bend it out a bit. It's a "bit" less readable from a trailing cops point of view but still does the job. As long as it doesn't cut my tire, I'm happy.

 

[motojoe122]

I've had mine for almost 3 years now with no issues at all, even 2 up with my wife. I guess get a stiffer spring or Newer shock.

 

[FB400]

I ordered the same FE from Ebay because I like it.

Looking at the mounting point I will see if I can bolt it to the top of that cross member versus bolting to the bottom point. I will use a spacer. Maybe it gains me 1/2" to 5/8" of extra clearance figuring it cannot hurt.

Just spent an hour waiting at the DMV for a new plate. Glad I had a signal and earbuds so it wasn't that bad.

It seems suspect that all of a sudden I have this happen after having this FE for 4 years. I think possibly will look into getting a stiffer shock