correct front fender

[s38310]

Hello to all, gorgeous day hear in Virginia Beach and its bike week. Lots of beautiful bikes. Anyway my question concerns the correct fender for a 79 special. I bought my bike last year and the fender looks incorrect. It rides about 1/4 inch from the tire in front with about 1 inch clearance in the back. If I remember I actually slotted the mounting bolts to try and get the clearance back and front even. What really got my curiosity was when I mounted the TKAT front brace last year and had to slide it up higher than where I thought it should go on the fork. Yes I did order the higher version with the riser for the special. I remember comparing the fender to some xs650 fenders I used to have and they were real close but would not quite fit. Does anybody know if a regular 1100 fender will fit on special forks and give these problems I have? My tank/ fenders/side cover were painted a custom color and I am getting ready to mix some paint to redo a spare set of rims so would like to get a correct fender painted at the same time if this will solve my clearance issues. Sorry for the long post. Thanks, Craig

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Craig,

When I put a new tire on my Special, I found that the clearance on the front end was also very minimal vs. the rear/bottom!! And with a high speed run, my tire expanded circumferentially and actually caused a rub and burn against the inside of the fender messing up my new paint job. I, too, had to dremmel the mounting holes in the fender a bit to allow a bit more clearance on the front end! And my fender was the OEM! I know I didn't put the forks on backwards!!! The newer tires must have a slightly higher/taller profile which put it closer to the fender. I think the lower front is for aerodynamics!?!?

But folks, he's only kidding about nice weather, front rolled in and have had clouds and rain, will continue for most of the weekend and into next week! Did the same for Bike week last year IIRC.!!

[rover]

The fenders on the special and standard are different, due to the fact that the special has the axle in front of the fork sliders, and the standard has the axle at the bottom of the sliders. Both of the above posts tell me that you have a standard fender mounted on a special. The XS650 fender you described is the same as the XS11 STANDARD fender, all of the holes in the brackets are the same. If they are mounted on a special, the front will drag on the tire, and the back will have excessive clearance. You will need a fender from a special, cause the mounting brackets and the holes in them are located farther to the front than the one on the standard or the 650.

[s38310]

Thanks for the info. Today I took off the fender and repositioned the fork brace where it sits against the top of the fork like its designed for. I then set the fender on top of the tire and saw that it could fit but the bracket geometry is off. Like you said rover, different axle settings. I think I will try cutting a pie slice out of the current bracket and welding it back together and then repainting after the sanding is done. If all else fails I can eventualy get another to repaint.

[rover]

There are some special fenders on ebay. Type ebay motors in the search engine. Then click on motorcycles under the parts area. Then select Yamaha. When you get that page, type in xs 1100 in ebay's search. A few days ago, there were at least two in there. You have to register on ebay to bid on them. I have an 81 midnight special parts bike, but, unfortunately, the front fender was gone before I got the bike. Good luck with your project.

[rover]

I just checked ebay, and the only one I can find that I know is for a special is on a parts bike. Type 7901371078 in ebay's search and send the seller a message asking about the fender. He just might sell it to you. It doesn't appear to have any major dents in it. There is another one there, but I can't say if it is from a standard or special. Also check out MotorbikeToronto.com. They might have one also

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Rover,

What you say makes sense, and even more now that I've jogged my feeble memory!! I did have a front end wreck way back in '86 and had to have my front fork uppers and one lower replaced, and possibly my fender, but it was done by the dealer, and they could have put a Standard fender on instead of a Special!?

Oh well, it's on there now, I'll keep it! T.C.

[webbcraft2150]

If you are interested, I have two perfect fenders for a 79 special. EM if you want them.