Hi folks!
This will be my first post on this here forum. I would like to thank TWTEX.com for furnishing a lot of great information to us Bandito owners, and am obliged to contribute with this DIY Tail Kit I figured out whilst perusing the aisles of Lowes Hardware.
I am hoping the photos will paint a cohesive picture of how this was done, as I am not gifted at splainin' processes well. Let it be known that not one bit of this project was measured professionally (which'll bother some of y'all I am certain). I eyeballed every aspect, which I find a lil more artful and creative.
I went to Lowes Hardware and picked up the following items:
1. 6x24" 16 gauge Steel Sheet (for welding) $10
2. 8pcs of 1/4-20 x 1" Machine Screws $4.85
You will need the following tools:
1. Drill with metal bit
2. Box cutter
3. Sander (oscillating type or belt sander... doesnt matter)
4. Jigsaw (w/thin metal blade)
Thats it!
First, I went ahead and man-handled the fender with the box cutter. I cut off every item that didn't sit flush with the rear fender's profile. Next, I sanded down all the ridges left over from the roughly cut plastic, until the lines were congruent with the rear fairing. Next I removed the rear fairing, held up the sheet metal to the empty space, and located and marked my fastening points with a Sharpie Pen. All I did to measure the amount of sheet I needed to cover the empty hole I made in the fender, was hold it up as even as I could, and pinch it to where it looked aesthetically pleasing. I made a quick mental note of where I needed to cut the steel sheet, and then cut off the portion I needed. I then drilled the holes where the corresponding Sharpie marks were made, and loosely fastened the sheet of metal to the bottom of the fender. It already set in there nice and flush due to the sanding I did earlier. I then took the Sharpie and wedged it in along the sides of the fender, and followed it, leaving a curved black line down each side. I removed the steel sheet and then cut off the the 2 areas that were marked for removal. This time I took an Extra Wide Sharpie (I don't work for Sharpie) and applied a liberal amount only to the area of the fender that actually makes contact with the steel sheet. I pressed the sheet up tightly, with the screws in, and made a black impression/outline from the wet ink I outlined on the edges of the hole in the fender. It made a good guideline for what I was about to embark on next...
... Pounding the crap out of the edges, to give a nice mild curvature to the edges of the steel sheet. This may appeal to some of y'all. I applied what I'd seen Jesse James and the Teutuls do many a time on TV. I've never tried this before, but it worked out well for contouring the edges of the metal sheet. I used a 4x4 wood beam standing straight up to pound out the edges of the sheet, and held it up to the fender about 4 or 5 times until it was aesthetically pleasing to my eye. Once I liked it, I sanded down all of the sharp nasty edges until soft to the touch, and fastened it to the fender, covering the hole.
This is where I took the one salvaged item from the monstrosity that once held my tiny license plate in suspension, the actual black painted metal lic plate holder, and moved it around until I liked where it sat. I then cut off another 6" (or so... never measured) piece of steel sheet and gave about a 40 degree bend, by the using the "pound the crapolla out of it" method I employed earlier. Held it up and lined it up with the ol' eyeball. Marked holes to be drilled w/ Sharpie (sniffed the Sharpie a few times before capping it off). I the used the salvaged lic plate holder to line it up and marked to holes to be drilled with the Sharpie, onto the piece with the 40 degree bend. After drilling everything out, I mounted it all up, reinstalled the rear fairing and seat, and sat around the garage admiring my work, while playing "Back in Black" on my mini acoustic.... this dragged on for about an hour.
So, I thought I'd share this little DIY Tail Tidy production with all of you, since I didn't seem to find any specific toots out there for us Bandit lovers. It cost exactly $15.06, and took around 2.5 hours to create. Lots of AC/DC on Pandora in the background for some reason. I still have to pop a 1" hole through it to install a new LED lic plate light. I could easily use the old stock light, but am trying to streamline the electrical, and not use up all the new space I created under the seat. Cutting all that old junk out made a lot of new real estate back there. Anyways, I hope some of you found this useful and easy to follow. Like anything else, this mod will go through a few more refinements before I am completely satisfied with it. And ultimately painted Black.
Thanks for checking this out, and lemme know if you have any suggestions to add.
-PeterTorque
.
This will be my first post on this here forum. I would like to thank TWTEX.com for furnishing a lot of great information to us Bandito owners, and am obliged to contribute with this DIY Tail Kit I figured out whilst perusing the aisles of Lowes Hardware.
I am hoping the photos will paint a cohesive picture of how this was done, as I am not gifted at splainin' processes well. Let it be known that not one bit of this project was measured professionally (which'll bother some of y'all I am certain). I eyeballed every aspect, which I find a lil more artful and creative.
I went to Lowes Hardware and picked up the following items:
1. 6x24" 16 gauge Steel Sheet (for welding) $10
2. 8pcs of 1/4-20 x 1" Machine Screws $4.85
You will need the following tools:
1. Drill with metal bit
2. Box cutter
3. Sander (oscillating type or belt sander... doesnt matter)
4. Jigsaw (w/thin metal blade)
Thats it!
First, I went ahead and man-handled the fender with the box cutter. I cut off every item that didn't sit flush with the rear fender's profile. Next, I sanded down all the ridges left over from the roughly cut plastic, until the lines were congruent with the rear fairing. Next I removed the rear fairing, held up the sheet metal to the empty space, and located and marked my fastening points with a Sharpie Pen. All I did to measure the amount of sheet I needed to cover the empty hole I made in the fender, was hold it up as even as I could, and pinch it to where it looked aesthetically pleasing. I made a quick mental note of where I needed to cut the steel sheet, and then cut off the portion I needed. I then drilled the holes where the corresponding Sharpie marks were made, and loosely fastened the sheet of metal to the bottom of the fender. It already set in there nice and flush due to the sanding I did earlier. I then took the Sharpie and wedged it in along the sides of the fender, and followed it, leaving a curved black line down each side. I removed the steel sheet and then cut off the the 2 areas that were marked for removal. This time I took an Extra Wide Sharpie (I don't work for Sharpie) and applied a liberal amount only to the area of the fender that actually makes contact with the steel sheet. I pressed the sheet up tightly, with the screws in, and made a black impression/outline from the wet ink I outlined on the edges of the hole in the fender. It made a good guideline for what I was about to embark on next...
... Pounding the crap out of the edges, to give a nice mild curvature to the edges of the steel sheet. This may appeal to some of y'all. I applied what I'd seen Jesse James and the Teutuls do many a time on TV. I've never tried this before, but it worked out well for contouring the edges of the metal sheet. I used a 4x4 wood beam standing straight up to pound out the edges of the sheet, and held it up to the fender about 4 or 5 times until it was aesthetically pleasing to my eye. Once I liked it, I sanded down all of the sharp nasty edges until soft to the touch, and fastened it to the fender, covering the hole.
This is where I took the one salvaged item from the monstrosity that once held my tiny license plate in suspension, the actual black painted metal lic plate holder, and moved it around until I liked where it sat. I then cut off another 6" (or so... never measured) piece of steel sheet and gave about a 40 degree bend, by the using the "pound the crapolla out of it" method I employed earlier. Held it up and lined it up with the ol' eyeball. Marked holes to be drilled w/ Sharpie (sniffed the Sharpie a few times before capping it off). I the used the salvaged lic plate holder to line it up and marked to holes to be drilled with the Sharpie, onto the piece with the 40 degree bend. After drilling everything out, I mounted it all up, reinstalled the rear fairing and seat, and sat around the garage admiring my work, while playing "Back in Black" on my mini acoustic.... this dragged on for about an hour.
So, I thought I'd share this little DIY Tail Tidy production with all of you, since I didn't seem to find any specific toots out there for us Bandit lovers. It cost exactly $15.06, and took around 2.5 hours to create. Lots of AC/DC on Pandora in the background for some reason. I still have to pop a 1" hole through it to install a new LED lic plate light. I could easily use the old stock light, but am trying to streamline the electrical, and not use up all the new space I created under the seat. Cutting all that old junk out made a lot of new real estate back there. Anyways, I hope some of you found this useful and easy to follow. Like anything else, this mod will go through a few more refinements before I am completely satisfied with it. And ultimately painted Black.
Thanks for checking this out, and lemme know if you have any suggestions to add.
-PeterTorque
.
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