my preference is to have a front fender. i actually installed an extension to my rd350b fender. i just don't want all the road debris or water up into my engine etc.. i think the fender bracket is a fork brace also.
would like to hear plus and minuses on fenders.
thanks,
I don't want water sprayed into my face, but if for some reason I did would at least have a brace.
A fender is needed to tie the front end together and provide stability. And it looks real dorky without it.
My first bike was a '69 Triumph with hardtail and 12" over springer front end. A great looking bike and ran pretty good (for a Triumph). But I learned early that riding it on a wet road pumped water under the faceshield up my nose!
My 75 350 has a 400 fender on it that is pretty junkie. I spent a good amount of time trying to find a reasonable fender to replace but did not want chrome. Thought about cutting some length off, sanding chrome down, filling dents, etc. But it's to beat up. Bought a cheapo one off ebay, nah. Here's what I found out being a newb and all. The stock front fender has somewhat of an integrated fork brace, a lot of aftermarket fenders don't. I cut out the brace and will graft a fender to it once I pick one out in hopes that it meets my needs.
To each their own.
Oh, and I will never ride this bike in the rain.
thanks for the feedback. i know my 75 rd350 fender mount is much more solid and thicker than the 400.
ive tried a few w out a fender, always regret it and wind up putting one on. IF you go with aplastic of fiberglass one, you def should brace the forks.
I added one onto the lightweight bike, especially after getting caught in the rain a few years ago in the mts. Mine is a hand wheeled titanium mini one with a tube brace i fabricated and def ties the front end together.
I guess the only drawback to the stock RD 350 front fender, is that it is quite heavy, and all that is unsprung weight. A fiberglass cafe fender, plus an alloy fork brace is quite a bit lighter.