Mudguards

redbloke1956

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Hi to all, I recently purchased some brand new guards for my C Comet, my front forks are still in pieces but I am trying to prepare the new guards for fitment, I have noticed that the new guards are considerably longer and wider than the guards I removed, so I guess what I am after is some dimensions if they are available. I am attacking only the front guard at the moment so:
I need overall width, distance from the holes in the front stay to the front guard lip and distance from the lower guard stay holes to the lower guard lip.

I understand that I am likely to get a number of different responses, but with only the existing guard and the new guard I don't know which is correct.
I also don't know if I am supposed to "fettle" a new guard or if it is made to an original pattern/size
Any help in this matter would be appreciated.

Kevin
 

Rapide Jan

New Forum User
VOC Member
Hi Kevin,

I had the same problems with my Rapide. You can squeeze the square section of the Mudguards by hand so the radius of the section will get smaller and the overall radius too. The Mudguards are so soft, that it is really easy to do this operation by hand, and the mudguard can be adjusted to the length of the stays.

Regards from sunny Spain

Jan
 

redbloke1956

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Non-VOC Member
Hi Kevin,

I had the same problems with my Rapide. You can squeeze the square section of the Mudguards by hand so the radius of the section will get smaller and the overall radius too. The Mudguards are so soft, that it is really easy to do this operation by hand, and the mudguard can be adjusted to the length of the stays.

Regards from sunny Spain

Jan


Thanks Jan.

Regards From sunnier Queensland :)
Kevin
 

sidmadrid

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
EGM Stevens' Know Thy Beast goes into some detail about mudguards, their dimentions and fitting.
 

davidd

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Kevin,

I take it that "new" means there are no holes drilled in the mudguards. I cannot give you the numbers you are looking for, but you will need the valanced mudguard stays which are FT136/1AS (short) and FT137/1AS (long). Once the forks are together and the stays are mounted, test the mudguard fit for best contact at the three mounting points. You may have to squeeze or widen the mudguard so that it contacts all three points at once as Jan mentioned. If the short and long stays are somewhere near the stock mounting position, that is probably the best you can do. Once you have gotten the fore and aft positioning of the stays, then mount the front wheel and check that the front and rear of the guards are centered on the tire. They usually twist so the top is to one side and the rear is to the other. Once you have adjust it as best you can mark and drill.

I usually mount pre-drilled mudguards. I often have to weld up the holes and re-drill. I usually make my own stays so I can fudge the tab mounting and I can sometimes get away with using the pre-drilled holes.

David
 

chankly bore

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Apart from all the other good information above, please ensure that the guard will not, even under extreme provocation, contact the magneto cowl or the exhaust pipe. This is best checked with the springs out of the Girdraulics. It seems the best appearance is with a 20 or 21" tyre, the aim being a radius concentric to the tyre. This may involve "cheating" by slightly spacing the fit of the FF68 brackets if you have to. By the way, these should have special washers 477 and 5/16" B.S.F. bolts and nuts. In lieu of the washers you could install a drilled plate up under the guard. As an observation, the Spares drawings show the bolts head uppermost on the Girdraulics and arsy-tarsy on the Bramptons.
 

Albervin

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
When I am fitting new 'guards I place some folded towels around the wheel and tyre to get a nice uniform gap between tyre and 'guard. You can use anything you like of course but I use 3 points (9 0'clock, 12 and 3) to get a nice even radius. Fit the stays to the forks and carefully adjust so they are at about right. Use paper masking tape to prevent scratching the alloy. When you are satisfied with the position just mark the holes with a felt tip pen. The masking tape also helps stop the drill bit from wandering. I always use a slightly undersize bit and finish with a round file.It is a one man job for the front but I like to enlist another pair of hands for the rear.
 

redbloke1956

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
When I am fitting new 'guards I place some folded towels around the wheel and tyre to get a nice uniform gap between tyre and 'guard. You can use anything you like of course but I use 3 points (9 0'clock, 12 and 3) to get a nice even radius. Fit the stays to the forks and carefully adjust so they are at about right. Use paper masking tape to prevent scratching the alloy. When you are satisfied with the position just mark the holes with a felt tip pen. The masking tape also helps stop the drill bit from wandering. I always use a slightly undersize bit and finish with a round file.It is a one man job for the front but I like to enlist another pair of hands for the rear.
Thanks for the tips mate, much appreciated
Kevin
 
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