[kawasquid]

Hi all, I won't beat around the bush, I can't stand the stock rear fender. I am not one for modification but that protruding "thing" looks plain horrible to me thus I am considering a fender eliminator "kit", which would make the rear look much smoother and sleek (again, to me). Here are two quick questions:


1.Would I get a lot of water splashed onto my back from the back wheel spinning, without the stock fender?
2.Would a rear wheel splash guard fix the problem? I never had one installed on any of my bikes so I don't quite know whether they work or not...


Thank you guys,


Ride on!




Reference pictures:


Fender eliminator kit I'mconsidering.

Random splash guard of the kind I would like:

 

[jimlowe]

www.rg-racing.com/browsebike/Kawasaki/Z650/2017/LP0214BK/#
I have fitted this plug and play

 

[kawasquid]

www.rg-racing.com/browsebike/Kawasaki/Z650/2017/LP0214BK/#
I have fitted this plug and play

And, do you get water splashed onto your back (aka rooster tail)?

 

[jimlowe]

At the age of 72 I try to avoid the rain

 

[Jadar671]

yes you get wet in the rain from water kicking up. the splash guard you show may work and doesn't look that bad let us know if you try that. this is the fender eliminator I have it uses all the stock lights/directionals and screws easy to install in about an hour..
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...fix=z650+fender+el,aps,150&crid=26YXVYFU8NRPP

 

[kawasquid]

yes you get wet in the rain from water kicking up. the splash guard you show may work and doesn't look that bad let us know if you try that. this is the fender eliminator I have it uses all the stock lights/directionals and screws easy to install in about an hour..
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...fix=z650+fender+el,aps,150&crid=26YXVYFU8NRPP

Yeah, it's one of those I was looking at, thanks man.


About the splash guard, I dunno. I couldn't find much info (or, I found vague and contrasting info) about its actual functionality on the internet, and I'm starting to suspect it's more of a novelty/fancy (someone might like the look of that, I guess?) mod than a functional one.


Unfortunately, they come pretty expensive for a silly piece of plastic, so I'd rather have confirmation as to its actual utility, BEFORE I went and wasted my money on one.


Then again, I've read on different boards that even the stock fender doesn't do much in terms of keeping the water from splashing onto my back... (the more reason to remove it then, as it's not only unbearably ugly, but also useless?)


Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

 

[Tremonte]

Pick up a Vagabond Eliminator. They look great, saves some cash, and will reuse the factory lighting.

https://amzn.to/2OakGTh

You will get your back wet with the stock fender, no matter what. You will get even more wet with it off. The lower guard will stop some of it, but not all. Make sure to keep a rain-proof jacket liner under your seat if you suspect rain. That's what I do, and nothing keeps your drier than that!

 

[kawasquid]

Pick up a Vagabond Eliminator. They look great, saves some cash, and will reuse the factory lighting.

https://amzn.to/2OakGTh

You will get your back wet with the stock fender, no matter what. You will get even more wet with it off. The lower guard will stop some of it, but not all. Make sure to keep a rain-proof jacket liner under your seat if you suspect rain. That's what I do, and nothing keeps your drier than that!

Oh, thanks Tremonte. I watched your how-to-install video some weeks ago, pretty easy to follow even for a mechanically-impaired guy like me.


I forgot to specify but yeah, I would be wearing waterproofs in any case, so that's not an issue. I suppose since you guys can confirm that even the stock fender doesn't really do its job, and since it looks unbearable ugly, I might as well get the eliminator and then, maybe, the lower splash-guard.


Thanks all for your input. I'll probably update everyone on how it works out, in due time.

 

[1952paul0]

Pick up a Vagabond Eliminator. They look great, saves some cash, and will reuse the factory lighting.

https://amzn.to/2OakGTh

You will get your back wet with the stock fender, no matter what. You will get even more wet with it off. The lower guard will stop some of it, but not all. Make sure to keep a rain-proof jacket liner under your seat if you suspect rain. That's what I do, and nothing keeps your drier than that!

And there`s all that crap covering your suspension, I would guess.