Hi. I have a slimline front mudguard that has a large V-shaped crease right across the rear face where it has come into heavy contact with the edge of the engine plate cover. I’m no metalworker so I don’t know if such damage can actually be repaired. Does anyone have any ideas on how to go about this please? Is it something a car repair shop would be able to fix?
Thanks
Regards
Tony
Panel Beater
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How has that happened? If…
How has that happened? If the guard can hit the engine plate on full bounce, I'm sorry to say that the front of the bike has probably taken a knock and the forks pushed back by bending the frame...unless (and this is a guess) can this take place with sidecar fork clips?
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Hi. Good call Bob - I’ve…
Hi. Good call Bob - I’ve found a local company that specialises in restoring classic Aston Martins. They do a lot of abused bodywork repair so they’ve agreed to take a look at the mudguard. David, your comment about a potentially bent frame is worrying. It did surprise me that the mudguard could hit the engine plate cover. As you say, the forks (in theory) should be able to fully compress without the mudguard touching the frame: I don’t know why mine can’t do that. I’ll take the forks apart and check the stanchions for straightness, but is there an easy test that I can do to check the steering head angle and alignment? There are no obvious ripples in the metal around the headstock but I’ve noticed that the steering is very ‘quick’. When I compare it with my ‘68 Bonneville, the cornering on the Dommie is a bit like riding a Ducati Monster. Is the steering supposed to be that quick? Before my minor bump, the bike handled fine and tracked perfectly straight with hands off the bars at 50mph. I rode the bike home after the bump and it all felt ‘normal’ so I don’t think there’s too much wrong - unless you think otherwise?
Thanks
Regards
Tony
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Hi Tony
You need a good panel beater from a body repair shop. I'm sure this can be successfully bashed out as I've seen far worse that have come out flawlessly. I would just take it into a local shop and ask, and if they can't help you I'm sure they will know someone in the trade who can.