Taillight

In the previous "Rear End" post, I mentioned using a scrap fender for the taillight mount. It's nothing special, but in case someone is curious or attempting the same, here is what I did.

First, I cut the stock inner fender so it would be hidden under the fiberglass cowl. My goal was to retain the stock inner fender as it provides protection for the airbox and electrical components, and also for the rear part of the frame, which is where these bikes tends to rust. Every bit of protection from stone chips and the like is important.

I then cut the scrap fender to fit over the stock inner fender, and aligned the two pieces.

Four rivets later, the two became a single, solid piece.

That nicely follows the curve of the wheel, and prevents water from getting under the fiberglass cowl.

Other than that, I've been busy prepping things for paint. The tank had a couple of small dents, and a friend of mine who owns a body shop quickly pointed out to me that I don't know shit about body work. Well, he gave me a hands-on lesson, and while at it, we Variprimed the tank, and shot the plastics with adhesion promoter and lacquer primer.  Then I went back to my garage and shot the base coat.

Yes, that's a heater I use to help drying time. It's cold in here!

Now the parts are sitting on the bike, and I'm trying my hand at making some lines with masking tape. Well, that's what I wasted my last two hours on, only to find that I'm not good at free-handing symmetrical lines.