I've noticed something when riding with my brother who rides a RKC with the full fender. When we stop after riding for an hour or so there is a noticeable difference in how much road grime I'm wearin' on my face compared to him. Given that fact, there is no way I'd even think about taking the fender off...

 

Don't go near a puddle or your screwed. Found this out todayfor the first time since I took mine off and it wasn't fun.

 

I took mine off for a while. Looked cool but the first time it rained the front tire shot a rooster tail right down the middle of my face. It was quite unpleasant. I put it back on and haven't had it off since.

 

buncha women...

took mine off, and yeah, you get everything thrown in your face, but what do you expect? you aren't caging it, so you aren't gonna stay clean regardless if you have a fender or not. the occasional splash from a puddle is refreshing in the summer heat. and if you don't like having your boots and knees down on the jeans soaked, don't do it during a rain (or right after).

 

Ihad mine off for a while until I hit some road kill. The bike and myself got splatted with chunks of rancid meat and blood. Nasty! Put it back on that day. I really liked the look, but it does serve a purpose.

 

Prove it. Your stating that like it is fact. I beg to differ.

Harley did not design the front fender as a stressed member. Every dirtbike Since the mid 80's runs basically our same front suspension without a fender.

I personally do not have a front fender and did not notice ANY difference from when I had the fender, in the stability department. I think a fork brace is a good idea but with or without a fender...the fender doesn't do enough "stabilizing" to make any difference...

 

A couple of years back I changed the front fender of my wife's Sportster for an after-market model, then took it for a test run, everything was fine until I came to make a right turn into a side street, moved into the centre of the road(we drive on the other side here in the UK), and hit the front brake. Well, despite what's been said previously, the forks twisted, and skewed the bike to the left, in front of the traffic that was moving up my inside. It was a very close call indeed, and I'm glad I was riding and not the wife - I fitted a fork brace immediately after that incident, and all was well. So, ignore some of the nonsense spouted earlier, the fender's there for more than just appearances!

 

i REALLY doubt that the fender adds any significant support. Most metrics run plastic fenders, hd sells plastic fenders for the fatboy (street stalker fender) and there's no support on the inside. All dirt bikes use plastic fenders. Dirt trackers don't use fenders or fork braces. Doesn't sound right to me. Would you really ride your bike if you thot that that cheap *** thin gauge front fender was what was stabilizing your forks?

 

Now that's pretty funny coming from a guy who runs a windshield...

https://www.hdforums.com/m_1897792/m...tm.htm#1901737

 

took the fender off about a year ago... haven't noticed any more or less wobble or give in the front fork.

rain does suck, but then it sucks with a front fender. if you take it off, ANY liquid you roll through will fly straight back at you... but that's why you watch the road and try to avoid it.