Life has been keeping me out of the workshop for the most part, but I did manage to mount fenders to the “no-longer-a-diesel” Benelli. I gave up on sourcing army green fenders, and bought a pair of universal UFO polypropylene fenders in gloss black.
The rear fender was a real bear to install. It was designed for a frame somewhat wider than this one, and had to be squeezed into place. I had to do quite a bit of cutting at the front, and between that and positioning the mounting holes, I was sure I was going to end up mounting it wonky. The scarcity of positively locatable reference points on the fender complicated the process. How hard could it be to mold in a couple of point grids on the underside of the fender? C’mon, guys! I also had to mount the whole thing about 3–4 inches further back than I would have preferred, but that’s the nature of “universal fit” products. In the end, however, fortune smiled on me and it looks straight and mostly like it belongs there.
I did scratch the heck out of it in a couple spots. Buffing it shiny and smooth is not on my agenda but, maybe, if I complete this and it’s really, really, nice…
In the interest of cost and simplicity, I am going to skip the whole faux-military concept, and also forego any lighting equipment. Motorcycles without lights have a certain stripped-down purity I like, and it has been a very long time since I’ve owned a bike without street lighting equipment. Since the street-spec suspension looks in no way like a dirt bike, I am planning to slap some number plates on it and try to convince myself that I’ve made a faux dirt tracker.