Moving the rear light

[Willholmania]

I've always found the rear light on my '77 XS650 a little awkward looking. It just stuck out way too far. I tried an aftermarket replacement but didn't really feel that either, so at the suggestion of forum member articXS, I moved the original light back about 8 inches. I like it a lot more now.

 

[arcticXS]

I hope you put some plate rubber and large washers, or a doubler plate on the inside, like I mentioned in the other thread. Another option for reinforcing would be epoxy and fiberglass. Just build a few layers of fiberglass laminate on the inside of the fender, then coat the entire inside with some kind of tough undercoat, pickup bed liner or similar.

 

[Willholmania]

I hope you put some plate rubber and large washers, or a doubler plate on the inside, like I mentioned in the other thread. Another option for reinforcing would be epoxy and fiberglass. Just build a few layers of fiberglass laminate on the inside of the fender, then coat the entire inside with some kind of tough undercoat, pickup bed liner or similar.

I haven't yet, but the bike is now hibernating so I have many gloomy months to reinforce the mounts before it'll get ridden again, sadly.

 

[arcticXS]

I haven't yet, but the bike is now hibernating so I have many gloomy months to reinforce the mounts before it'll get ridden again, sadly.

Well, the "non-riding" months are great for doing all kinds of maintenance and small improvements to our old bikes.
If you go the "doubler plate+sheet rubber" route, then you could consider attaching it to the original taillight mounting points as well. 2 mm aluminium should be a good option for a doubler plate.

 

[xjwmx]

Possibly you can interchange other years? This rear fender from the late '70s is a bolt-on fit for my '81 which has a completely different light setup from this.

 

[xjwmx]

That said, I like your fender on your bike. Looks very...vintage. Will draw attention. I'd resist urge to modernize it at this point. Plus it's in great shape.