Touratech Mud Guard
Low Fender for the BMW F650GS
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| Touratech BMW F650GS Low Fender |
Best known for their pannier systems, those huge aluminum side cases you see on adventure touring motorcycles, Touratech also offers many other special parts for BMWs. I needed one of them, the mud gaurd.
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| Touratech low fender protective film. |
One of the things I liked best about my 2002 BMW F650GS was the open-wheel styling and high front fender, but it only took one ride in the rain to convince me that I needed the lower fender that became standard equipment in 2004. But, not so fast, BMW changed the fork brace. The BMW OE lower fender would not bolt up to the early model fork brace I had and though the fender was inexpensive, a new fork brace was not.
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| Early fork brace looks like this underneath. |
Fortunately, the Chain Gang Front Fender Mods FAQ, explained all this and more, giving the Touratech fender high marks. Here is how the installation went.
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| Use a 4 mm hex bit and 10 mm socket to assemble brackets. |
The fender arrived in good condition, even though the carton and padding had been rudely mashed. Touratech, an acronym for touring, rally, racing and technology, is a German company with a U.S. importer in Seattle, WA. The instruction sheet was in German on one side and in broken English on the other. The installation was easy, even for me.
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| Touratech bushings and longer bolts for Dakar. |
Using a combination of spacers and bushings, the Touratech low fender kit bolts onto any year F650 GS or Dakar.
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| Touratech adapter plate for GS and Dakar with late model fork brace. |
The first order of business is to disassemble the fender from its upper and lower mounting brackets and peel off a thin protective film on the top of the fender. Reassemble the upper and lower brackets around the fender using a 4 mm Allen wrench or hex bit and a 10 mm wrench or socket.
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| Fork brace removed. |
It is not necessary to remove the front wheel, but I did put my GS on the centerstand so I could get around a little better. To remove the fork brace, first remove the nut under the left rear bolt that secures the brake line guide. Then remove the four hex bolts and lift off the fork brace.
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| Use a 6 mm hex bit and a 13 mm wrench to disassemble the fork brace. |
If you have an early model GS, do not use the spacer plate provided. Simply position the fender on the lugs of the fork, place the fork brace on top of the fender and bolt it down with the original fasteners. If you have a Dakar, use the one-inch bushings to raise the fender to clear the wheel and use the longer fasteners provided by Touratech.
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| A 13 mm socket on an extension was needed to reassemble the brake line guide. |
If you have the later model GS or Dakar, use the spacer plate between the fender and the fork brace with the large openings to the front to clear the later fork brace lugs.
Put the nut back on the left rear bolt to secure the brake line guide. With the fender mounted, a 13 mm socket on an extension will be needed to do this.
The Touratech instructions add: " You can now undo also the extension of the original fender without running the risk of your helmet becoming an aquarium." It may have lost something in translation, but I think you get the idea.
If you own an F650 Funduro, ST, GS, Dakar or CS, be sure to join the Chain Gang at F650.com.
