For some reason, Triumph saw fit to install black plastic plugs on the stunning rear fender plastic. Many companies, including Triumph, offer wire mesh kits for about $30 that replace the black plastic with the improved look of the expanded metal. But who am I to simply fork over $30 for something that I figured I'd be able to do on my own?
The hardest part about this job, I knew before starting, was to find an acceptable metal screen for a reasonable price. If I were wiling to spend $20 or even $30 I knew I could come up with something pretty dapper. But what fun would that be? I started by wandering a local Checker Auto Parts, then a Pep Boys and eventually Lowes, looking for something. But either the mesh was too expensive, was too small, or just wasn't quite right. I considered the use of a hacked up Fram Air Filter, speaker mesh off an old boom-box, a stove shrowd filter and even some small square chicken wire. But nothing was what I wanted.
As I neared the end of my rope and began considering giving up because I was starting to feel like all the time I was wasting looking for this was getting out of hand, when I happened to wander into the kitched accessories section and found, for a measly $6, a silverware tray made out of the perfect sized expanded metal. And to make it even better, it had a brilliant chrome finish! Perfect! Careful examination revealed that it would dissasemble easily, leaving behind untouched, un-welded-to, mesh.
After that, the job was quite easy. I pulled the tail section off and removed the black plastic plugs and began cutting the wire out, using the plugs as a template. I took extra careful care to ensure that the angle of the mesh would be the same on both sides of the bike when I finished.
When the shape of the wire I was hacking on became close, I slipped the wire into the tail section to make sure my shape was near right. It was close, but I had to make some minor tweaks to get it to conform the way I wanted it to. Once the shape was done, I simply, re-installed the screws. The wire mesh was tight enough that no washers were used, and I was able to shift the screen around a bit. After the screws were in tight, I went around and pressed the wire down tight, making for a perfect fit!
Already, a huge improvement. Can you imagine just a black blob there?
Another angle to see how the mesh fits the bike so much better.
And finally, one last wide shot to see how it all comes together