Rear end/ Fender Issues

[sk8erpunk]

so, my read fender tab broke off awhile ago, same time as needed my head replaced with a high compression head, so I fixed the rear tab and then I fixed the head. in putting the rear wheel back on today, I discovered that it was rubbing up against the rear fender, sometimes at the back where the braces are held in place, but mostly at the top of the rear fender, the wheel is contacting the wires put up in there.

In short, it seems to me that my bike has always had some issues rubbing the tire on the rear wheel. is this common? are there fixes for it? will buying a whole new whizzer rear wheel do amything at all to address these issues? or am I just going to have to live with it. It seems like moving the wheel does nothing to change whether it rubs or not.

 

[Buzz Bomb]

Is the fender correct for the frame? Even with the wheel mounted at the rear-most end of the drop-outs, it would be close, but not rubbing on the rear of the fender. And it should never rub the top. If it is the correct fender, it would probably be either incorrect length braces, and/or too high of a front attachment point. The only other reason would be an over-sized wheel or tire. You might want to consider new braces, ones that are at least good half inch longer. That should fix everything.

 

[mabman]

Try a slightly smaller tire?

 

[Quenton Guenther]

Hi all,
During the initial testing of the Ambassador I called "Dave" at Whizzer USA and told him the rear fender tab wasn't thick enough. He told me "they had tested it and was just fine". It wasn't "just fine" and was/is a MAJOR safety issue, because the very next day the tab broke, the fender dropped down on the tire, and proceeded to bring the bike to a sudden stop when the fender moved forward and "jammed" between the tire and the frame. It also ripped the wire harness from under the fender and shorted out the electrical system in the process. Unlike the fender on earlier models, the fender is only attached at one location to the frame [via a very thin tab] and relies on the "weak" fender braces to hold it in place. At least on the earlier WC-1 and NE5 models the fender was affixed to the frame in 2 places [at the bottom and the tab] so when the tab broke it was still attached at the bottom to help hold it in place. It is hard to believe the fender is attached in such a manor, and even with the upgraded tab [see the sticky post on this site] the fender still is extreemly loose. PLEASE be very careful and avoid serious injury by attaching the fender using a good heavy tab and even consider using better fender braces [both of mine have already split where they attach to the rear axle]. Although I haven't personally inspected the rear fender on the new NE-r, several dealers have mentioned the rear fender isn't in correct alignment with the tire and appears to be very loose. Once again, please understand this is a serious safety problem and you should modify the fender braces/tab to avoid injury..............

Have fun,

 

[Kep1a]

In short, it seems to me that my bike has always had some issues rubbing the tire on the rear wheel.

I would look to see if there is a problem with the fender stays/braces and be sure the tab you fabricated has the mounting hole in a location to allow the fender to be as high as possible.

Look at the mounting location of the fender stays in the photo. By doing it this way I got another 1/4" clearance at the top and rear of the fender. Also the stress on that weak tab that everyone says is breaking is gone now that the fender pushes up on that tab and is not hanging by it anymore. Hope this helps

Kep1a

 

[Quenton Guenther]

Hi Kep1a,
The Ambassador and the NE-r attach the braces to the axle, and not the frame as was the case on the earlier WC-1 and NE5 motorbikes. The fenders are much larger and much heavier on the Ambassador & NE-r models.
Sadly I have moved the braces on some of the earlier models [to allow the wheel to relocate towards the rear] to the same location in your picture, however the tab still snapped. I am sure if enough time were invested it is possible to remove the stress on the mounting tab by moving the fender around and adding or subtracting spacers to do so. Another problem concerning the tab centers around the size of the bike, IE 24" or 26". Some 24" Whizzers have a different frame than other 24" Whizzer models. Some 24" models use an extension bracket connected to the fender tab and some models don't. Some 24" models use a long spacer at the bottom of the rear fender mount and some don't. I guess some models use a 26" frame with 24" wheels & fenders.

Have fun,

 

[sk8erpunk]

thanks guys

sorry, but the internet was down at my house all day. I don't know why, but I fixed everything (almost) very quickly today. guess it was my mood, but I was in no mood to deal with it yesterday. it was beautiful out (finally a sunny day) and I just wanted to ride, but couldn't.

Quenton, I totally, 100% agree with you. It really, really bothers me that the tab broke so easily (on mine the top tab broke and the bottom screw came out at the same time!!!). I did buy the nice machined tab fix from theozon, and I did install it correctly. However, when I installed it, I found that the wires had already been frayed from rubbing. The wires do not rub if I hold the wires up forcefully in that hole coming out of the fender. there is still a minor rub. I will have to figure it out. new braces for the rear is a good idea.

BTW: this is a stock, non-modified, late 2007 NE5.

They were right to make the NER fender larger (let's give them credit for that). The NE5 fender should have been larger to begin with just to fit/accomodate the stock tires. I don't understand why everything just barely fits in there.

It is kind of burning me up, the issues with the Whizzer. I love it,and love how it has changed my life, but I am thinking about selling it to get a "regular" moped. (if anyone has an old moped they would like to trade for my Whizzer, I would probably do it.) The Whizzer engine is great (thanks for the head, Quenton!!), but the rest of it ... it's just becoming too much for me to deal with. It sometimes seems to me like the bike is made just to be looked at and not to actually use. (sorry this turned out to be so long.)