XS650 enduro project

For the '75 XS650 rear fender I'm doing the same as I use on my '79, which is a shortened stock fender. There are three ways you can shorten it, the first of which is cut off the front of the fender and rotate it forward. With this method you need to make new mounting points. The second way is to cut the rear of the fender, but you lose the factory finished edge. The third way is how I did on the '79, which is to cut out a section in the middle and weld it back together. This keeps the factory mounting points and the finished edge.

First I cut a section out from the middle to get the length I want.


Here is what I want to end up with.


I work the cut edges to get as close a fit as possible, and then sandblast the area to clean it up for welding. The two pieces won't match up perfectly, so I make a cut in each corner to allow for adjustment.


Next is to weld the just the bottom edge on each side.


Here it is with just the bottom edges welded together. From this angle it looks like a close fit.


At closer look you can see how far off they are. This is why the cuts are needed.


I first start by getting the sides to line up, shown here. The fender is thin, so it doesn't take much effort to bend them in place. Once the sides are in place I tack them from the bottom, and start working the top. The closer you get it, the more time you save when it comes to bodywork.


Here the top part is fitted and tacked from the bottom. You can see where the cut opens up allowing the two pieces to fit. Once it is fit and tacked then the rest is welded. Most of the welding is from the bottom, since it won't need any grinding.


Here it is with the seam ready for bodywork.