Rear fender On or Off?

[mtc]

we did it when we were kids, some adults still do it.

has anyone done it?, is it going to cause a mess in the rear, does it "customize the rear end" for that racer look?

or is it a hack job? does it mess up a good bike? is it reversible?

[FJmonkey]

The inner fender or the part below the tail light?

[mtc]

below the tail light

[Pat Conlon]

If you start sawing on your back fender, of course it's not reversible. If you want to go back to oem you need to buy a replacement back fender. Plenty available on FleaBay.
That said....
I don't like leaving the license plate dangling out in thin air so for a more finished look, I left a small angled slice of the back fender behind the plate.

I followed the lower line of the side panel for the cut line of the fender.

I didn't like the light either, so I fixed that at the same time:
http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=1629.0

Needless to say, you do not want to ride behind me in the rain.

[FJmonkey]

Shortening that part of the rear fender will only be a mess when the wheel gets wet. If you are mostly a fair weather rider (SoCal is mostly that anyway) then just add a reflector to the rear to stay DOT compliant. Get the small reflectors that are also fasteners for the license plate. Like this Link

[ZOA NOM]

Needless to say, you do not want to ride behind me in the rain.

This is not generally a problem, FWIW.   

[1tinindian]

I shortened mine up due to it being cracked and the reflector was dangling loose. It is conveniently cut off just short of the bottom of the license plate. In the rain I do get a little extra water spray coming up/over the rear of the bike, but it has rarely been a problem.

[Pat Conlon]

Needless to say, you do not want to ride behind me in the rain.

This is not generally a problem, FWIW.   

This ^^ is very true....

Because in general, I don't ride in the rain.

Tic Tic Tic....whaaa?

[mtc]

very tasteful mods, i was worried about resale value, but that part is laughable, how much lower can it go, it may even increase value, if done right like Pat's

[ZOA NOM]

Needless to say, you do not want to ride behind me in the rain.

This is not generally a problem, FWIW.   

This ^^ is very true....

Because in general, I don't ride in the rain.

Tic Tic Tic....whaaa?

No, it's because you don't generally ride in the FRONT. 

[Pat Conlon]

I'm ok with that Rick

Too bad you never met Eric McClellan, a cool guy from the East Coast FJ group who has passed away. 
I will always remember his quote, "Y'all might be faster riders than me, but, nobody had more fun today than I did..."

[Dieselman7.3]

Pat i like the fender you have over the rear wheel is that something you've made or from an other bike?

[ribbert]

Pat i like the fender you have over the rear wheel is that something you've made or from an other bike?

Pat can tell you about his, but I think it's made for the non OEM swing arm he has fitted.

With a bit of mucking around though you can fit one to a standard swing arm....



Ive seen the one above in the flesh and it looks good.

Good thing is, it doesn't have to be make/model specific.

Noel

[Dieselman7.3]

Thank you. It does look good. Makes the rear end stand out