couple diy cosmetic mods with pics

[speedee86]

hey there fellow exciting 500 owners, I did a few DIY mods recently I wanted to share the pictures.
I blacked out the front fender and did a DIY rear fender elimination. the front fender I blacked out using plastidip so its completely reversible if I decide I don't like it. And for the rear fender elimination I simply disassembled and took off the big long black plastic extension and fabricated some bendable brackets to hold the license plate in place underneath the light. hi then wrapped the brackets in black electrical tape to make them a little bit less visible. I didn't wish to cut the original black plastic part cause I like the idea of being able to return it fully to stock without having any modification holes or cuts of any type
before:


after fender elimination and blackout front fender:

[speedee86]

I'm pretty pleased with the mods overall. I like the blackout fender because when looking at it from the front I feel as a more aggressive look, and as far as the fender elimination I've always liked the look of that without having a big plastic extension of the back. I will have to get some better pictures tomorrow as I ran out of daylight tonight lol. However feedback is always welcome

[Vivo]

Nice! Thanks for sharing! 

[Urbestfriend]

Let us know how the back end looks after riding in the rain,  mud or snow,  if you have any of that in your locale.

[speedee86]

Let us know how the back end looks after riding in the rain,  mud or snow,  if you have any of that in your locale.

No rain, mud, or snow for my. I live in so cal. That notorious great weather all the time. Would be nice to get some interesting weather from time to time though lol.
Update though, I will be putting the fender back on this afternoon. On my ride into work, I hit a big bump on tje freeway and the license plate hit the rear tire so it bent the plate up and in. Nothing I can pound out with a rubber mallet
But gonna put it back together and maybe trim the oem fender one day. Doubt it though unless I get ahold of another one. I really try to avoid modifying or hacking up oem parts umless I have a spare. Ao gonna put the fender back on tillfurther notice. Rather everuthing function properly and not have to worry about it than look a little "cooler" and worry about messing up. Atleast I know if I cut the oem fender that the plate is already out of harms way. And if I do that I would only trim the portion that extends below the plate as to keep the original mounting points.
I will keep you guys posted

[htcneil2]

I was interested in seeing the tail mod in day light. I liked  it. pics before you put it back. No other way to modify it?

[speedee86]

I was interested in seeing the tail mod in day light. I liked  it. pics before you put it back. No other way to modify it?

i will snap a pick for you before i put it back on, keep in mind the license plate will be bent though lol. the best way to go about it would be to cut or trim the plastic fender just at the bottom of the license plate so as to keep the clearance of the wheel and keep the plate in legal view for the sake of not getting pulled over for it

[speedee86]

Day light pics of the fender elimination, before I had to put the stock fender back lol


And pics of the front fender black out. That is gonna stay

[kenb6656]

I also live here is So Cal. (Alhambra), I also purchased my Xciting 500 at Bert's in 2012.  I noticed that by removing the rear fender you also lost your rear and side reflectors, this could possibly cause you some problems with visibility, and be a reason for getting pulled over. I have not done anything to my '10 Xciting 500 Ri ABS except put about 900 miles on it in a year or so. Just using it for running a few errands around town, after I drive my ass off (250 - 500 miles daily) all day for work. Good Luck with your mods.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Off topic here - but I lived in Covina in 1967 - 2 guys and I lived in a house near the city park, across the street from a hospital. Married a girl from Covina. We also threw the town's first Love In in the park. (67' was the Summer Of Love)
We were in the newspaper there for having the towns first Hippie House. All was pretty tame - we knew the police were watching us - so no drugs allowed, pushed the kids out at 9 PM. They just came to look at our black light posters, listen to the music, smell the incense, sit and talk about being a teen in a VERY conservative California town.

I ended up in Covina by pure chance - hitched from Mass. to Baja,Mx to camp on the beach. 2 surfers gave me a ride to California - they lived in Covina. I worked in the IHOP - then hitched to the Big Sur, 'Frisco and back to Covina to see 'that cute girl there' again. She was 18, I was 19 - we got married. It was all too crazy in Cal. at that time - so we took the GreyHound bus to Mass.
My first morning in Covina, I went for a walk, asked a kid playing in his yard ,"which way is the ocean?"
I fell asleep in the sufer's van coming from Ensenada - thought I was in a coastal town!
He looked at me like I was nuts.
Nice town - but it's location was a bummer!

[wordslinger]

..thatsa good looking scoot!


               

[Porkie]

California boy, born and bred and left in 1999 to get out of the 'Rat Race!' I think Axel Rose was singing about southern, CA in his song welcome to the jungle.

I lived in Paramount, Downey and Bellflower and the last place was Hemet, from 1986 until we moved to SW Missouri.

Don't let anyone tell you that CA doesn't have weather situations because it does. I've seen it rain moderately but continuously for 3 weeks straight and the Los Angele riverbed that is 50 feet deep and 400 yards wide of solid concrete from Hollywood to Long Beach, approx. 40 miles, almost overflowing for weeks at a time.

Then there's the Santa Ana winds that sweep down inland from the mountains at 70 to 90 mph, making it dangerous to ride or drive anything.

125 degrees in Needles, CA to 10 degrees in the local mountains before the snow storms.

Edwards AFB in the Mojave desert, where I was stationed for over 4 years can be 20 at night and the next day be over 100 degrees, which is the biggest temperature variation in the world in a 24 hour period.

I was a member of the West Covina Elk's from 1986 until about 2002.

You can ride more in Southern CA if you don't mind bumper to bumper traffic 90% of the time.

I do really miss the ocean!

Sam:)

[speedee86]

..thatsa good looking scoot!


               

Thanks

[speedee86]

California boy, born and bred and left in 1999 to get out of the 'Rat Race!' I think Axel Rose was singing about southern, CA in his song welcome to the jungle.

I lived in Paramount, Downey and Bellflower and the last place was Hemet, from 1986 until we moved to SW Missouri.

Don't let anyone tell you that CA doesn't have weather situations because it does. I've seen it rain moderately but continuously for 3 weeks straight and the Los Angele riverbed that is 50 feet deep and 400 yards wide of solid concrete from Hollywood to Long Beach, approx. 40 miles, almost overflowing for weeks at a time.

Then there's the Santa Ana winds that sweep down inland from the mountains at 70 to 90 mph, making it dangerous to ride or drive anything.

125 degrees in Needles, CA to 10 degrees in the local mountains before the snow storms.

Edwards AFB in the Mojave desert, where I was stationed for over 4 years can be 20 at night and the next day be over 100 degrees, which is the biggest temperature variation in the world in a 24 hour period.

I was a member of the West Covina Elk's from 1986 until about 2002.

You can ride more in Southern CA if you don't mind bumper to bumper traffic 90% of the time.

I do really miss the ocean!

Sam:)

Lol I know it all too well. Cali boy myself.