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How many have a front fender extender on lat model K bikes?

9K views 40 replies 23 participants last post by  TarkusNY 
#1 ·
Just wondering how many have a front fender extender on their late-model K series bike say 2018 up on the GT and GTL.? Any info on brand preference or issues with rubbing on any part of the bike and the price you would pay for one?
I have noted a few brands including one from China and I dare say most would be produced someplace in Asia in any case. Love to hear your thoughts thanks.
 
#7 ·
I'm not sure there's any difference between early and late model fenders and radiators. Though I'm out of spec for the years you're looking for information, my 14 GTL/E has the Wunderlich Fender Extender. It's more then just the ABS piece that glues/rivets into position, it has an ancillary bracket that keeps the extender from rubbing on the tire by keeping it up and away from the tire. The bracket is attached to the fender via a two new holes you'll have to make into the fender. Here's the US website for it. Fender Extender K1600 (#32211002) Wunderlich Editions 32211002 | BMW Wunderlich America

This accessory is expensive compared to the other extenders and that's due to capitalism and the extra bracket. I had the less expensive one and it rubbed against the tire at higher speeds which caused it to be noisy. I replaced it with the Wunderlich. It has been doing its job without issue. My fender is much less beat up now with dirt, and the radiator is not getting nearly as dirty as it was previously. Honestly both the Wunderlich and non-Wunderlich extenders are about the same size, but that bracket makes all the difference.

If you've the resources to fabricate a bracket for the Chinese brand, I seriously doubt you'd see any difference between that and the Wunderlich. You can see what that bracket is and how it mounts from their website (http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/instructions/32211002.pdf)

The only thing you'll need to remember is to tell who ever is changing your front tire that the bracket is there. That's because the front fender typically comes off with the 4 Torx screws before they can remove the tire from the bike. The fender extender is now attached to the bike while normally it isn't. While not required, I ask the tech who's reassembling my fender to put some type of non-permanent thread-locker on the one screw that is needed to be removed for disassembly (picture #9 in the instructions) of the bracket that mounts to the bike (leave the two screws that attach to the fender alone). Here in the US Loctite® Threadlocker Blue 242® is commonly (but not exclusively) used https://www.loctiteproducts.com/en/...ts/specialty/loctite_threadlockerblue242.html

Good luck.
 
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#40 ·
I'm not sure there's any difference between early and late model fenders and radiators. Though I'm out of spec for the years you're looking for information, my 14 GTL/E has the Wunderlich Fender Extender. It's more then just the ABS piece that glues/rivets into position, it has an ancillary bracket that keeps the extender from rubbing on the tire by keeping it up and away from the tire. The bracket is attached to the fender via a two new holes you'll have to make into the fender. Here's the US website for it. Fender Extender K1600 (#32211002) Wunderlich Editions 32211002 | BMW Wunderlich America

This accessory is expensive compared to the other extenders and that's due to capitalism and the extra bracket. I had the less expensive one and it rubbed against the tire at higher speeds which caused it to be noisy. I replaced it with the Wunderlich. It has been doing its job without issue. My fender is much less beat up now with dirt, and the radiator is not getting nearly as dirty as it was previously. Honestly both the Wunderlich and non-Wunderlich extenders are about the same size, but that bracket makes all the difference.

If you've the resources to fabricate a bracket for the Chinese brand, I seriously doubt you'd see any difference between that and the Wunderlich. You can see what that bracket is and how it mounts from their website (http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/instructions/32211002.pdf)

The only thing you'll need to remember is to tell who ever is changing your front tire that the bracket is there. That's because the front fender typically comes off with the 4 Torx screws before they can remove the tire from the bike. The fender extender is now attached to the bike while normally it isn't. While not required, I ask the tech who's reassembling my fender to put some type of non-permanent thread-locker on the one screw that is needed to be removed for disassembly (picture #9 in the instructions) of the bracket that mounts to the bike (leave the two screws that attach to the fender alone). Here in the US Loctite® Threadlocker Blue 242® is commonly (but not exclusively) used Loctite Threadlocker Blue 242 from Loctite Adhesives

Good luck.
You don't have to remove front fender to remove or put back on front rim/tire.
 
#11 ·
I put an extender on my 2011 K bike and the fender flex allowed the extender to get beat up and ground down a bit.

I put an extender on my 2018 and added a fender support as you can see in the pic. It is a simple 1/2" piece of aluminum bar bolted on at the top and bottom of the fender. The extender has no wear after 50,000 km's.
 

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#14 ·
Thanks to Prince and TarkusNY for the info. and photos. Also to everyone else that replied. I was also thinking of the Wunderlich, this just confirmed my thoughts. The issue we have here in Australia at the moment is the cost as our dollar being so low against the American Dollar, then you have the dreaded cost of the overpriced USPS making the items close to double if not more by the time they get here. We do have a Wunderlinch distributor here in Sydney so I might contact them tomorrow being Monday and see what they want to change against getting one from Wunderlich themselves. I bought a brake light to go into the top case from Germany last night at a third of the cost BMW wants for the same BMW OME light. I have always had one on all my other Topcases and love the idea of having them for safety alone. I saved me over $200.00 Australian.by buying directly from Germany even with postage.

Once again thanks to each and everyone that has replied to this so quickly and for your great advice as well.
Cheers
Geoff.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Guys, Thanks once again for your assistance. Just to update you with regards to the Fender Extender I managed to get hold of the Wunderlich Fender Extender from the Australian distributor via. Their eBay store but as you mentioned they are not cheap. Having said that I paid $137.00 Australian Dollars that was including postage which was not too bad considering Wunderlich charge $114.95 USD plus postage, so even with their current discount selling price of $97.71 USD at the current conversion rate that worked out to be around $148.00 USD plus postage. I think I did ok by doing a lot of searching the Internet to find the genuine item and part number for the K1600 part number 32211002.
Thanks to all those who helped me decide what way to go along with and especially all the info provided by TarkusNY .

Cheers
Geoff

Just to update this, I received the Wunderlich Fender Extender today in the post 2 days after ordering it so I can't: wait to put it on the new bike once it arrives.:wink::smile::grin:
A big thanks to everyone for the feedback. Thank god we have one distributor here in Australia.
 

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#16 ·
Just wondering if anyone has clearer photos of how the L bracket fits onto the guard and where along with where it secures to the bike's frame? I don't have the bike yet and the instructions that came with the guard are in German, plus look very vague. Cheers and thanks once again, guys.
 
#17 ·
I just pulled the trigger on a Wunderlich fender extender and, while I was there, I got a Multipod adapter, too, at 15% off. Geez, even with the discount, they're mighty proud of their stuff!
 
#18 ·
I gather you mean price-wise when you say mighty proud of their stuff lol. When I had my last GTL back in 2018 I had 3 sets of the Wunderlich front-engine protection bars that did not fit at on all 3 attempts the lined up ok but rubbed on the front faring even after the first set was sent back with photo showing where they rubbed ,they were replaced with the same bars saying the part number was incorrect on the first set lol they did send the second set with a new part number but they rubbed in the exact same spot. Then they were sent back and a new set this being set number 3 and guess what they were the same. Keep in mind the bars had to come from America each time to Australia via their distributor. In the end and after 3 sets I just bought the OMW BMW front bars that had no issues and fit the bike first time as they should have. After that I sore I would never buy another one of their products but with all the advice from the Members here that have used their front fender extender, I took the chance and bought a Wunderlich front fender extender knowing you guys have tried them and recommended them. I trust the forum members more than the distributors here in Australia or Wunderlich in Germany. :frown:

As an update from the request for photos on how the L bracket fits I worked it out by doing some searching and found some photos on here from other members in the past. That helped more than the very average instructions that were in German, in any case, lol and crap photos of the installation process. :laugh::grin:
 
#19 ·
@Geoff_3 Yeah, their prices are ludicrous but, having put a cheap fender extension on my last 1600 only to have the front tire tear it off, I decided to bite the bullet and spend the extra cash in hopes that the Wunderlich will stand the test of time. The MultiPod adapter is also ridiculously priced but I've not found a similar item anywhere else. I think it's a quite elegant solution for mounting a ram ball, though, so bought it, too.
 
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#20 ·
I agree with the Multi pod adaptor idea and yes they are well overpriced. Try buying them here in Australia and that's when they get so much more expensive because of our dollar being so low and the USPS cost being in most cases as expensive as the items themselves. I found the K bike and to some extent, the RT`s difficult to mount your phone, etc. I bought a Ram adaptor that mounts on the handlebar mounts. It bolts up to the handlebar controls such as the brake and accelerator and has the 1`` ball then I bought the smallest Ram arm to allow my phone to be used with the QuadLock and that works fine. I know it might be hard to see but this is the same system I used on my R1250RT in the photos below.
 

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#21 ·
Luckily I can order directly with Wunderlich Germany (or via my BMW dealer), so the extender only costs me €60 ($66), and some more of course to have the dealer install it.

But after all the good reviews here it was an easy decision to add this to my GT.
 
#25 ·
In the first weeks of ownership, I installed the Fenda Extenda IIRC. Likely from Twisted Throttle. I haven't had issues with the tire wearing it or vice versa. I may have taken some forum advice and used a heavier duty two sided tape in addition to the plastic "rivets" provided with the kit. So far so good after 11k miles.
 
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#27 ·
It should, I bought one off eBay for about $25-35 and it appears to be the same as all the others. I reinforced mine with an aluminum strap and added screws. No rubbing or flopping around that I can tell. Don't even notice it anymore.

Here is my post with a couple of pics.
 
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#32 · (Edited)
Here are the steps of how I mounted mine:

1. Wash both fender and extender with warm soapy water thoroughly. Then wipe the mating surfaces with rubbing alcohol. Mark a line on the fender of where the extender will go.


2. Roughen the mating surfaces with sandpaper. I used 220 grit this time, but anything between 80 and 400 would work. This step is crucial for giving the adhesive max surface area to grab onto.


3. Masking tape both sides to shield from glue overrun. Make sure you press down the edges tight, otherwise the glue might seep under the tape.


4. Apply adhesive of your choice. I prefer Polyurethane glue (Gorilla Glue) for several reasons:
a. Bonding strength is extremely strong.
b. Very lightweight.
c. It expands as it cures, filling gap and getting into all the nooks and crannies. This is especially important for this fender because there are good size gaps between the fender and the extender.
d. Once it is cured, it remains somewhat flexible, which provides a good bit of impact and vibration resistance.


5. Apply first application of glue sparingly. Then press the parts together to check where additional glue may be required. Apply second time to those areas. You want sufficient glue to coat all mating surfaces, but too much glue will squeeze out, overrun and make a big mess.


6. Press the 2 parts together. Once you are satisfied with the fit and alignment, tape the mating edges to "lock" in the fitment. Now clamp the two parts together. You want sufficient clamping to bring the mating surfaces as tightly together as possible, but not to much so as to warp and twist the parts out of shape.


7. Wait 6-12hrs before removing clamps. Curing time depends on ambient air temp and moisture content. When in doubt, give it full 24hrs.


8. Some glue expansion and overrun is a good sign that you have max glue coverage, right up to the mating line. Unfortunately, this also means taking off the masking tape can be rather tedious, as any glue overrun along the edges will cause the tape to be difficult to remove. Careful picking with a sharp hobby knife works well here. The tedium pays off with a clean, tightly bonded, lightweight, and rigid assembly.
 

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#33 ·
Mount the fender back on the bike. The 4 bolts allow a good bit of fore-aft movement of the extender. Because there are no fasteners and the assembly is very tight and rigid, I chose to close the gap between the extender and the tire as tight as possible. This will help give as much clearance to the cowling to avoid interference hit.



 

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