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- - Dirty bike (http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=229362)

I like my L7 but there's one thing that annoys me; it gets dirty very quickly. I was out yesterday the roads were dry with the exception of two small streams running across the road from snow melt. They were surface water and only about 6 feet wide. The bike looks like I've been driving through a muddy river bed.

I have a mudguard extender, a mudflap and a mudflap extender (ok, I know, I know), I also have the world's largest SV hugger.

The brief aquatic incursion sprayed across both fork legs, on top of the mudguard (!), dirtied both sides of radiator shroud, both engine cases, leading edge of silencer. Dirty water appeared on top of the WLH (world's largest hugger), all over the rear light cluster and on the rear seat shrouds. Courtesy of my mudflap configuration, the front exhaust stayed clean (hah!)

I've had a couple of curvies, one of which was in this country, and it didn't dirty up so quickly, neither did my street triple and it didn't have a mudguard extender.

I want bigger or better mudguards.

As far as I'm concerned the AL7 simply doesn't have mudguards at all.
Its far and away the worst bike I've ever had for getting dirty in wet weather.
I've never before had to clean the back of my jacket after riding on damp roads.
SW-Motech do a front mudguard but it doesn't look as if it would be any better and it costs a ridiculous £190.

Small consolation.
I'm sure mines worst
My street triple is tragic in the rain looking like you just rolled around in a dirty puddle

Curvy - Pointy - Mucky...?

My bike is the same but the hugger and extender seem to work ok, unless I do motorway speeds then it looks like a old bike after a ride out.

Try a Dorsoduro, I can literally see the spray off the front wheel rising up in front of the headlight!

I stuck a Extra bit of number plate on the back of mine it's clear and does help.
Got the idea of the street triple forums

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seeker (Post 3083384)

and the rain was drier ;)

Climate change, and rain will get wetter and dirtier apparently.

I have an L7 with front Fenda extenda and hugger but don't often go out if it looks like rain, I will use fugbox instead ( nice to have the choice ) - I keep black plastic bits and wheel rims well waxed with proper black trim wax with black pigment, other stuff gets AutoGlym wax. The dirt is easy to get off.

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/car...trim-wax-375ml

Original mudguards are pants, maybe they didn't expect a naked bike to be ridden much in wet weather, I was more worried about stones hitting radiator which is why I had an extender as well as a radiator guard (home made from aluminium diamond mesh sprayed matt black, so pretty much invisible).

Yea I added a bit to my numberplate
I can rotate the part back behind the number plate so that it looks ok in the dry

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seeker (Post 3083384)

I was thinking about my 70's bikes which didn't get so dirty but they had skinny tyres

I think this is the big issue, the bigger contact patch on today's tyres squeezes the water and road muck out the sides, which throws more crud all over the bike