i asked this a while back and chickened out of doing it.....well i finally have decided i want to do this......ill be racing like two full seasons and really want this race look and i like being able to see my landing and turning radius with the plastic gone......

my question......would you use a hack saw or jig saw to cut your front plastic.....i have both but was wondering....i also have a heat gun if you think that will help with smoothing it afterwards.....im planning on using a chalk pencil to line it off but not sure what will cut it the easiest and smoothest....im affraid the jigsaw might scratch my plastic up....... THANKS

 

If you go the jij saw route, use masking tape to protect the plastic from the jig saw bouncing up and down and scratching the plastic you are keeping. If it was me, I would use a box cutter with a new blade in it and score the line you are cutting several times until you are through it. It should make a nice clean cut where the jij saw will leave a more ragged edge.

 

don't be afraid! haha umm heres what you do..... take the blade off your hack saw....put a lil tape on it so you can hold onto it.....get it all drawn out the way you want it......then just cut it.....TAKE YOUR TIME! then its gonna look all crappy all ruough and everything.....take your grinder and smooth it out as much as you can.....this will get it prety smooth....then get some real fine sand paper and go over the edges.....wet the plastic first..... thats about it.....mine came out real good......later

 

I used a hack-saw too cut my front plastic. You can use anything too draw an outline on the fenders. I used a black permanent marker(it wipes right off). Then I used sand-paper too smooth and round the edges(sanding the edges turns the plastic white). Finally, I used a heat gun too melt the edges and re-color the plastic red.

It is an easy modification too do, because all it costs you is some time. Don't rush yourself, and it will turn out great.

If you get 6 inches away from mine, you can tell that I cut my own plastic. But if you step away, it looks just like aftermarket.

 

How 'bout a Dremel?? Seems with the speed and some of the availabe attatchments they would work great. Just a thought. Drew.

 

nc400ex01,
The easiest way to cut it is to do just what hondatrx300ex said to do. Take a hacksaw blade and wrap some electrical tape around it and start cutting. I used the edge where the fender starts to flatten out as a guide on my 400. Once, you've cut that off just shape it to the way you want it. It looks much better, saves a little weight, and you be able to handle better because you can see your front tires. Where do you race at? I'm always trying to find new tracks in NC? Also, how do you like your 16 front sprocket compared to the 15? I have 18-inch HST MX with the 15 front and I've been considering getting a 16.

 

thanks for all your help....ill prob try it some time this week.....and for the 16 tooth sproket, it rules man...big difference....2nd gear is unblevable, and comming out the corners you can smack it in 2nd or 3rd and it will scream....

 

I DID IT!!!!! my plastic is cut...and looks good as hell...im so happy ....anyway thanks for the help again...i ended up getting the hack saw blade, a new one, and cutting it very slow by hand....i flared it up to give it an awesome race look...i modeled it after a 440ex in dirt wheels...some of my friends have theirs just cut short and rounded but mine is phattttttttt..., im racing at black ankle the first two weekends in november and then at berch creek in va. following that....ill be riding at these tracks all winter practicing and then race next season at,....Black ankle(TT), mountairy(MX), sugar tree(MX), berch creek(MX/TT), rolling hills(MX), and at a new local track being built here in my town for next year, River Side(flat track/tt)
ps. im going to get pics made if anyone wants to take a look at my quad, i love it!!!!