A7 Front Mudguard

[vwphillips]

I have only had the bike a few months and cracks have appeared on the front mudguard

Could this be a problem with the forks or a bad mudguard hidden under the paint?

The bike handles well enough


http://www.vicsjavascripts.org/BSA/Mudguard1.jpg
http://www.vicsjavascripts.org/BSA/Mudguard2.jpg

[bsa-bill]

Hi there
All things being equal the forks should move up and down together, it could be that one of your forks is stiffer than the other causing the mudguard to flex at the mounting points, the pictures show typical place for a crack - at the edge of a weld.
I'd certainly check forks for a start

[a10 gf]

Agree with above, but seems to me like ancient damage\wear\rust coming to light, especially Mudguard2 pic. & maybe some less than perfect previous repair.

[Billybream]

We sometimes forget the age of our bikes, the use and possible abuse they have experienced, the climate, no surprise to find this damage in this area close to welded brackets. As Bill suggests fork operation could be the cause or as already stated age related.

[Topdad]

That looks like a previous repair,particularly in picky 2. the rust in picky 1 looks a bit sus too.  However checking forks is a good idea ,I'd drain oil first and refill with equal amounts of same grade. But you'll need to have the wheel at least to see the underneath of the guard all may be revealed there ! . Then decide ; to sort or to ride and then sort, only your good shelve can make that decision ,best of luck ,BobH

[trevinoz]

In my humble opinion this is caused by a design fault in the post 1960 set-up.
The elimination of the front stays allows the guard to flex at this point.
It is  pretty common.

Trev.

[vwphillips]

Thank you all for your advice

[vwphillips]

I am considering making a mould and making a GRP mudguard.

Is the front mudguard a fork brace or will the GRP be suitable?

[muskrat]

The guard does act as a brace. I would incorporate a steel brace into the GRP guard, and used as the mounting points. Like a big H bent over.
Cheers