B5 front fender alignment question

[mattsz]

Gremlin-

See my addition to your "B5 tank badge misalignment" thread:

http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/forum/index.php/topic,15703.0.html

[Ducati Scotty]

Once I aligned mine they never scraped again.  I've also aligned several others with no issues.  I think there's enough room for usual front end flex without scraping, though I'm sure there are a few that are out of spec and may need a little massaging.  Hand made bikes

I think the primary problem is improper setup.  As mentioned, you need to make sure the tubes are parallel, then loosen all the structural fittings and do a few bounces to align things, then tighten.  AFTER all that you need to align the slider covers, then the fender.  I'm betting most shops don't know this and just throw the front wheel on and send it out.  I would guess most do the loose bounce, that's standard practice, but I don't know if it's stated that all covered forks and strutted fenders should be checked for alignment.  If not, a bulletin should go out.

The G5 is a different animal, no slider covers and the fender  bolts right to the fork.  Not nearly as critical to check alignment.  Over the years various bikes have used struts while others had gators and a G5 like fender.

Scott

[mattsz]

I plan to start the warranty replacement process right after the new year - it could take awhile for replacement parts!  Fortunately, I can still ride the bike while I wait.  I think that once I have convinced the dealer that I need new parts (I hope to do it "long distance" - the closer dealer I will no longer work with has seen it in person and "approved" the replacement), I will get some cheap black paint, or maybe even some other color paint, or even some other material, and re-coat the damaged bits and experiment with adjustments to see whether I can manage it.  If my fresh coatings don't scratch off...