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Undertail Material

5K views 38 replies 13 participants last post by  mrgrn 
#1 ·
So I need to remake my undertail. I used plastic on my first attempt. It lasted one season before cracking (pos plastic).

So, I'm on the look out for some new materials. Possibly try aluminum I just don't have a means of cutting it. Fiberglass would also be awesome. Does any know where I can buy a sheet of the stuff or something else that would work?

couple of pics of the first build:




I picked a cbr954 tail light up from Ben that I'm hoping to modify for my next try. I think the sv light worked pretty good, kinda made the bike look like a sleeper as some people think it may be an sv with that light on it, but I liked how it looked.
 
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#2 ·
I made mine out of tinted acrylic. I cut mine with a dremel. It worked, but I'd rather use a jigsaw. I was going to cut out the space for the cbr1000 tail light, but I got lazy and just mounted it on the inside of the tail.

Since you have a tail light that is going through it, you could just pick up some flat carbon fiber and copy what you have already.
 
#4 ·
I made the undertail with some plastic and a Suzuki sv650 genII tail light.

b.miller I like the acrylic idea. I'm gonna have to search some down. I tried using a jig saw, but just could't get the lines clean, fortunatly the plastic I used could be scored with a razor knife and broke off clean. Worked like a charm, but the plastic was just to brittle and only lasted a season.

Time for a custom undertail part II. This is gonna be much more improved.

I got the stencil down, which was the hardest part.
 
#8 ·
I had the same problem using acrylic/plexiglass. Lexan is an option (Home Depot also) as it is advertised as much stronger than acrylic. A wet saw works great for cutting acrylic and can be touched up with a file if needed.

I have some thin aluminum I'm planning on using for the replacement undertail. It's so thin you can cut it with a scissors though you should be able to cut heavier stuff with a tin snips. My concern with the aluminum is painting it. I prefer it black and am guessing that whatever paint I use will just chip off over time. I don't have a hugger to protect it.

Let us know if you find a suitable material to use.
 
#11 ·
Here are a couple shots of what mine looks like. I'm not 100% sure that mine is acrylic, it could be lexan, I don't remember. It was pretty easy to work with, and if I didn't get lazy, it would have been easy to cut out a hole for the light. I was going to go back and do it, but it's nice the way it is. Makes it so much easier to clean.








Here are the guts of the cbr tail light:

 
#12 ·
That looks dope bro.

I like how it's all flush with the light inside of the tail. Do you have any problems with the license plate being way under your tail like that from the police?

The turn signals are trick too.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for the comments.

I haven't had any issues with cops. I haven't been pulled over yet with it like this though. I imagine it might get mentioned if I did. I was going to put the plate in a normal place mounted to the plexiglass, but again, I got lazy at the end. After using a dremel and test fitting things for hours making this one and one to fit my track fairings, I was done. And of course it looking so good made me not want to eff it up! If I ever get around to it, the cbr light will barely stick out. I think there was a new guy (Newera?) with one on his and it sits pretty flush.

Stock cans? Those are just my "swing arm sliders". Ha ha. I threw them on for a track day and I actually liked them. It's kind of nice not having to worry about extra attention from the popo or the neightbors. I live in a small townhouse rental neighborhood for now, and I'm usually the one complaining about the loud ass neighbors, so I don't like to give them anything to throw back at me. I'll get some pipes again later on down the road.
 
#17 ·
They are from here: Tiny LED Modules : High brightness surface LEDs

Kinda pricey at $10 a pop, but I only needed two. I actually bought them for something else and never used them. They are bright as hell. They come ready to hook up to any 12v source and come with the 3m double sided tape on the back. I think if I ever go back to normal kind of turn signals like the mini short stock ones, I'll rip the guts out of those and put one of the round modules from oznium inside.

I probably wont keep them where they are. I have thought about sticking the turn signals somewhere behind the plexiglass, but I couldn't find anywhere that I liked and would be somewhat functional. I might just pick up an integrated cbr light and see how long that lasts before I get pulled over. :D
 
#18 ·
#19 ·
I used the lexan from home depot. After breaking some acryllic pieces I was almost done with, I found the lexan to be stronger and more flexible. I integrated the cbr600/1000 interested LED and it looks great. Here's my thread, scroll to the bottom for the final result.

http://www.speedzilla.com/forums/honda-sport-twins-image-gallery/52665-brightlight.html


Looking good bro. Your build was actually what inspired me to try my own tail.

I got a spare crb clear alternatives tail light that I got from Ben if anyone wants it. I haven't had a chance to try it out and don't think I will as I've already spent much time on my sv undertail and only wish to improve it.
 
#20 ·
I've always like the look of the SV tail light. There are many aftermarket undertails to get, but as you know, the satisfaction of knowing that the taillight is how people ID a bike from behind makes me grin knowing mine's a mind fuk.

Keep the SV light alive and keep us updated, shit looks good.
 
#21 ·
Tacheny, how did you manage to position the lock that far back? I understood that you kept the stock undertail pretty much intact. I'm installing a Ricambi-Weiss fibreglass undertray and I would also like to put the lock further back. The stock cable wire is damn short - do you know if longer replacements are commonly available? I'm also trying to keep as much of the stock insides as I can, but arranging the electronics seems like a job better suited for a gynecologist.
 
#25 ·
Killa, I don't know that it was a conscious decision at the time because it was awhile ago when I did it. It's all OEM parts so I can't think of any reason you couldn't get it atleast that far back.

Here's a clean 954 taillight.


There is another guy on here with a 954 light set in, back towards the shock, but I can't find it.
 
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