[ani_meher]

The Kawasaki Ninja 300 has a sporty rear, but the high set number plate and no mudguard at the rear, ensures that the pillion and sometimes even the rider is drenched in mud when riding in rains. I suffered this problem on one tour, when my pillion and saddlebags were covered in mud thrown by the bike. That's when I started looking at a rear mud guard solution.

Some people opposed, saying that it might not look good. But I would prefer the rider and pillion to look good rather than the bike!

There are some solutions tried in the Ninja 300 thread, where some have used a tyre-hugger from the Pulsar series on the Ninja. But that project was not successful.

I drew my inspiration from auto rickshaws! Their mud flaps at the rear do their job very well, and hence I bought a mud flap from an automotive store. Here is it next to the pillion seat to give an idea of its size.

It reads 'For use in Hero', but what the heck, we will use it on a Kawasaki

The number plate is mounted using two bolts. I used these bolts to attach the mud flap. But half of the mud flap would now be hidden by the number plate, effectively erasing half of its use. So I got a pair of extensions made from the local fabricator. These are the brackets used by every fabricator to weld to metal doors/windows, etc. to bolt them in place. The hole is big enough to accommodate the 8 mm bolts of the number plate. I got them welded such that the 'hole to hole' distance is 3.5 inches. The two inner plates show the bracket used, and the two vertical plates are the ones that I got made.

I then removed the number plate and installed the mud flap using extensions. Here it is!

It doesn't touch the rear tire at all. It does a great job in the rains, and it is removable by using simple tools.

The total cost is:

Rs. 40 for the mud flap
Rs. 10 for 2 nuts and bolts
Rs. 50 for extending plates
_____________________

Total Rs. 100

Protecting my pillion and people riding behind me from mud spray: Priceless!

[sagarpadaki]

Good practical mod.I wonder what prevents these manufacturers to overlook such simple design elements when designing the bike. Or do they presume that the bike will not be ridden in rains!

You can anyway remove it once the rainy season is over.

[munchy_cool]

nice mod. just thinking why you didn't put it the other way round so as to hide the hero branding, would have still done the job i guess.

[ani_meher]

^^^ The interior side of the flap was not as finished, it was raw looking rubber. Like an inside of a tire. So used it the proper side up. Hope this doesn't end up in blurry pictures somewhere claiming the 'next bike from Hero'

[Sojogator]

Nice, cheap, simple and practical mod.

Have you tested this in the rain/muck yet ?

I would want to do this, if it is working, on mine. The muck around, with the broken roads, is simply irresistible !

[ani_meher]

I found it working quite well in cities. The mud spray is very well contained now. I haven't yet taken the bike on the highway, as it has started properly raining in Pune only a few days ago. Once I do that, I will update on its performance. Though I doubt whether it would fail to do its job.

[Desmosedici]

Very nice and practical.

What i think is since it is drooping / falling down, maybe you can fix a small flat metal strip on both sides to make it look flat and in line with the original mudguard. I am not sure if i made it sound right and you got it.

[ani_meher]

^^^ I thought about it. But I felt the angle of the number plate/mud guard was too big, the flap might jut out more that I want, and could cause some problem while reversing it from parking. Hence chose it to be flapping this time. If this flies off somewhere, then I may extend the current extender even more, so that it is always at a fixed angle. It might poke somebody though!

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

It reads 'For use in Hero', but what the heck, we will use it on Kawasaki

In case you didnt realize it can be mounted inside-out too. That way the silly hero wont be seen.

And if you are adventerous, brace a metal plate (4" length * 1" width, 2-3mm thick) behind the rubber sheet and bolt it with 2 tiny nuts/bolts from top to bottom. That way the flap wont flap around and look "Khadak"

[Sojogator]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

In case you didnt realize it can be mounted inside-out too. That way the silly hero wont be seen.

And if you are adventerous, brace a metal plate (4" length * 1" width, 2-3mm thick) behind the rubber sheet and bolt it with 2 tiny nuts/bolts from top to bottom. That way the flap wont flap around and look "Khadak"

I believe he has already answered why he has thought about it but not gone ahead with either of the two solutions that you have provided.

[4x4power]

Mod Note : There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use a spell-checker.