This motorcycle fender melting problem was a concern for me after my TBR7 Exhaust Upgrade to my bike. With the stock, TaoTao plastic fender, the new exhaust outlet pointed directly at it. I felt my TBR7 fender plastic was going to melt.
This exhaust upgrade for any Chonda bike (Hawk 250, Brozz 250, and others) can result in a melted plastic fender. So your upgrade isn’t done till you take steps to prevent this problem.
I found several ways to prevent the fender plastic from melting and wanted to cover them quickly here. If you found this page by searching out this problem, I hope I can help you with this post to prevent the problem.
So the ways I found to prevent the TBR7 motorcycle fender from melting and what I picked.
Ways To Prevent Fender Plastic Melting
1.- Totally or partially remove the plastic fender from the muffler exhaust.
2.- Redirect the new muffler exhaust away from the plastic fender.
Remove Plastic Fender Parts From Exhaust.
I did this; I only removed items I needed to remove and reposition to prevent the plastic fender sections from melting.
At the end of my TBR7 Exhaust Upgrade project, I saw the new muffler’s exhaust was positioned right at the stock fender. Worse yet, the fender is made of plastic.
I looked at all the fender plastic material in the direct path of the muffler’s exhaust and tried to remove it.
Now one hiccup with the solution, I needed to keep the license holder and reflectors(yes, I wanted to keep the reflectors).
So I removed the license holder and lowered it out of the way. Re-drilled the mounting holes and remounted the motorcycle license plate holder.
Once the license plate holder was lowered, I concentrated on nibbling the plastic away from the muffler’s outlet. Now engine exhaust gasses have a way to escape without melting my fender.
Not the prettiest work, but it did work—no melted fender plastics for me.
Completely Remove The Motorcycle’s Rear Fender.
It’s called a Fender-Delete. It’s one of the first upgrades new motorcycles get, and I often read about how Hawk 250 owners love the look of their bikes after doing so.
TBR7 owners are fewer than Hawk 250, so their number of posts about doing a fender delete isn’t as many as the Hawks. However, in what few posts I read, the TBR7 owners like the clean look after removing the stock rear fender.
So I have not done this step yet, but you can imagine no fender means no melted fender plastics.
So if you don’t like the fender on your TaoTao TBR7 or your Hawk 250, maybe a fender delete is an easy option for fixing this problem.
Redirect The Muffler Exhaust From The Fender.
I thought about this, but for some reason, I was opposed to angling my muffler exhaust out and to the right.
I had the impression I would be gassing car drivers and fellow motorcycle riders next to me. However, in hindsight, it might have been fun, especially with a few backfires waking those car drivers to my presence. :D
So this is what I was told to do.
At the end of the muffler I picked up with my TBR7 Exhaust Upgrade, the end cap is removable.
There are hex head screws that can be removed, the end turned, and remounted(reusing the screws). This muffler mod allows you to turn the muffler’s exhaust outward away from the fender.
Conclusion
I trimmed away my fender’s plastics and re-positioned the license plate.
What did you do, and what do you think?
Did your steps prevent fender plastics from melting?
Thank you for your time, and feel free to leave feedback in the comments section.
Click To See My Recommended
TBR7 Upgrades
Hi I’m Tom, A New Motorcycle Rider and Blog Author.
I am a new motorcycle rider(Pa Motorcycle Learner’s Permit at the end of 2020, and I received a full M-Class Pa Motorcycle License in 2021, only after passing the Pa Motorcycle Safety Course).
I bought my first motorcycle, a TaoTao TBR7 (A Chinese Dual-sport motorcycle), at the beginning of 2021 and have been doing upgrades on that motorcycle since.
I added to my motorcycle collection by buying a Boom Vader Gen 2 motorcycle in 2022, and that little Grom-Clone bike has been upgraded by me as well.
I continue to ride my Boom Vader Gen 2 motorcycle as well as my TaoTao TBR7 dual-sport bike.
Read more on my About Me page.
Fun Fact: I’ve only been on one group ride.