Occasionally we like to tinker in our shop to create low cost do-it-yourself parts. Sometimes these work well enough and look good enough to pass onto our readers. We decided to cover those ugly voids on either side of your rear fender between the saddlebags. A number of vendors offer high quality filler panels to close those gaps. They will look almost seamless so you can't go wrong with one of those kits. However, we thought we'd see what we could do with a couple of $1.50 aluminum sheets from Sears Hardware, some simple shop tools, some leftover parts, and an hour of time.
Whether you're appalled, disgusted, amused, or inspired by our antics, we present this little item for your consideration. Certainly our highly skilled fabricator friends will be aghast at our amateurish work. But really, isn't this project in the same spirit as any custom part?