The MachineArt Moto Avant fender extender is the newest member of the MudSling family.
Like the original product, it is nearly flawless in its design, fit and function and therefore, a most worthy addition.
There is now no excuse not to provide simple and extremely effective protection for both the back and front areas of BMW R1200 GS, GS Adventure and F650/800 GS motos.
Just before leaving town to attend the BMW RA International Rally, held in Pownal Vermont at the end of July, I realized that the MachineArt Moto website was showing the new MudSling Avant product.
Timing is everything, as they say…
The Editor had just published the original MudSling article and MachineArt Moto was in attendance at the rally and keeping busy installing the MudSling products on a wide variety of motorcycles, two- and three-wheeled.
Needless to say, an Avant fender extender now adorns each of our F800GS motorcycles.
The Avant is a simple front fender extender that use three clamp mounts to tightly secure it to the moulded edges of the stock plastic fender. A prominent flare on each side of the moulding adds extra width to the extender just where it is needed.
Form
The Avant is injection moulded in polypropylene to duplicate the feel and texture of the stock BMW front fender. The BMW F650/F800GS variant adds 14.6 cm or 5.75 in. of length while the R1200 product adds 13.3 cm or 5.25 in. of length to the bottom of the stock fender.
Between the increased length and the rearward angled flaring on the outer edges that add width, protection for the lower half of the engine including some relatively well-exposed components and the exhaust system is increased significantly.
Three self-locking screw clamps with angled “claws” grip the inner edge of the stock fender to provide a secure mount without drilling any holes or adding bracketry (photo below). With its precise fit, the Avant is a seamless extension to the front fender — only the heads of the three small mounting screws reveal how it is held in place.
Fit and Fitment
Fitment of the Avant on the front fender is even less of a challenge than installing its big brother on the rear.
Reading the provided instruction sheet and then doing a run through of the screws with the threaded inserts of the mounting brackets is recommended; this makes starting the screws much easier while actually installing the Avant.
Each underside mounting point on the Avant has raised ridges that act as guides to properly orient them and in doing so, facilitating installation.
Two approaches can be taken to mounting the Avant. The first is to hold the accessory in place and mount the middle or lower centre screw first, followed by the left and right mounts. All three should be given a final tightening once the accessory is being held in place by the mounts.
A second approach is to loosely install the brackets on the Avant and then position it up against the fender. Make sure the clamps are oriented so that the angled claw grabs the inner lip of the fender in pincer fashion, rotate each clamp so it sits between the guide ridges, and tighten each screw.
Function
The MudSling Avant is utterly effective in keeping any sort of dirt — large, small, wet or dry — off the lower half of the engine and exhaust pipes.
Pre-Avant, the front curved surface of the large aluminium BMW engine guard received the brunt of everything thrown off the front wheel: now it stays quite clean, testament to how well the extender works.
Front fender guards or extenders are not new, but the Avant is the perfect size and shape for the F800GS. The fact that it goes on easily and looks great is bonus.
After two road trips and some off-road excursions, the Avant units remain firmly in place although extremely dirty…like the rest of the machines. My only observation is that the heads of the machine screws on one F800GS are showing a bit of rust even though the screws themselves are fine.
Andrew of MachineArt Moto has confirmed that the original black oxide coated screws could rust, but the screw sets are now black zinc plated to resolve the rusting issue.
Conclusion
Like its bigger rear-mounted sibling, the Avant does exactly what it is intended to do. It is undoubtedly one of the easiest and best accessories that one could install.
The Avant 8/6 for the BMW F800 and F650GS models adds 5.75 inches of length. The Avant 12 for the R1200GS and GS Adventure models adds 5.25 in of extra length.
See Also: MachineArt Moto MudSling Review | MachineArt Moto X-Head Cylinder Guard Review
| wBW Review: MachineArt Moto Avant Fender Extender | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: MachineArt Moto | List Price: $79.00 USD for the Avant 12 and $69.00 USD for the Avant 8/6. . |
| Colors: Matte black. | Made In: U.S.A. |
| Review Date: September 2010 | |
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