Low or High Fender? Which is Better for Adventure Trips?

Watch this before you decide to change your fender.
What is better, low or high fender? I am sure that many of you have got this question once in a while! In this video I will discuss the pros and the cons of both options.
As you already know I never talk without having my personal experience. The reason I am telling you this is because you might think that I don’t know what is to have high fender, because my bike at the moment is with low fender. That is true, I have low fender and this is already enough to know my opinion, but let me tell you what I think with more details.
The first reason for most of the riders is to have this Dakar or Adventure looking motorcycle. I perfectly understand this and it might look cool on the dirt bikes, but it is not the same for big adventure bikes.
So far I haven’t seen a heavy adventure motorcycle with high fender to look good, but it might be just me. The reason of that is because the bikes are too big and the fenders looks like added on photo shop. For me they look much better with low fender.
The second reason is because when you ride in a muddy conditions the mud actually will stick between the fender and the tire and you cannot move. This is true, but I have a question for you:
How many heavy adventure motorcycles you have seen in such a bad muddy conditions? How many of you will be brave enough to go and ride there? Let’s be honest and confess that the low fender is going to be the last problem that you might have if you need to ride there. The size and the weight of the bike is something you need to consider, not the fender.
In the worst scenario if you really need to ride there, you can remove it and install it later again.
That’s it two pros, if we can call the Dakar vision pro. Let’s go to see the cons now:

N: 1 - The sail effect
On the high speed or side wind the high fender is like a sail. The wind will actually move the whole bike, especially if the bike is less than 200kg. I have experienced this many times and this was the main reason to remove it.
N: 2 - Water blasting
Leaving the bottom part of the bike completely uncovered will cause a lot of problem on the long term. First will be the rust and later more serious problems. You can see that on my bike the rele regulator is mounted exactly here, which is means that the water will blasting the regulator all the time.
N: 3 – Brake lines routing
In my situation it’s okay, because I have one brake line, but the stock were two, supported to the low fender, but if you want to install high fender you need to find another solution or just leave it like that, which might cause a problem in the long term.
N: 4 – Installing problems
Not on every bike, not on every fender, but this is what it was with mine. Keep in mind that I bought a fender which one suppose to match perfectly or this what the company that sold the fender said. Unfortunately it was not exactly like that and I need to add some washers here under need and even cut the end a bit to be able to turn the handle bar without touching the frame.
N: 5 – The cost
The cheaper or so call universal options will as I said looks like added in photoshop. If you need something specific for the model then you need to pay at least 100 dollars just for the fender and then more for some mounting solutions. You might need to completely change the brake lines.

At the end I will give you one piece of advice and I really hope that you will listen. Before you even start with some adventure modifications think twice. Be honest with yourself. Sometimes is better to change the whole bike instead of trying to make the impossible.

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[wewew]

I never cease to learn something useful listening to this clever articulate guy - Everything he ever says makes perfect sense to me. I never understood why most motorcycle manufacturers fit pathetically short fenders to their bikes which fail miserably to protect the exhaust manifold area from water and mud. The first thing I always do is fit a simple cheap fender extender. It's so much easier to keep the engine bay clean and free of crap. Quicker to clean and no rust in the hard to access nooks and crannies behind exhaust manifold. Hell even his English is fluent - I can understand everything he says and I can't say that about dour Scots from Glasgow who I struggle to understand. I love this channel. A big thank you for your valued advice. Stay safe my European friend. From a very grateful Brit.

[elendshuraglump]

Hi Pavlin, you are absolutely right. The rationality speaks 100 % for a low fender. But sorry, i must confess, i like so much the high Dakar-style-fenders at an Enduro. Ride safe, Hans

[teneretraveller]

Function over form every time. Have the same setup on my tenere and added a flexible rubber flap to keep spray off and not break off while dropping off ledges.
Happy travels

[nirmalable]

Bro your explanation was awesome.
I've been waiting for such a good review for years. Finally got a solution. Now I am fan of yours and once again thank you 🥰

[joakimf]

Seems like a lot of guys commenting don’t know the difference between adventure bikes, dual sports, enduros and dirtbikes. Pavlin is talking about which option is the best one for adventure touring, meaning travelling long distances on various road surfaces. Of course high fender is the best option on an enduro bike, but that is not a bike designed for long distance travel now is it?

[PR_Nick]

I love watching your videos. I love the way you explain things and tell us about your opinions, many of which I agree. Thanks for entertaining me once again 👌👍

[mddale]

I think the high "beak/fender" originated with the BMW GS. I think there is little on BMWs primarily for esthetics. Looks and function are pretty well integrated, so you sometimes have to look carefully to divine the engineering purpose. I BELIEVE the high beak/fender was designed to assist in directing airflow into the oil cooler which is located under the headlight and just above the beak. As you know, the original GSs were air/oil cooled and that oil cooler was very important.

[arvedludwig]

It's always better to have no dirt on your engine. A clean engine is always better for cooling. Dirt will form an insulating layer and the wind chill will be useless.
First thing to consider when having an old air cooled bike.

Edit: Your videos are always good. It's always like having an old biker sharing the experience with you while you're at the gas station or on a viewpoint.

[goranmagic]

I have both, low and high fender, and I have fender on rear wheel as well on yamaha xt660r, best bike ever!

[ddbs]

Thanks Pavlin, you tell it like it is. In my place, 99% people who put high fenders do it to look cool. But without function & it ends up looking ugly on bikes it was not designed for. For that matter, many people don't think about what bike they need, when they go & buy

[bruceparr]

I currently run a low fender but many years ago I was riding through deep sand when the front wheel picked up a rock about the size of a large cucumber which travelled up the mudguard and locked the front wheel. Luckily the sand made for a soft landing. The rock was jammed in so tight I had to take the wheel off to remove the rock. These days I run the back of my front fender very close to the tyre but with an increasing gap towards the front.

[whitedrguy]

I must admit I have never had a problem with the high fender on my DR 650, but it does come with a high fender.

The thing I have noticed on some bikes with low fenders is the can crack at the mounts because the plastic they use is brittle where as high fenders are made of a more flexible plastic.

Each to his own I guess but I will stick with the high fender.

[bravobob]

Good video. My bike has a low fender (nx250) Once a small rock got picked up between some knobs then wedged between the tire and fender and sent me down.
Still prefer the low fender.

[SandraOrtmann]

Well, I actually like my fender the way it is (high). But sometimes I have to smile at that thing with heavy bikes. I just pulled out an old review and history of XTs. There the very last model was mentioned as too heavy and too weak. Nowadays, weak might be true (40 HP). But seems it got lighter over the years...180 kg fully loaded. And I want to thank you again for motivating me to get back in the saddle. Last weekend we did two short trips with the family. I took it slow because I did not want to go down that quick, but had boatloads of fun. My adventures might be tiny compared to yours, but I still enjoy them.

[pazo]

This time I have to disagree with you. I live in the centre of Spain and rising your low fender or upgrading it to a high one is a must if you want to enjoy off-roading in the wet seasons. Sticky mud and clay is something we have to tackle with here were I live, and blocking your front wheel and try to unblock it in the middle of nowhere to continue your way is quite a challenge.

[marshallfischer]

You really do need a great job. I appreciate that you represent adventure touring. Nothing teaches better than experience. And I'm willing to learn from yours.

[markjacobs]

My new Scrambler 12XE has the best of both. Low plastic rear with plenty of clearance and a high front made of aluminum. Looks good and I think will be functional. Totally agree with nobody riding a big bike in mud...I've never seen it either. I did wad up my KLR with a fork brace years ago though....

[kai-uweoch]

It’s simple: riding on mostly solid surfaceszlike pavement or gravel: low fender. Ride on sticky stuff: high fender. Even roads can make problems, like the canadisn Dempster Highway in rain. I was very glad my KLR650 had a high fender - a few days later I washed away several kilograms if clay from all over the bike. Simply setting a foot fown resulted on several cm of sticky clay on the soltes of my boot.

[d.Cog]

A lot of adv bikes now you can have both: the high fender and the hugger to stop the spray going all over your bike and you (some huggers better than others for this!)

[bartvanterheyden]

Hmmm i drive a '96 transalp and just broke my original front fender, riding offroad. I'm seriously considering putting a higher mounted fender on it. Just not sure if the original bracket is also a fork support?