MKIII front fender rivets

I'd been on the road for five hours on the way home from Barber, it's dark and 'Pa' my trusty Norton is puling me along at 80+mph in the dark when I hit the mother of all pot-holes. It was so violent that it slammed my jaw shut so hard my teeth hurt, compressed my spine to the point of serious pain and jammed my helmet down onto my glasses which slid far down my nose. I immediately expected the bike to take a violent wobble and crash with a busted front tire but nothing happened. Ten minutes later I'm safely parked in my workshop with a cold beer in my hand.
On further examination I found that two, out of six, of the rivets securing the stainless steel front fender are broken off.
I'm thinking the pot-hole pushed the fork tubes up one faster or further then the other and the rivet blew their heads off. These would be the two left side rivets.
The problem is they are not listed in the parks book and using regular "pop" rivets is out of the question.
Does anyone have a recommended repair/replacement procedure for this?
Ride On
Dave

Dave

I just replaced my rivets with 1/4 - 28 SS button head Allen screws and i think they look better than the original rivets.

Dave (from Ohio too)

The Buckeye Rider said:

I'm thinking the pot-hole pushed the fork tubes up one faster or further then the other

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One slider should not be able to move further than the other as the front wheel spindle should hold them together. Check very carefully for misalignment and cracks around the pinch bolt area of slider. Are you sure the guard has not hit something at maximum travel (like bottom yoke) or it could just be such a hard knock flexed guard it's self.
Just goes to show how much punishment these bikes can take an not throw you off.

https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/shop/

Rivet-Front Mud Guard
Part #01.1697

From a previous L.A.B post of course

I formed one out of a SS bolt one time but it was a PITA to make and peen. This is probably the best solution

Pete

Thanks fella's.
I found some state side and they furnish them in aluminum that would make them easier to peen over. I can't imagine how hard it would be to do that to SS.
It seems mine are really hard to start with and have remained as shinny as my fender all of these years. That's why I assumed they were made of SS.
Ride On
Dave

drp said:

Dave

I just replaced my rivets with 1/4 - 28 SS button head Allen screws and i think they look better than the original rivets.

Dave (from Ohio too)

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Me too about 20 years ago. Also chromed the fender stays at the same time.

The fender repair job is complete and it looks like new again.
The fender itself had a few dents and scratches along with the two broken rivets so I completely disassembled it.
The stay and brace were media blasted and repainted.
The dents were removed with the help of a member of our local British bike club and his English Wheel, sand bag and body hammers. He let me do the work while he watched over my shoulder.
After what seemed like hours on the buffing wheel it was time for the rivet install.

A few weeks prior while hanging out at another club members garage I brought up the subject of installing rivets and the garage owner produced a set of 'Rivet Dies' for me to borrow.

The rivet installation was easier then anticipated. Back to the first garage and three club members got the job done. With the die held firmly in a vice one member located the fender/brace/rivet on the die while #2 held it steady and I using a large size hammer with a long solid steel drift pounded the rivet flat.
A minute or two on the buffing wheel and the rivets look as shiny as the S/S fender.
Ride On
Dave

drp said:

Dave

I just replaced my rivets with 1/4 - 28 SS button head Allen screws and i think they look better than the original rivets.

Dave (from Ohio too)

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The Titanic ('73 850) came with small (rusted) hex-head bolts and nuts attaching the stays, so I, too, replaced them with polished stainless. Then I read that rivets were the norm. I recently viewed 2 original '73 850s, one owned by the same person from new, and BOTH had bolted front mudguard stays. Were the rivets known for getting loose? Otherwise, why else would they have been replaced with bolts very early on, if not factory original? The Titanic and the nice consignment bike I saw f/s both have under 5K miles on the clock.
Anyone else have or laid eyes on an original '73 850 with bolted stays?

Danno said:

The Titanic ('73 850) came with small (rusted) hex-head bolts and nuts attaching the stays, so I, too, replaced them with polished stainless. Then I read that rivets were the norm. I recently viewed 2 original '73 850s, one owned by the same person from new, and BOTH had bolted front mudguard stays. Were the rivets known for getting loose? Otherwise, why else would they have been replaced with bolts very early on, if not factory original? The Titanic and the nice consignment bike I saw f/s both have under 5K miles on the clock.
Anyone else have or laid eyes on an original '73 850 with bolted stays?

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The stays are usually 'bolted' to the guard. It's the bridge that's 'riveted'.

https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/shop-drawing/192/front-fender-number-plate-and-seats

L.A.B. said:

The stays are usually 'bolted' to the guard. It's the bridge that's 'riveted'.

https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/shop-drawing/192/front-fender-number-plate-and-seats

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Correct as usual LAB. I've had my MKIII since new and the fender was/is riveted to the bridge and the stays are bolted.