Scooter Butt - - Is there a Cure?

WingMan71

WingMan71

Joined
Jul 15, 2021
Messages
69
Location
Travelers Rest, SC
So, I love my new-to-me NT700V, however the back end is just wrong to me.

Yes, guys and gals, these are great bikes, but they sure look more like a scooter from the back than a motorcycle. It's really the only thing about this bike that I don't like.

To me what causes this is the huge black piece of plastic that runs from right under the tail light all the way to the bottom of the "fender". It's just too big and too monochrome looking. Plus the fender is really not a discrete piece unto its own, which doesn't help.

So, is there a cure for scooter butt look on our bikes? To answer that question, I did a bit of Photoshop work to break up that solid black piece with some body color to see it if would help. One "before" and two "after" pictures. (Not a Photoshop expert so this is the best I could do.)

First picture. Stock scooter butt:

NT700V Scooter Butt-1_Cropped.jpg

Second picture. Tried to paint just the "fender" with the body color. (Not great at this so go easy on me.) But, you get the idea.

NT700V Scooter Butt-1_Red Fender-2_Cropped.jpg

Third picture. Entire tail section under the license plate light painted body color.

NT700V Scooter Butt-1_Red Tail Section_Cropped.jpg

Again. Not good at this, so I couldn't add much contour to the section.

That said, I'm thinking this last example may be the way to go to eliminate scooter butt.

What do you think?
 
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Warren said:
Why fight it. It is what it is and what’s wrong with scooters anyway.
Click to expand...
Actually, my issue is two-fold. Not just the scooter look, but that the back end of the bike is incongruous with the rest of it.

It looks out of place to me, like an afterthought stuck on a bike with beautiful lines everywhere else.

As usual, YMMV.
 
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Mask it off and spray it with Plasti-Dip and see how you like it. If you do, it's An easy and cheap mod. If you don't, peel it off and go back to the drawing board. 😁
 
After almost 11 years I've grown accustomed to Traveller's derriere. If you think yours is big, you oughta see one with the large panniers! You never ride behind yerself anyway, just enjoy it!

Mike
 
You think the backend of an NT looks like a scooter? Take a look at the backend of a Honda Pacific Coast. Now, that looks like a scooter.
While riding my ‘98 PC800 one day, a kid in a car next to me at a stop light asked me “is that a scooter?”.
 
I wholeheartedly agree with the "Scooter Butt" observation. That rear design almost kept me from buying the NT! But it checked off so many other boxes that I went ahead with the purchase. I'm so glad that I did. If it's any consolation, it has grown on me over the years and I've come to terms with it. Oh sure, if you look at it straight on, it looks like scooter butt, but if you tilt your head ever so slightly, you will see it for what it is... an absolute beautiful and efficient design. ;)😃o_O
 
tawilke46 said:
You think the backend of an NT looks like a scooter? Take a look at the backend of a Honda Pacific Coast. Now, that looks like a scooter.
While riding my ‘98 PC800 one day, a kid in a car next to me at a stop light asked me “is that a scooter?”.
Click to expand...
Yup, a Pacific Coast has definitely got a bad case of Scooter Butt! One of the worst.

The NT700V is not even close to that bad, but I still think it could have been made to look much more like a motorcycle from the back.

It's really got nothing to do with the panniers, but rather that big black monolith looking piece of plastic from under the taillight to the bottom of the "fender". That thing needed to be busted up into two parts with the bottom part looking way more like a separate fender and painted to match the body panel color.
 
Personally I love the integrated look of the bike. The panniers don't look like they are floating in space, and everyone I've met have complimented the design. Of the three photos, I'd say the third looks like a great modification. Still integrated and subtle.

However, if you are going to remove the rear fender to do this, why not make the whole piece the body color? That would be a much easier task than masking a surface that is not entirely smooth and keeping the lines straight and not bleeding.
 
With your tiny license plates... 😏
I'd add a red cat-eye reflector underneath the LP...

The rear fender works in harsh weather, reducing spray on the rear of the NT (and the following motorcycles...)
 
I suppose you could carefully cut out the mudguard along the horizontal plane or "Y" in your last picture. You could round off the bottom and blend the right and left in with the panniers. I don't know how much that will change the "look" The 700NT is an extensively faired bike--and in that context, the stock look is consistent. Check out a Vincent "Black Prince"-- That looks scooterish-----and fast.
 
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