Here’s a longish video explaining how you might bend up some stainless steel rod to make fender struts. A similar process could be used to make a sissy bar on a chopper or bobber.

Supplies needed:

1. Stainless steel round bar for the struts (I used 6mm for this project, I’d use 10mm or 12mm for a sissy bar on a chopper).
2. Stainless steel flat bar to fashion some mounting points (I used some 6 x 30mm flat bar).
3. Welding wire to make templates of the strut shapes quickly and cheaply.
4. Tape for masking/protecting bike surfaces.
5. Piece of tube, approximately 10mm in diameter, to act as a spacer on the tyre to hold the strut/fender at the correct height off the tyre.

Tools needed:

1. Measure and marking gear (rulers, tapes, Sharpies, acetone for cleaning)
2. Angle grinder for cutting and shaping
3. Welding machine – I used MIG to weld the former pieces to my bench, and TIG to weld the struts to their mounting points
4. Oxy/Acetylene heating set to heat the bar for bending
5. Files and a Dremel for shaping and forming the mounting points
6. Buffing wheels and polishing compounds (check my article+video on polishing metal)

Got any questions? Just send me an email and ask.