EX500 Storage Tray mod

I was tired of having to carry the Icon bag for every little thing, so decided to make use of the wasted space under the seat. I had no problem getting rid of hte inner fender as it was trashed anyway, from the previous owner's time. I did not plan this out well enough, and as with most mods, there is a tradeoff (more later), but it's all nothing compared to the fact that I now always have a tool kit, tire gauge, ear plugs, and a rain jacket on the bike - with a little room left over for more stuff.

Tools and materials: besides a couple of basic tools, you'll need tin snips and a drill, plus zip ties and sheet metal. I bought the wrong thickness of metal; at 18 gauge, it was hard to cut and bend into shape. Go for something lighter.

You'll need to remove this fender, found under the seat. My airbox is long gone, so the only bolts I could find that I needed to remove were at the back, close to the seat latch. There's one on either side. You'll need an open-end wrench to get to them. If I remember correctly, they were 10mm bolts.

There is also a wire loom toward the rear left side of the fender, on top. Pull it out of the hole and set it aside.

This is the view you should have after removing the fender. Meausure the space between the two seat brackets on the frame (toward the center). I didn't do this and regretted it later.

NOTE: See the open area between the rear plastic cap (under the seat latch) and support right before the battery? The tray should cover this space.

Use that measurement to determine the width you'll need, so you can bend the side of the sheet metal.

Now take the sheet back to the bike, make sure it fits between the frame rails, and mark the point where the main fold should be. Ideally, this bend should make for a one or two inch wall - one end of the tray. The other end should be about the same height, but we'll get to that in a moment.

Now cut into the marks you made, so you can fold metal into the bend shown.

This was a preliminary version, front end is to the left in the photo- what you need to copy: the main bend at the back. This will go under the plastic cap, forming a "closed" end; also, the holes in the walls. Space them out by stuffing the tray back into the frame, and marking points where you'll be able to attach th zip ties without interfering with anything. Drill the holes a little bigger than your chosen size of zip tie.

What you DON'T need to copy: you'll need to trim the front end to match the height of the other walls. I was hoping to add a little more depth to the tray by leaving more metal, but it didn't work out; cut off those "ears" at the back. You won't need them. Just leave a little extra metal there when you're cutting.