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5 Must See Motorcycle Fairing Customizations

Carbon Fibre Fairings

This is the must have material for fairings. It’s light, strong and looks awesome. Most race bikes these days use carbon fibre due to its weight, but people put it on their road bikes because, well, it looks amazing. Now carbon fibre is nice in small amounts, but covering your whole bike with it sometimes looks a bit silly. In my opinion change a few parts, your rear hugger, your indicators, maybe some other small bits, but not the whole bike. Also you need to consider whether you’re going to buy real carbon fibre, or whether you will wrap your bike. Vinyl wrapping with carbon fibre is cheaper, but unless done well, will ruin the look of your bike.

Race Replica Fairings


Have you ever thought that your plain black Fireblade or R1 just simply isn’t flashy enough? Change the look of your fairings to match your favourite Moto GP race bike, or even choose your favourite childhood racer’s colours. Make your bike your own, don’t feel like you have to stick with the same old boring colours that the factory spits out, and if you’re worried about resale value, then why not keep your old fairings? Wrap them up safe for when you sell the bike on, or in case you damage your new fairings. Remember, everyone loves a decent race replica.

Decals


These have long been an easy way to spruce up your tired looking bike for pennies. The good thing about decals is they can be removed and if they start to look tatty, you can just replace them. Some people even go as far as ‘sticker bombing’ their bike. If you want your decals to last as long as possible, make sure you follow the guidelines on applying the stickers. If there are none, make sure you clean and dry the spot you wish to apply the decal, and make sure to remove all bubbles from under the decal. To make them last even longer, spray over the decal with some clear lacquer, this will help make it resistant to petrol as well.

Vinyl Wraps

This is a cheap way of changing the entire colour scheme of your bike, or even just one or two panels that have been damaged. The wraps come in many different colours and designs and are easily applied to your motorcycle. However, if done improperly they will not look very good. A main advantage of vinyl wraps is that they can be removed, and will somewhat protect your original paintwork from the elements.

Removal of Fairings

The naked bike is very popular at the moment, but if you can’t afford to change your bike, why not remove some of the fairings? The good thing about this modification is that your can play around with the look of your bike very easily and get it the way you want. If you don’t like the new look, or want to go back, simply just screw your old fairings back in place!

5 Things You Didn’t Know About CBR Motorcycle Fairings

  1. The First Honda CBR was Designed by Tadao Baba
    The Honda CBR900RR Fireblade was the first CBR bike in the range, designed in 1992 by the famous Honda designer, Tadao Baba. Baba was given the task of creating the ultimate superbike. He started off with choosing a weight of 192kg, and original plans were to use the 750cc engine from previous Honda models. Baba made a commotion with other designers as he tried to stick to this weight; this meant redesigning parts rather than using old ones. Later on they decided to put an 893cc engine in the 900RR, making it lighter than an existing 750cc, but more powerful. The CBR900RR made a new baseline for sports bikes and was so far ahead of its time that it can still keep up with the newer sports bikes.
  1. Stock Honda Fairings Require a Certain Repair Products, Made by 3M

Due to the secret composition of Honda’s fairings, most products used to repair ordinary ABS fairings will not work properly due to the composition of the plastic. Therefore, when working on your original fairings, ensure that you contact 3M and verify that you are using the correct products, as using incorrect ones could damage your fairings. If you have aftermarket fairings that are made from ABS you do not require special products, as long as they are suitable for ABS.

  1. Most CBR Fairings Will Fit on Previous Models
    Over the years CBR fairings have changed shape quite a bit, thus changing the overall shape of the bike. However, the frames haven’t changed that much and this is what the fairings fit onto. It is actually possible to fit aftermarket fairings from later models onto their predecessors, usually with not much work. Within some models the aftermarket fairings will simply fit onto the existing frame, however, in some cases, it may be necessary to change other parts to match, or buy undrilled fairings, so that the holes are guaranteed to line up.
  1. The Aerodynamics in the late CBR Models Come From Honda’s GP Race Development Team
    This isn’t much of a surprise, but the aerodynamics that are used to perfect the fairings in Honda’s Moto GP bikes, has filtered down through the designers to the latest models to make them as aerodynamic and stable as possible at high speeds. Think about it, if a bike that’s going over 200mph can still be stable, so can yours. Also it makes the road legal versions look super cool when you’re driving down the road, especially when the bike is a race replica.
  1. When Fairings are Made, They Don’t Need to be Sanded Before Painting
    When fairings are first made the plastic that has been used has not been previously treated, therefore leaving a blank canvas. All the factory needs to do to paint these fairings is use an etching primer. This primer wears away the surface of the material, like you would by sanding your fairings. Therefore, creating the surface needed for the next few layers of paint. This reduces costs and labour, as less time is needed to paint the fairings.

Removing and Replacing Honda CBR 1000RR Fairings

Removal and replacement of the Honda CBR Fairings can be done very easily. This guide is to help you with the removal of the fairings, to make it seem like a less daunting task.

To remove the Honda CBR fairings, start by removing the two hex bolts on either side of the lower fairing with an allen key. Once all four bolts are removed the fairings may be removed by pushing it towards the rear of the bike.

To remove the main fairings, the nose cone cover above the front fender. Removing the plastic rivets does this. Use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the rivet in the middle, and either side, this panel can then be removed. This will then give you access to the fixings for the main fairings.  There are then two screws on the inside of the main fairings, one near the bottom, and one near the top. These need to be removed. Then remove the allen bolt on the outer side of each fairing and the one by the handlebars. Finally, remove the screws on the inside of the panels on each side, and then the fairings can be removed.

To remove the nose cone, first undo all of the bolts holding the windscreen in place, and remove the mirrors, ensuring they are disconnected. Then remove the bolts holding the speedometer. Once these have all been removed you can pull the nose cone away. To replace the nose cone ensure you remove all of the fittings inside of them, and transfer them to the new one.

To remove the tail, start by removing the pillion and rider seats. Once this is complete you need to remove the seat strap and the four bolts on top of the rear seat panel. Then the seat panel can be removed by sliding it towards the rear. Once this is complete, unplug the indicators, rear light and number plate light. Then you can remove the rear light by undoing the two screws holding it in place. Once this is done, remove the four M5 allen bolts and remove the under tray. There is then two Phillips screws holding the inner tool tray in place. Once this is done, you can remove the tail unit by pulling it towards the rear of the bike.

To remove the rear hugger, simply undo the hex bolts, including the one under the rear shock absorber and slide it towards the rear of the bike, this will release it from the bike. To remove the front fender, undo the 6 bolts holding it in place, it can then be slid out between the forks. There is no need for the removal of the front wheel. 

Congratulations! You have now removed your old fairings. Take care when installing your new Monster Fairings and I suggest you lay your old fairings out against your new ones to ensure they are correct before installing, but also to ensure any fixings and fittings that need to be transferred are done at this point to save you more work along the way. Good luck!

How to store your motorcycle for the next season

There are several things you can do to make sure your motorcycle is ready for the new season in the best condition possible. This however, requires you to perform a couple of hours maintenance before you put your baby down for winter. In this article I will go over how to make sure everything runs smoothly when the weather starts to warm up again.

Firstly, you need to make sure you have to right supplies for the job. You’re going to need the following:

  • A battery charger that can be safely used for the length of time you are storing the motorcycle.
  • Cleaning supplies including bike cleaner and paint wax, engine cleaner, degreaser, chain cleaner, chain lube/wax, ACF-50, WD-40 and the necessary cleaning tools.
  • Fuel cleaning additive and stabilizer, this is to ensure the fuel lasts the winter.
  • A bike cover, even if the bike is being stored in a garage.
  • Oil and a new oil filter, for best results use an engine cleaner that can be added to your oil before you perform the oil change.
  • Brake fluid and clutch fluid.
  • Coolant
  • If you don’t have a center stand, paddock stands can be useful to lift your tires off the ground to prevent damage.

The first step you will need to do is to prepare your engine for storage. Use a fuel-cleaning additive to clean out your carbs or fuel injectors as per the instructions. This will make sure your engine is in tiptop condition. After this, either empty your fuel tank or run the engine till you are out of fuel. Then fill the tank up with new fuel and add a fuel stabilizer as per the instructions.

The next step is your oil, if possible, add an oil cleaning additive as per the instructions before you perform your full oil change, including the filter. If storing the bike for longer periods (i.e. over six months) remove the spark plugs and pour a table spoon of fresh engine oil inside, then turn the engine over a few times before replacing the spark plugs to spread the oil around, this will ensure your piston and cylinder rings don’t seize. Also ensure you change your brake fluid and clutch fluid at this point and bleed the entire system, as any moisture that may have got in could damage the system. Finally, change your coolant, as old coolant can form deposits within the engine.

Your next task is to clean the bike. You need to make sure than the bike is cleaned and dried entirely, as any moisture left on the bike can cause rusting. If you can, remove any fairings you may have and clean these separately. While you have them off make sure you give the engine a good scrub. Once you have dried the bike, give any metal parts a good spray with ACF-50 to prevent corrosion. Make sure you give the chain a good clean and lube so that it doesn’t corrode while in storage. Finally, apply some wax to your paintwork to keep it in the best condition possible.

One of the last steps is to connect up your battery charger. This can either be done whilst in the bike, or removed from the bike. If you have an acid battery, make sure the cells are topped up. Some battery chargers are able to recondition low batteries, so can be useful throughout the year, not just for storage. 

Finally, ensure your bike is in a safe place, if possible, using a center stand, paddock stands, or even blocks of wood, raise your tires off the ground to alleviate stress on the tires and suspension, also make sure your tires are at the correct pressure, as low temperatures can change the pressure in the tires. Then put your cover over the bike and say goodbye until next year. 

Must Have Motorcycle Fairing Kits

Fairing kits come in many different designs. Whether you want to turn you bike into a café racer, a street bike or even strip it down so it’s naked, there is still a need to consider your fairings. Another reason you would need a fairing kit is if you use your bike on track days a lot, or if you ride it everyday. This guide should help you to choose the latest and greatest of fairing kits available, and help you on your path to bringing your bike back to life.

The latest must have fairing kits for track riders are made from Carbon Fibre. Known in the trade as Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP), this material is the latest in making your fairings as strong and as light as possible. The aesthetics of carbon fibre fairings are also beautiful. They can be painted like normal fairings in the same way you would paint fiberglass fairings, but to be honest, they are so beautiful; you may just want to keep them free from paint. 

However, most of you will be after ABS fairings, and this will be the majority of the fairings I will talk about. These fairings are what comes as standard on your bike. They are strong and not too heavy. Plus they’re also easy to fix should they break. 

Most fairing kits come in race colours, this is the mainly for the supersport bikes as people are after a way to make their bike stand out, and what’s better than making it look like your favourite MOTOGP bike? These will be the must have for people that are not looking for something to make their bike lighter and faster, but to improve how it looks, maybe if you have a few broken fairings after an accident, or your paint has deteriorated over time. This is the way to go to spruce up your bike for the summer.

The next lot of fairings I will be talking about is the new, all the rage matt coloured fairings. These are becoming more and more standard on newer bikes due to advances in paint over the past few years. These fairings look very nice on all bikes, and may even be a way to bring your older bike into the 21st century. These can even be used to replace your old, heavy dustbin fairings.

Finally, if a whole fairing kit is out of your price range, a good choice for upgrading your bike is using an LED lighting kit. These can be home made and consist of waterproof LED strips, but these fairing lighting kits can make quite a difference to your bike. There are kits available online that can even be controlled by your phone using Bluetooth. This gives your bike a sense of colour at night, and can make you stand out more when out at night. Though do make sure if using them on the road that the law is abided by, as each country and in the US each state has different laws surrounding the colour of light you may display while on public roads.