Changing Fairings | GTAMotorcycle.com

Changing Fairings

OmegaBravo7

OmegaBravo7

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How long does it take to change the fairings on a sportbike? Is it a DIY for the novice?

If it's preferable to take to the shop what price should I expect for the job?
 
No idea you provided basically no info...

What bike?
Your a novice rider but are you mechanically inclined? Or does even looking at a wrench cause you to breakout in hives? lol
 
I can take mine off and put them on in about 30 minutes. If it's your first time, it might take longer if you are trying to memorize/organize what screws and panels go where. It gets easier each time.
 
LOL @ hives! 30 min? Even an hour would be great. I'm mechanically inclined, yes. Looking at a wrench does not make me break out in hives. A screw driver however.... that's another story

Gixxer 750, cbr 900, or Yamaha r6. Fairings on bikes that are in not-so-great condition can be had for fairly low prices.
 
What fairings are you using to replace the originals, oem or aftermarket?
 
Aftermarket chinese fairings never fit properly and can take anywhere from 1-8 hours to install and even then they still won't be perfect
 
Do they both (OEM & Aftermarket) offer the same variety in selections?

The aftermarket ones go for about $550-$700. OEM is priced close to that? And I can't seem to locate websites offering OEM fairing
 
OmegaBravo7 said:
Do they both (OEM & Aftermarket) offer the same variety in selections?

The aftermarket ones go for about $550-$700. OEM is priced close to that? And I can't seem to locate websites offering OEM fairing
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No.

OEM are genuine fairings that were made by the manufacturer. They're going to come in whatever colours were available for the years they made your generation of bike. Buying a new set will probably cost more than your bike is worth, and that don't always include decals. If you just need one or two pieces, you might be able to justify it. You can sometimes find used, but it's hard to get a full set at a reasonable price, especially if you're going to be picky about colour.

Aftermarket is much more affordable. You can have a full set for somewhere around $500. They should be available in all the colours OEM are, plus a few more. They aren't the same quality as OEM fairings. Usually people say they aren't as thick. They're usually more brittle so they won't bend as much and will break easier. Depending on who specifically you buy them from, fitment is all over the place. Some people complain about not being able to get certain pieces on and breaking them. Other people have no problems and are very happy.

I'd suggest checking out a forum that's specific to the bike you're looking at. You should be able to find some guys who've bought them and get a referral to a "good" seller.
 
Should be well under an hour for most bikes, I would think.

I've only done it on a 650R and it was only like 10 bolts holding the front end on and 6 of those are just between the top and bottom fairings. That gets the headlights and turn signals off as well (they are attached to the front upper fairing which comes off as all one piece).
 
OmegaBravo7 said:
^ Looking at purchasing one of those
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OK, so why are you looking to change the fairings?

If you want to buy a pristine-looking bike, buy one. If you don't care, then buy a cheap one with cosmetic damage and just ride it. If you have visions of buying something cheap and fixing it up to be pristine, forget it because it will be cheaper to buy one that is already pristine. If you buy something cheap with the objective of making it pristine by using cheap parts, forget it, because the cheapness of poor quality will persist long after the low price has been forgotten.

It's different if you were looking at something rare-ish and you want to stash the unobtainable original parts away, or you want to build something customized (with the understanding that you are not going to recover what you spent on resale). But the bikes that you are looking at were built in huge quantities and are plentiful and relatively cheap. Just buy one that's in the condition that suits what you want ... Often you can find a good one for not much more than a basket case, in which case, it's worth paying the small extra price for the good one and forget about having to fix anything ...
 
Brian P said:
OK, so why are you looking to change the fairings?

If you want to buy a pristine-looking bike, buy one. If you don't care, then buy a cheap one with cosmetic damage and just ride it. If you have visions of buying something cheap and fixing it up to be pristine, forget it because it will be cheaper to buy one that is already pristine. If you buy something cheap with the objective of making it pristine by using cheap parts, forget it, because the cheapness of poor quality will persist long after the low price has been forgotten.

It's different if you were looking at something rare-ish and you want to stash the unobtainable original parts away, or you want to build something customized (with the understanding that you are not going to recover what you spent on resale). But the bikes that you are looking at were built in huge quantities and are plentiful and relatively cheap. Just buy one that's in the condition that suits what you want ... Often you can find a good one for not much more than a basket case, in which case, it's worth paying the small extra price for the good one and forget about having to fix anything ...
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Ha! Nicely done bro, pretty much summed it all up :thumbup:
 
OmegaBravo7 said:
Ha! Nicely done bro, pretty much summed it all up :thumbup:
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Yep, pretty much. It seems most guys that buy fairing kits are fixing up bikes they already own and have crashed. If you're factoring the cost of fairings into a bike before you've even bought it, it will have to be a really good deal. A lot of the time you could just take the money you're going to spend on them and buy a better bike. Usually if the fairings are in need of replacing, there are some other things that need work as well.
 
unL33T said:
Should be well under an hour for most bikes, I would think.

I've only done it on a 650R and it was only like 10 bolts holding the front end on and 6 of those are just between the top and bottom fairings. That gets the headlights and turn signals off as well (they are attached to the front upper fairing which comes off as all one piece).
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Any SS clad in plastic is definitely not going to take under an hour, more likely 8+. GSXR's are the lesser of the 4 evils, but the other 3, forget it, they all have multiple interlocking fairing parts which never fit properly. There will always be gaps too, keep that in mind, anywhere from 1-10mm in various places.
 
phil_si said:
Any SS clad in plastic is definitely not going to take under an hour, more likely 8+. GSXR's are the lesser of the 4 evils, but the other 3, forget it, they all have multiple interlocking fairing parts which never fit properly. There will always be gaps too, keep that in mind, anywhere from 1-10mm in various places.
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8 hours? Really?

My 300 is 90% plastic and nearly all of the panels overlap and interlock in one way or another... but I can still get it down to the bare frame in under an hour, easily.
 
OmegaBravo7 said:
Most of them say they are "replica" so, aftermarket.

What's the difference?
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The replica ones come in smaller pieces, more complicated to install, most times they don't fit properly. I wouldn't even try, if they are OEM then 30 min
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