Some questions about fitting race bodywork | GTAMotorcycle.com

Some questions about fitting race bodywork

Corsara

Corsara

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Tonight I decided to finally try the new squidskins bodywork for my bike. I spent the evening in the garage drinking very very old whiskey and listening to foreign radio under the pleasant heat coming from a small heater fan. I removed the OEM fairings, the nose (with the headlight and instruments cluster), the tail. Here are my questions, you shouldn't consider them stupid as there is a first time for everyone:

- With the help of masking tape, I can keep the new bodywork in place. However, it's difficult to determine the precise location to drill the holes, because I can't see from the "inside" to mark it, only the outside on the new body. Any tips that will increase my chance of success?

- Instruments panel: do you guys usually ride without one on your race bikes? I'd prefer to have it there for when there are fault codes, also I like looking at the tachometer needle jumping around with my peripheral vision. My upper fairing stay is stock (2003 gsxr 1000). Do I need to buy an aftermarket one in order to mount the instruments cluster? Can I get away with zip-ties or something like that?

Thanks in advance, you've been of a great help whenever I have questions.

EDIT: I found this racing fairing stay, maybe I should buy it? http://www.ebay.ca/itm/YOSHIMURA-SU...=item3a79be8c3c&vxp=mtr&_uhb=1#ht_8334wt_1938
 
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I've read you put the upper and lower together and move it till you find the right location where your belly pan won't hit anything and same with the upper. I believe you start with securing the upper (with the windscreen in) first and work down. I'm sure someone with more experience can confirm or correct me.

I don't think your bike will run without the gauges, the bodywork should fit around your oem fairing stay but the aftermarket one will crash much better and can be bent back into shape where as the oem being cast will just break.
 
Personally I would wait until I could get the garage warmer. Stuff is brittle in the cold. And maybe ask someone to help. Other than that "I'm not building a piano" goes thru my head a lot when I'm messing with the plastics. Close enough!

Stock stay is bulky and heavy, get an aftermarket one and keep the stock for your oops moments. Zip ties will work.

Make friends with a machinist is my best advice.
 
Attach a laser pointer to something sturdy beside the bike and aim it at the bolt hole you want to locate in the new stuff.(the oem stuff is off right now)Place the race stuff on the bike in the place you want it.The pointer is now marking your location to drill.Remember to check 2 or 3 times and drill once! After you crashed and repaired a few times it gets easier.
 
dricked said:
I don't think your bike will run without the gauges
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I don't know about a 2003 GSXR1000 but my 650R will happily run without gauges. I've ridden it with no front plastics at all, including the lights and gauges, twice.
 
There's more than a few YouTube videos on the subject, and I like the laser pointer idea.
 
Ok for drilling the holes I learned a great trick off of this forum or maybe somewhere else online (Was for cutting a hole for my frame sliders actually.

Get one of those lasers that have a stand. Remove all the bodywork and then aim the laser at the fairing bracket where the hardware will fix to. Then don't move the bike or the laser and reinstall the fairings and now the laser will be pointing to the location on your fairings that would correspond to the hole in the bracket for your hardware.

:agave:
 
Or if you have the time bring the bike to James ( i'm assuming you bought it from him) like i did, and he will install the upper and lower for only $25!! Best money ever spent and he doe's an excellent job;-)
 
meme said:
Personally I would wait until I could get the garage warmer. Stuff is brittle in the cold. And maybe ask someone to help. Other than that "I'm not building a piano" goes thru my head a lot when I'm messing with the plastics. Close enough!
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I am aware that the fiberglass is brittle in the cold, so I keep it in the basement where it's warm, then take it to the garage after the little heater fan had the chance to bring up the temp a bit. However, if it is on the bike and installed, it's fine to leave it in the cold, is that right? Danger is only when trying to fit it as it's bent and stretched around, correct? Or is it that fiberglass bodywork always have to be taken off and brought in during the winter?

Wingboy said:
Attach a laser pointer to something sturdy beside the bike and aim it at the bolt hole you want to locate in the new stuff.(the oem stuff is off right now)Place the race stuff on the bike in the place you want it.The pointer is now marking your location to drill.Remember to check 2 or 3 times and drill once! After you crashed and repaired a few times it gets easier.
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This is genius! Thank you!

Mr.Azim said:
I kept the instrument panel..... and my fairing stay is stock, and so is my spare.
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But the stock stay on my bike doesn't have a bracket for the instruments cluster, so I either need to fabricate something myself, or buy an aftermarket (which has many other advantages over the stock)..

sempre1 said:
Or if you have the time bring the bike to James ( i'm assuming you bought it from him) like i did, and he will install the upper and lower for only $25!! Best money ever spent and he doe's an excellent job;-)
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Yeah, I'd gladly do that, but it's kinda a long drive from here, not sure if I can find the time :(
 
Corsara said:
But the stock stay on my bike doesn't have a bracket for the instruments cluster, so I either need to fabricate something myself, or buy an aftermarket (which has many other advantages over the stock)..
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So where does it mount? I'm not familiar with GSXR's Guess you'll have to go aftermarket if that is the case.
 
I'm guessing it's the same as 600, where if you use the stock stay you will need to make big holes in the skin for the nubs that the mirrors mount to. It'll work but it makes removal and installs more of a pain forever.

You can zip-tie the cluster in or run without it, but that yosh piece looks like a pretty good deal.

Did the skins come with dzus setup between the upper and lower? I hear that's the hardest part, but I didn't get to try it on my used bodywork.
 
Aslan said:
I'm guessing it's the same as 600, where if you use the stock stay you will need to make big holes in the skin for the nubs that the mirrors mount to. It'll work but it makes removal and installs more of a pain forever.

You can zip-tie the cluster in or run without it, but that yosh piece looks like a pretty good deal.

Did the skins come with dzus setup between the upper and lower? I hear that's the hardest part, but I didn't get to try it on my used bodywork.
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James offered to put some other kind of fasteners---plates on the lower, so you use the stock screws to bolt the two parts together. Looks reasonable and easy to do, not much different than dzus other than the fact you need to use the hex key instead of your hands for the D-rings.

I still have so many things to buy at this point, I think I'm gonna try to fabricate some kind of bracket for the instruments...or order the yoshi stay, we'll see. I really didn't think about that before last night when I realized the instruments cluster is mounted to the headlight, lol

EDIT: regarding the stay, I'd better make my mind before I start drilling, lol
 
Should have bought at rack-prepped bike :p learn from my mistake $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

But I still love my bike... even more than before. But I'd sacrifice some love for money.
 
carboncat said:
post some pictures, normally the race bodywork has an indent of where to drill the holes.
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Too cold in the garage to torture the glass right now, but here are some pics of the stay and the lack of instruments cluster support...

2-2012-12-07123046.jpg


3-2012-12-07123115.jpg


1-2012-12-07123137.jpg
 
My bike maintenance last year was on hiatus from December to March :p cement flooring in the garage is colllllld

Looks like an aftermarket is your best choice. You could drill into the stock stay and make some mounting holes, BUT it would probably be demolish at the slightest impact. It took 4-5 tumbles in the grass to break my R6 stay. But my spare is an aftermarket one molded after the stock one (costs about 1/2 the price).
 
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