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Thruxton R Fairing Questions

17K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  JCoyne77 
#1 ·
Hi All,

A few questions about the fairing (from the Race Kit) -thanks for your thoughts...

1. Does it provide any substantial wind protection? I'm not expecting it will turn it into a sport tourer, but really hoping it buffers the wind a bit from 80-100mph because I was fighting a bad headwind yesterday and it was pretty grueling for a long time.

2. What steps/mods (if any) are needed to mount it while keeping the stock bars rather than the clip ons? I know there was a link a while back about a German mechanic who did it successfully but my translation skills are a bit shaky as to what he actually had to do to get it to work.

3 If I'm thinking about replacing the front turn signals (not sure what brand, etc- so open to suggestions) is that something that I should do prior to adding the fairing?

Thanks,

SG
 
#2 ·
I have not tried out this particular fairing but the sport bikes I have had in the past did a good job at reducing wind buffeting, especially if you tucked in under the fairing a bit. Having a naked bike now has taken some getting use to. I avoid the interstate now like the plague lol.
 
#3 ·
With the stock bars in place the fairing goes on without any problem or special steps, in fact it is easier since you can ignore the first few pages of installation instructions which detail removal of stock bars and fitment of the low bars.
The fairing definitely helps reduce overall wind on the body.
I'll have a better knowledge of that four days from now after the first trip with the fairing fitted.

Glen
 
#9 ·
Any chance of a bar/fairing review in this thread after your trip? Include your height and weight for comparison too. Inquiring minds need to know. ;) Tall son will be getting his fairing installed in a week or two.
 
#5 ·
I think they say that purely for aesthetics. I had the fairing fitted on my bike with the bars in the stock position for a couple of weeks, and they functioned well without any clearance issues before and after installation. I have since installed the low clip-ons (originally just to satisfy my curiosity because it was already included in the kit) and wonder now why i didn't do it in the first place. Aesthetically they seem to look "right" in my opinion, but are also surprisingly more comfortable in that position.
 
#10 · (Edited by Moderator)
Sure.
The driver's license says 187cms and 106 kgs so I imagine that's fairly accurate. I'm arranged like this



I've left the stock bars on there for now.

I never experienced wind buffeting which the rider on the T100 (with Dart screen) complained of in one long stretch. I was surprised that both BMW riders also complained of the buffeting, especially given that these bikes have big wind screens and the RT has a giant fairing. The buffeting they were complaining of was from a head wind and I imagine it was shifting the BMWs around, bike not rider but also the rider in the case of the T100. I neglected to ask about this to clarify, because I never really felt any of it! I think this must have been due to the fairing doing it's job. With the fairing fitted the bike becomes one Slippery little Sam.
There is still plenty of wind coming over the screen and this is a good thing. I had no problem at all with wrist fatigue. At the end of each day I wanted to keep riding, even in the 100 degree heat.
I was worried heat off the engine might be a problem made worse by the fairing, but it seems unchanged. It is there and it is uncomfortable when riding slow thru town in that heat, but fortunately we did very little of that. The full fairinged Daytona is worse for heat, the fully aircooled open bikes are probably a bit better.
Overall I'm thinking that the fairing reduces rider fatigue and probably adds a few MPH top speed plus a mile or two per gallon. It has to make the bike slide thru the wind better.
More than anything though, it really completes the overall appearance of the bike. The bike looks like it was designed to have the fairing.

Glen
 
#13 ·
Just installed the fairing and kept the stock handlebars and couldn't be happier with the result. I'm 6'1, 175lbs and the fairing has done exactly what I had hoped it would as far as buffeting the wind from 80-110mph. Getting up to speed requires less effort and staying there is much more comfortable. Usually, after about 40 minutes on the highway at those speeds I'm ready for a break but not anymore. Along with the updated map tune (which seems to take some of the erratic low speed fueling out) this is the finally the bike that I had dreamed of when I first saw it in Oct. I had always planned to install the fairing, but after riding it without -the naked bike aspect really grew on me over the last few months, but now I think it really sets this bike apart from everything else in a very cool unique way. In the words of The Dude- "the fairing really ties the bike together".
 
#22 ·
After putting the fairing on, there seems to be a noticeable increase in the heat coming from the engine, and specifically a much hotter seat. My guess is that the airflow is decreased a bit in the front so the engine gets hotter. Hard to tell what's happening but much worse around town at lower speeds. The cooling fan seems to come on a lot more as well, but it's been very hot here lately, and I've been running it on the highway pretty good so that doesn't help things either.
 
#23 ·
It might just be the change to hotter weather. These watercooled bikes do kick out a lot of heat. My Daytona 955i with the full fairings is a warmer ride than this Thrux R with it's quarter fairing.
The bottom of the Thrux fairing is above the level of the top of the engine, so if anything it ought to direct even more air past the engine for better cooling.

Glen
 
#25 ·
Hi All,

A few questions about the fairing (from the Race Kit) -thanks for your thoughts...

1. Does it provide any substantial wind protection? I'm not expecting it will turn it into a sport tourer, but really hoping it buffers the wind a bit from 80-100mph because I was fighting a bad headwind yesterday and it was pretty grueling for a long time.

2. What steps/mods (if any) are needed to mount it while keeping the stock bars rather than the clip ons? I know there was a link a while back about a German mechanic who did it successfully but my translation skills are a bit shaky as to what he actually had to do to get it to work.

3 If I'm thinking about replacing the front turn signals (not sure what brand, etc- so open to suggestions) is that something that I should do prior to adding the fairing?

Thanks,

SG
 
#26 ·
I just got the fairing installed. It does make a big difference north of 80mph. I do a bit of freeway riding on my thrux, and always felt like I was in a fight over 80. With the fairing, and a good, low tuck, it make a huge difference, much more pleasurable, but getting that low for me 6'2", isn' the most comfy for long periods.

As to the install, the guys at Moto Republic in Eagle Rock, CA did it, and struggled with it, instructions are vague and they did have to lower the clip ons a little, but not so much it's changed the bike to ride at all for me.

That said, the difference at high speed is profound, and the stability of the bike is improved too. It wasn't cheap (labor for 3 hours, and the cost of the parts (eBay)) but well worth it when you look at the speedo, and realize you're doing a ton, and you're not being punched in the chest by the wind.
 
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