Triumphrat

oldyeller

I'm replacing a lower fairing on my 04 Daytona. The OE piece has foam panels glued to the inside surface. The new part did not come with these.

I assume they are just there to reduce noise to help the bike meet the noise limits, as the foam does not look like it would be particularly heat-resistant. Can anyone confirm that? I don't want the expensive new fairing piece to melt for lack of the foam.

triumphtimes

Noise is correct and just to confirm your question, I replaced my left side fairing and it also did not have the foam and that was about 10,000 miles ago and no ill effects.

TT

oldyeller

Thanks, triumphtimes. I decided to call the dealer who got it for me, and they said it was to prevent heat from fading the paint, but I think they were just guessing, and I don't really buy that. The foam itself looks like it would melt if exposed to much heat. Don't know why they don't ship the fairing with the foam on it, since it comes painted and decaled and ready to go otherwise.

triumphtimes

I guess it could be for the paint fade, but mine sure looks the same color everywhere. Do they even offer the foam for replacement and like you say why wouldn't it come already attached?

TT

oldyeller

I know they have to meet noise limits, which is one of the reasons they all switched to liquid cooling years ago. I feel pretty sure it was just an attempt to muffle the engine noise a little bit, but they probably don't have to worry about that once the bike is sold, so don't bother with it on the replacement parts. The dealer said it "had to be ordered separately". Nice of them not to mention that when I ordered the fairing. But then, they also insisted that the fairings come without the Daytona decal, and I would have to order one of those, but the piece arrived already decaled. I'm gonna forget about the foam. If the fairing melts, I'll just sue the b#$%*$#&!

HiDesert

I had exactly the same experience with the YZF I used to have. The original bodywork had foam inside, the replacement didn't. The lack of foam never caused any trouble.

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HiDesert's ride photos

fivehundo

The whole time I've had my bike, I never had the foam inside. Nothing happened to my fairing as a result of it not being there. My new bodywork does have it though, so I'll let you know if I notice any difference (although, I don't think I will).

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oldyeller

Fivehundo,

Are you talking about your Daytona? Are you saying it did not come with the foam when new? And you bought replacement fairing pieces that came with the foam? If so, that seems very odd to me.

Anyway, there seems to be a consensus that the foam is useless.

fivehundo

I'm not sure whether it didn't come with it or the previous owner removed it or bought new fairings. Either way, I rode the bike for about 12,000 miles with no foam in the fairing and nothing bad occured.

I was told by someone a while back that the foam was there to keep the paint from peeling if the headers got too hot.

...not sure how much truth is in that, but... FWIW.

__________________
"The Father wove the skein of your life a long time ago. Go and hide in a hole if you wish, but you won't live one instant longer. Your fate is fixed. Fear profits a man nothing." Herger the Joyous

GrayHarmon

The foam is for sound deadening but many fairings also have a heat shield down near the pipes. The heat shield is made of reflective foil combined with some sort of pad.