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Cafe anyone?

  • Thread starter Thread starter germanicus
  • Start date Start date
I have a question for you people with quarter fairings: do they work worth a darn? I mean, do they block any air, or are they only effective when you're fully tucked?
Thanks
 
I have a question for you people with quarter fairings: do they work worth a darn? I mean, do they block any air, or are they only effective when you're fully tucked?
Thanks

They work very well, tucked or no. Not like a real Goldwing type faring of course, but they do a lot more then it looks like they could. What still gets you with the 1/4 faring is your arms. The wind pulls at my sleeves pretty badly. Much worse then the Honda Shadow I got to ride recently with a full Memphis Shades windshield. That thing was like riding behind a barn door.....
 
hmm, I may have to pick one of these up before my trip to the Black Hills next weekend...
 
I have a question for you people with quarter fairings: do they work worth a darn? I mean, do they block any air, or are they only effective when you're fully tucked?
Thanks
Heck yeah, they work. As already mentioned, it obviously doesn't provide the protection of a full fairing, but it punches a hole in the wind nicely and creates a little personal environment bubble.
 
Windjammer to cafe conversion

Windjammer to cafe conversion

It can be difficult deciding on a balance between comfort vs. wind resistance (drag). The big old Windjammers afford alot of comfort while riding but cut down on overall performance. I just removed a Vetter WindJammer III of my 850G and replaced it with a teardrop "cafe" style. Though it really kept the wind off, I was glad to see the 'Jammer go. It really added to the overall drag on the bike and with the side covers on, I don't think the bike was cooling properly. I remember riding on a particularly hot day and feeling the heat building up behind the fairing- While it was moving down the highway. Plus the weight. The thing weighed 45 pounds (with the mounting brackets and hardware)! The new cafe fairing is super light and though it affords much less wind protection (arms still catch the ocassional bug) it does give the bike a little more streamlining than if it had nothing. As well, I converted to clubman handlebars which sit much lower and closer to the tank. In my opinion the bike looks better, performs better, and really benefitted from the refit.
 
Both my bikes have factory fairings.
The 1000S has a "cafe" or 1/4 fairing.
Yes it punches a hole. My head, elbows and thighs are what get a blast.
The center or core of my body stays out of the wind.
When I had a GS1100E, my wife would comment on the wind blast, lack of fairing.
On the Triumph it's a little bigger and more out front.
The S is bolted directly to the forks.
The Sprint is frame mounted and is more out over the wheel.
It blocks a little more air.

So to answer your question, yes it will block some, not all the air
like a Windjammer. Also it's not as affected by side winds or cross winds.
 
I have a question for you people with quarter fairings: do they work worth a darn? I mean, do they block any air, or are they only effective when you're fully tucked?
Thanks

On my bike the quarter fairing definately works. I rode the bike before I put the fairing on and it's like night and day. Tucked you don't get any air at all, I've been above (an indicated) 120mph on my bike and it's quite peaceful behind the fairing. I like to ride with my eyeline just above the windscreen and I only get air on my arms and legs. The air just passes over my helmet.

Even sitting up, it's nice because I'm not getting blasted in the chest by the oncoming air, like I get when I'm on my cruiser.
 
Yep the 1/4 fairing does make a difference. My E does not have in one and the wife's does. Biiiiig difference at any speed over say 60.
 
Well that's great to hear. I picked up a 1/4 fairing yesterday, and am mounting it today, along with fixing a gas leak. I'll be sure to post pictures when it's mounted and ready to go.
 
On my bike the quarter fairing definately works. I rode the bike before I put the fairing on and it's like night and day. Tucked you don't get any air at all, I've been above (an indicated) 120mph on my bike and it's quite peaceful behind the fairing. I like to ride with my eyeline just above the windscreen and I only get air on my arms and legs. The air just passes over my helmet.

Even sitting up, it's nice because I'm not getting blasted in the chest by the oncoming air, like I get when I'm on my cruiser.


Baelzbub: I guess you gat that low riding position thanks to the clubmans. Where did you get them?
Are they OK without rearsets? OK on your wrists?
 
I moved the footpegs back about 2", but it would definately be better with rearsets. I was thinking of fabbing something up this winter.

The clubman's I bought online somewhere, I can't remember where at the moment, but the "U" portion is actually too narrow - the extreme angle of the bars in those pics is because the bars would not rotate any more. I had to cut the bars in half and weld in about a 1.5" portion from old handlebars so the bars would clear the top triple tree.

Right now, I've got the bars in a much better position, but my wrists do get sore every once in a while.

Here's a more recent pic: (click to enlarge)
 
Nothing fancy, just like this:

footpeg.jpg


What I'd really like to do is move it back about 6" from stock and flip/shorten the shifter (and in the process get the 4-down/1-up shift pattern).
 
Nothing fancy, just like this:

footpeg.jpg


What I'd really like to do is move it back about 6" from stock and flip/shorten the shifter (and in the process get the 4-down/1-up shift pattern).


Ack its true, all us GS'rs have a screw loose :)
 
R U referring to the pin in my shifter?
Yep, that's after losing TWO shifters in one week!

Turns out the previous owner must have had the same type of problem and used vice grips or something to get home because the teeth on the shaft are all munged up, allowing the shifter to slide off no matter how tight the set screw is. Of course, this only happened to me while I was accelerating rapidly and in traffic.

So now, I've drilled and pinned that sucker so it's only coming off when I WANT it to!

LOL
 
Heh, no it looks like you are missing a case screw right over the shifter :) I need to replace one of mine too.
 
Nothing fancy, just like this:

footpeg.jpg


What I'd really like to do is move it back about 6" from stock and flip/shorten the shifter (and in the process get the 4-down/1-up shift pattern).
couldn't you swap the pegs L/R to offset the pegs more to the rear with the stock setup? those stock pegs are both spaced the same so who couldn't you just swap them so instead of the "L" in the mounting bracket facing forward, you would have it face backward and move the pegs back another ~2" ?
I know the pegs may fold funny then, but who cares really?
if it really bugged you, they're probably far enough back to to not interfear with the kick start, so you could just pin them in place in a fixed possition.

if you try it, let us know how it works out. :D
 
Actually, swapping the L/R was my first idea. Took both of them off and, lo and behold, the spacing between the bolts was different!!! So they don't fit on the opposite sides.
:(

My bike doesn't have a kickstart, and I'm really bummed out about that.
:cry:

LOL - I guess I DO have a few screws loose!
\\:D/
 
Actually, swapping the L/R was my first idea. Took both of them off and, lo and behold, the spacing between the bolts was different!!! So they don't fit on the opposite sides.
:(

My bike doesn't have a kickstart, and I'm really bummed out about that.
:cry:

LOL - I guess I DO have a few screws loose!
so if those small brackets are just a plate (from what it looks like in the photos), swap the plates too and bolt them to the other side of the plate.
voilà! insta rear set pegs. :D

of course I could be missing something completely obvious if I was there in person, but in the arena of my mind it works perfectly! :lol:
 
A pic is hopefully worth 1,000 words so please excuse the rushed photochop:

footpeg2.jpg


I wouldn't have to swap anything, just make new plates - from the original mounting points to the passenger mounts. Then I could move the footpegs whereever I wanted and then I could flip/shorten the shifter.
\\:D/

Brake side, however would be more complicated... guess I should figure that out...
 
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