So having decided that my bike was too pretty to "do an Andy" and mess it up by accident, I got me some fibreglass race fairings to go on the bike for when I do track days. The idea is to use the original fixings wherever possible, to make sure I can quickly swap it between road and track guises. Not interested in cutting any wires or altering anything, which shouldn't be a problem. So, original bike with its fragile and expensive ABS fairings and pricey lights.
First the "easy" bit - the tail. All original bits unbolt and unclip (was a lot easier once I figured out the secret to removing the Suzuki fairings clips - you push the little pin IN further rather than spending ages trying to remove them like I was), lights unplug, came off fairly easily. I do have a tail tidy to fit when I put its road bits back on, so I'll make sure I use all the original connectors.
The main complication with fibreglass is that they don't drill it for you, and there's a reasonable amount of give. Lots of trial and error is key, plenty of getting it into position, getting the seat on (this setup uses the original seat), making sure it's all lined up centrally, marking where it needs to be, then drilling and bolting). Nothing difficult, just requires patience if you want a good fit. The undertray is just self-tapped and cable-tied in place.
Next up, strip the front end. I actually quite like this Streetfighter look.
I thought this was going to be an absolute nightmare, but actually these fairings were a lot better made than I expected for the price. At first they seem woefully out just because nothing's lined up properly, once you get the first bolts in it all starts to make sense. Oh, and I need to get a photo of my genius solution for attaching them to the original mount points, I'm pretty pleased with that but can't get a picture until the fairings are back off.
Test fit:
Once all in place, took it back off and fitted the screen. This was a tricky one to get right as you can only get underneath to drill the holes with the fairing off the bike, but when not in place it's all very wobbly and moves a lot, so tricky to make sure you get the screen central and that the fairings are pulled to the right shape. Again, just patience. Oh, and the correct screen fixings.
Belly pan was fairly easy too, just self-tappers and bolts into a couple of original points.
The fairings are designed to go without a side stand but I don't even have friends let alone a race team, so I've had to butcher that in order to keep the bike up when I get to the pits. This will be tidied up later.
As most tracks are funny about having cameras on suction or clamp mounts, I decided to put in a couple of bolted-on GoPro mounts whilst I was here. When I've had them stuck to the screen before the vibration was unusably bad, so I've put in a couple of options. The first one is right in the middle for the best shot.
If it turns out there's too much vibration, there's a second point where the camera bolts right through the fairing and into the frame the mirrors attach to. Might be better, but due to the angle requires more adapters, which might just bring back the vibration.
The GoPro has a handy app so you can preview it on your phone to line it up, nifty.
Old bits, kept for road legality:
Bike as it is now:
And look at how freakin' organised I am with my nuts and bolts:
Now it's all fitted, I've ordered some M6 penny washers for a few places, and I'll be removing it all to prime and paint it up. Photoshops incoming...