GSXR Track Build

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...

Street fight that bad boy! Got to admit, a street fighter is so much more "me".

  Loving the idea of the camer mounting, too. When's your first track day? 

Yeah so tempting, does look the nuts. I haven't booked up any track days yet as

a) No idea when I'd get the trailer, fairings (which had a finger-in-the-air lead time), painting etc done
b) Bike track days rarely fill up, especially this time of year

Plan is to get the bike done, then I'll just book some up last minute. Probably do Brands or Snett first as they're my "locals". Need to get a bit of practise getting it onto the trailer and driving with it, too. 

This is my first noddy Photoshop of an idea I think I like. You can't really see it in the photos but the fibreglass has a very rough finish with plenty of blemishes and dents just due to the nature of what it is; also, I'm not very good at painting and it'll just be a rattle-can job, so the idea is to cover up the majority of it with a load of stickers I've bought off eBay. 

It's a shitty Photoshop, and I'm sure the actual bike will look far worse. But it's a start.

And in case anyone wants to know, the fairings were made by NPS Plastics in Blackpool, seller csuk2013 on eBay. Very nice bloke who was happy to talk through the details on the phone, gave me realistic estimates for delivery time (as they're made to order) and then still got them to me early. Very impressed. 

Have you got a compressor? You can get guns very cheap, that'd do a much better job than a can. If you do use cans, make sure you use a 2k clear coat (and where a mask, it's fucking lethal), as it's much tougher and will give a better finish. In sure you know this, though. 

No compressor, I've thought about it a few times but just can't justify the cost. Tbh with the nature of what it's for I'm not all that bothered about the finish, I'd leave it unfinished if it weren't so prone to dirt. 

Also, I like having lungs that work. I'd be wearing more than a dust mask if I were using 2k paints. 

Oh, and obviously I had to do this when it all turned up in the post. 

After a quick trip to Halfords (not fun on a Sunday), I now have everything rubbed down, cleaned and a first coat of primer on. Fortunately, a chair makes a perfect stand for the front fairing. 

When are you getting a new tank?

Picking up one off these bad boys in the morning. 

Good cause there's no point saving you fairings if your tank is fubared.

True, I'm kinda going on the basis that if the tank is fucked I've probably got bigger issues than scratched fairings. 

Not really all it takes is to hit the curb wrong! My mate dented his tank and frame on his zx6r in a crash that hardly touched his fairing!

i don't run any different stuff on my on track as I'm prepared to write it off should it happen.

Yeah I'm fully prepared to destroy the bike, no point taking a bike on track if you're not. All I want to avoid is doing a grand's worth of fairing damage with a basic drop-and-skid crash, where the bike is otherwise fine. Subframes and bits are easier to come by than the red and white fairings. I guess I could play with tanks, but I really want to be able to switch the bike back to its road guise as soon as possible.