Who said a Zephyr can't look good with a fairing?

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Freddy
Posts: 695
Joined: 06 Sep 2017, 11:06
Location: Sydney Australia

Who said a Zephyr can't look good with a fairing?

Post by Freddy »

As the title say's ..... who reckons a Zephyr can't look good with a bikini faring. People are paying $A18K for exactly that with the new RS Cafe.

Anyhow I think it looks cool, and is a keeper. Cost about $120 delivered to Australia from the USA. No mounting hardware but found it easy to make exactly what I needed. Just replaced the headlight mounting bolts with a longer set screw (a bolt threaded all the way), cut the head off, and welded a couple washers along it at the appropriate distance. Viola, a replacement headlight mounting bolt with a short threaded extension. A couple stainless flat washers, rubber washers, and dome nuts. Under the front bottom lip is a short strip of shaped and drilled thin aluminium bar bolted to the screen and the bottom headlight adjuster mounting bolt.

As for effectiveness I'd rate it a 6 or 7 out of 10. Not as effective as my butt ugly National Cycle Deflector touring screen, but can easily sit on 160 kph without feeling like your going to get sucked off the bike. Works WAY better than any of the several headlight mounted screens of various sizes I've tried over the years.

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Swampy
Posts: 323
Joined: 04 Sep 2017, 18:01

Re: Who said a Zephyr can't look good with a fairing?

Post by Swampy »

Sorry Freddy but it does nothing for me, but each to their own as they say :)
Swamps :)
andye
Posts: 71
Joined: 11 Sep 2017, 10:03
Location: Merseyside

Re: Who said a Zephyr can't look good with a fairing?

Post by andye »

I like it, it looks a bit like the ZRX fairing
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Eddie
Posts: 180
Joined: 28 Oct 2017, 19:46
Location: Reading Berkshire

Re: Who said a Zephyr can't look good with a fairing?

Post by Eddie »

Would look better without one in my eyes, but to be fair it's not bad I just think that a naked bike designed without a fairing looks better....without a fairing. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say :) and the world would be a dull place if we all liked the same things!!
92 Kawasaki Zephyr 1100
78 Kawasaki Z1000a2
10 KTM 990 SMT
76 Yamaha XT500 supermoto
80 Honda Z50R Monkey
Freddy
Posts: 695
Joined: 06 Sep 2017, 11:06
Location: Sydney Australia

Re: Who said a Zephyr can't look good with a fairing?

Post by Freddy »

Sometimes you have to be pragmatic. Bikes aren't just for looking at, they need to also be functional. Personally I find the wind pressure from riding a naked bike all day at high speed very tiring. Might not have been an issue when I was 20 years old, but 47 years latter it is. Actually painful as I tend to tense up in the shoulders and neck and end up with a stinking headache at the end of the day. And that's a typical day ride done most weekends, 52 weeks a year.

So its not a question of no screen, its a question of what screen actually works, but still looks ok. Without some sort of screen I would have sold the bike years ago and be ridding a really fuggly adventure bike, probably either an XR1000 or Superduke GT.
Freddy
Posts: 695
Joined: 06 Sep 2017, 11:06
Location: Sydney Australia

Re: Who said a Zephyr can't look good with a fairing?

Post by Freddy »

andye wrote:I like it, it looks a bit like the ZRX fairing
Thanks.

That's the irony, the ZXR is widely considered a classic, and style wise it is little other than a Zephyr 1100 with a added bikini faring. The only aesthetic difference to the one I've used was a rectangular headlight representing the broader trend at that time .....

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David Richard
Posts: 273
Joined: 04 Sep 2017, 20:21

Re: Who said a Zephyr can't look good with a fairing?

Post by David Richard »

hi freddy yes I think it complements the look its not to big ,I have a z1r and where that's a lot bigger because the fairing is fixed to the handlebars it does make a the steering a bit heavier when you push on a bit on some corners and also pushes the air up higher around the helmet which makes a fair bit of noise ,I have only seen a couple that would fit a zephyr but they are bigger than yours ,david
Freddy
Posts: 695
Joined: 06 Sep 2017, 11:06
Location: Sydney Australia

Re: Who said a Zephyr can't look good with a fairing?

Post by Freddy »

David Richard wrote:hi freddy yes I think it complements the look its not to big ,I have a z1r and where that's a lot bigger because the fairing is fixed to the handlebars it does make a the steering a bit heavier when you push on a bit on some corners and also pushes the air up higher around the helmet which makes a fair bit of noise ,I have only seen a couple that would fit a zephyr but they are bigger than yours ,david
Hi David,
After playing around with the rake angle of the screen I'm more than happy with how it performs. Surprising how much just a few degrees difference makes.

As its still Winter here at the moment (and a 4 day tour coming up in a couple weeks time) I plan to stick with my touring screen till the weather warms up a bit. This Saturday's ride is West of the mountains behind Sydney and light snow at this time of the year is possible.

Do you wear eye plugs? I had a custom set made up and found they silence the screen wind noise quite effectively. I tried the generic plugs but could never get them to fit properly. That the big advantage I find with the customer plugs molded to your ears. Go in easy, and stay put.
andye
Posts: 71
Joined: 11 Sep 2017, 10:03
Location: Merseyside

Re: Who said a Zephyr can't look good with a fairing?

Post by andye »

I used to wear eye plugs, but had to stop because I kept crashing in to things :D


Sorry, Couldn't resist.
David Richard
Posts: 273
Joined: 04 Sep 2017, 20:21

Re: Who said a Zephyr can't look good with a fairing?

Post by David Richard »

Hi yes I have tried 2 sorts now and both didn't work that's a good idea it would be much more enjoyable I will look into it ,and my 750 has been behaving it self and not shorting out front brake light switches ,thanks david
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