Fall clothes for the '81

[montmil]

Last October, almost a year ago, Bengt Phorqs and I ventured to the Barber Motorsports facility outside Birmingham, Alabama, for their annual Vintage Festival and the AHRMA road races. Huge swap meet on the grounds kept us both well occupied while lightening the wallets.

One of the trickets I hauled home was a brand new Maier cafe fairing complete with all the mounting hardware. Thirty bucks was the adoption fee.

The factory Maier hardware provided was unworthy of a BMW, IMHO. As such, installation was delayed for several mounts while I "thunk" about a better way for the install.

By this September, I decided to either git 'er done or forget the whole deal. Cooler weather may arrive before too much longer, I hope.

Started with 3/4-inch wide strips of file folder stock -bending the required angular turns to run from the deleted headlight bracket's tapped holes in the upper triple clamp to the existing mounting holes in the fairing.

Next step was to repeat the card stock patterns in soft, 3/4" wide aluminum. Final bits were made from 0.090+ steel. The lower attach brackets are simple, small tabs secured to existing tapped hole in the bottom of the lower triple clamp. Ten minutes to attach, five to remove.

Everything fits up well. A 90 mph test run this morning showed a nice air deflection -just enough to take the chill off what passes for Winter in Texas.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

It looks similar to the Tracy fairing I had for a while.  It convinced me I don't really like the noise of a fairing.



Bracket-wise, the ones to the headlight mounts were a simple 'L' shape.

The upper mounts were a bit more convoluted, fastening to the upper triple clamp screws and finding their way upward:





This was all in 2007.  I had my first Tracy fairing back in the '80s when they were still in business.  As I recall, I liked that one better, but I lost it when my bike was stolen - then recovered by the police.

[montmil]

It looks similar to the Tracy fairing I had for a while.  It convinced me I don't really like the noise of a fairing.

As a cat that wears a pair of Euro hi-tech $6000.00 hearing aids with enough power to launch the Space Shuttle, noise ain't no problemo for me. I just crank 'em down when I'm riding and everything remains audible yet muted. For me, there's no such thing as wind noise!

Seems everything I've enjoyed through the years -and still do- generates noise that eventually wiped out the audio. Guns, fifty years of motorcycles, aircraft -both personal and Uncle Sugar's, screaming woodworking tools and an ex-wife without a mute button. Most all without hearing protection. The upside is that family gatherings are no longer a PITA... I just tune 'em out! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Monte

[montmil]

Without the sheet metal headlight plate and instrument pod, I was able to fabricate mounting brackets that are approx 4.5 inches long.

Each bracket required an angled bend across the flat strap; one at 85.0° and another at 57°. The brackets have a slotted bolt opening where they attach to the upper triple clamp which provides ample mounting adjustment.

I plan to replace the overly long screen attach bolts with shorter machine screws and nylok nuts. I've already donated a little blood to the project by snagging skin during the fit up.

[nhmaf]

Looks good Monte!

Are you going to leave it solid black, or try your hand at some pin striping to match your tank?

[montmil]

Looks good Monte!

Are you going to leave it solid black, or try your hand at some pin striping to match your tank?

You been reading my mail, Mike?

Just yesterday, my wife and I were discussing the possibility that I return to the Brotherhood of the Brush and limber up the sword stripers. The little fairing -or preferably a junkyard fender- may be a good place to relearn old muscle skills. We'll see. . .

Monte