S fairing ?

[Burt]

Thanks for the info Mont.  Kinda gives me a couple of new ideas.  

All the photos posted just make me want to finish it sooner.  When the &^%$ parts arrive .....

[steven m]

Thanks Monte.  Here's what I discovered about the install on our R65's:

With the turn signals removed, and the headlight mounting bracket unbolted from the bike, and pulled out a bit, there is room to slide the fairing over the hard mounted stalks, first all the way to one side which gives enough room to slide the other side in, which is just about impossible with the bracket on the bike due to interference with the forks.  Then bolt the headlight bracket back in place.  Voila.  Of course a good idea to have a helper to hold the fairing while you do this.

I purchased the factory wiring harness for my instruments, which you can duplicate in about ten minutes.  Except for the one aux plug, the green/black wire, everything is a piggyback tail using the existing instrument wiring under the tach.  Just make certain your new harness is long enough when the fairing is flipped down.

I still have to make some slotted brackets to allow the headlight to be slid forward after the fairing is in position.  

Have fun.
Steve

[RSMike]

I fitted an EMGO fairing to my R65 last year.

With some judicious and careful jigsawing,  I made it fit and used the standard brackets that came with it. Some judicious bending on the brackets was needed.

Sourced from Harber's Cycles, Viola , Arkansas thru fleabay, US $69.95. The headlight fairing comes in black but can be spray painted if you are so inclined.

A few details on fitting http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1310686799/16#16

[fbenach]

Well, here is my experience with the EMGO fairing... we finally installed last friday with a couple of surprises:
1. The master cylinder actually ended up clear from the fairing, so no problem there...
2. The brackets that came with it fitted from the box and no customizing was necessary (I read this was not the case)
3. There is a small (about 1/2") space between the headlight and the hole in the fairing, we will use a gasket from a R65LS to cover that.

We managed to sit the upper part of the fairing (without the windshield) on the back of the instruments housing, so it doesn´t move anywhere... it actually helped a lot regarding wind vs vibration...
Its a little bit noisy but with the helmet on, you can´t tell the difference...

Here are the pics, hope it helps!!
Take care!!

[RSMike]

Very neat job, much neater than my attempt at the indicator cut outs!

I would advise to add some lock nuts on the brackets, I even ended up adding lock nuts to all of the screen to headlight fairing bolt points as I lost one completely as it worked free after a bit of riding. Be very careful tightening these, don't over tighten! I did and caused a hairline crack, though luckily its not spread and is not very noticeable.

Also if you feel its vibing a bit too much, I found adding a couple of cable ties underneath to attache to the headlight mount helped.

[fbenach]

Good tip RSMike, I will do that!!!

Thanks!!

[79beem]

Well done fbenach,

I've been looking at these fairings and wondering how they would look.

Thanks for the pics. I ordered one today based on your results.

A few questions if you don't mind answering them.

The more detail the better.

1. How did you determine where to drill the holes for the indicator stems? I have an idea but you seem to have got it pretty damn close.

2. Would you do it any differently?

3. How/what did you use to cut the holes out so neatly?

4. I have read somewhere that ABS plastic cracks/chips easily when cut or sanded. Did you find this problem?

Thanks and great job.   [smiley=bmw_smiley.gif]

[montmil]

Well done fbenach,

I've been looking at these fairings and wondering how they would look.

Thanks for the pics. I ordered one today based on your results.

A few questions if you don't mind answering them.

The more detail the better.

1. How did you determine where to drill the holes for the indicator stems? I have an idea but you seem to have got it pretty damn close.

2. Would you do it any differently?

3. How/what did you use to cut the holes out so neatly?

4. I have read somewhere that ABS plastic cracks/chips easily when cut or sanded. Did you find this problem?

Thanks and great job.   [smiley=bmw_smiley.gif]

Based on my experiences fitting an EMGO fairing on my 1981 R65 plus mounting an Airtech fairing on Bengt Phorqs R90/6...

With the EMGO product, I noticed some paint marks on the interior but these proved to be only 'general area" assists. Removing the turn signals and running a trimmed to length small dowel through the headlight bracket tube can get you close... after you've mocked up the fairing's position using tape, sticks, another pair of hands, whatever it takes.

Conventional drill bits will not bore the larger, tidy holes for the turn signal stalks. Purchase a Forstner bit of the hole diameter you desire. Big box home improvement stores are your tool source. ALWAYS back up the substrate before drilling. Position a block of wood where the drill will break through. Secure the block and drill the hole through the fairing and into the wood.

I cut ABS material using a Dremel tool mounting a reinforced cut-off wheel. Get close to the final trim line but do not try to get a finished cut using the Dremel. The plastic will overheat so go slowly and let the material cool frequently. A belt sander plus a hard sanding block with a 150 grit paper will get you where you want to be. Large dowels or small tin cans are also helpful sanding blocks.

The raw edges can be wet sanded up through 1000 grit and will provide quite a polished edge.
 
http://www.airtech-streamlining.com/bmw/bmwboxer.htm

For information on fitting the Airtech fairing the Mike's R90, see:
http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1339369244

[steven m]

After riding with my Wudo fairing for some time now I have noticed several things: 1.  Looks great and I like the added instruments; 2. More noise;  3. Much more susceptible to cross winds and buffeting from other vehicles at higher speed, meaning on the freeway.  Be prepared.;  4. The leading edge of the fairing will take a similar beating to the leading edge of your front fender from the wind and grit out there;  5. A tank bag smoothes out the airflow.  Without it there is some added turbulence.;  and 6. The windscreen channels air right into your face, so be prepared for bugs and debris bouncing off your face shield.

I suggest rubber washers between the fairing and the mounting brackets as well as lock washers and/or some thread locking goo.

Just my two cents.

Steve

[montmil]

 [smiley=thumbup.gif][size=14]+[/size] on Steve's comments regarding the use of rubber washers. Get the sizes you need in the plumbing dept of the Big Boxers.

Personally, I never use split ring lock washers. They seem to easily damage aluminum and even steel components. BMW-style spring washers -also available at Big Boxes- are great when used in conjunction with vibration proof Ny-Lok nuts. Produces a very sanitary install.

[steven m]

Agree with Monte on the spring style lock washers.  Just buy a handful and keep them in your toolbox.  You can't use a torque wrench with nylock nuts or split lock washers.  Well, you can use it but the readings won't be accurate.

Steve

[79beem]

Thanks Steve + Monte,
Steve are you more comfortable on the bike with the fairing? I'm led to believe (everything on the internet being true) that cockpits generally relieve body wind blast + therefore fatigue on big rides. Would you agree? Monte as a chippy (carpenter) I had envisioned using a good quality hole saw, the type with a central twist/guide bit and an outer ring of teeth. To aggressive? I've used forstner bits in timber but I'd imagine you might need a small pilot hole and maybe even set in a drill press with the fairing secured to prevent wondering . From memory there's little difference in height between the outer blades and the central guide and bites in quite strongly once all cutting edges engage.

[fbenach]

Hello guys!!!
Well, I see that Montmil pretty much covered everything...

Just in case, here is my experience on the one in the pics:

1. We did not do any special maesurement to determine the position of the holes... You will see that once you have the fairing in your hands, you will be able to tell pretty close where they go. Although, we discover that the fairing is not perfectly symmetric when we fitted it and realize there was a slight difference on the indicator steem position on both sides... so, one ended up a little bit closer to the egde of the hole than the other, but you can hardly notice it when you see it.
2. What would I do the next time? I will try to drill the holes a little bit smaller. I might want to use a homemade rubber gasket for the separation that is between the headlight and the fairing main hole. The R65LS gasket we used is not thick enough to cover it, so that´s a pending task.
3-4.We used a 1.5" (I think) metal hole driller, and actually, we didin´t need to use any sand paper to finish it, the cut went out clean from the begining... we used a 4 speed driller, being 4 the fastest, we used speed 3. There was a little bit of heating... now that I read what Monte says, next time I will be more careful about the heating issue.

About driving, I agree with Steve, there is a little bit more noise and you feel a little bit more the crossed winds (nothing to worry about). The body resistance against wind was not noticeable, but I discovered, when riding above the 100kph, if you lower your head, it does get a lot better. But there ir a bonus, as far as I live in the tropics, where it rains a lot and heavy, the fairing kinda forms an air protection barrier, whch has made more confortable riding under water.
Besides that, I suggest replacing the bolts that attaches the windshield to the fairing, as long as they are not stainless steel, and got a little bit of corrosion pretty fast.
The bottom line is, the fairing is mostly a "looks" accesory more than  "functional", which was my main reason to install it.
In the future, I will try one of those "fly screen" cafe ones, they look nice and kinda easy to install!!!
Take care guys, hope it helps!!

Fernando

[montmil]

... Monte as a chippy (carpenter) I had envisioned using a good quality hole saw, the type with a central twist/guide bit and an outer ring of teeth. To aggressive? I've used forstner bits in timber but I'd imagine you might need a small pilot hole and maybe even set in a drill press with the fairing secured to prevent wondering ...

A working "chippy" would probably be comfortable using a good hole hole saw. It may heat the ABS which would mean just a simple smoothing after drilling. Tool experience is the key here. You're good to go.

For those wondering what a Forstner bit is, it's a drill bit that bores a flat bottomed hole, has cutting spurs on the outer diameter of the bit and scrapers in the interior. I love 'em. BTW, I used Forstners on Bengt Phorqs high-dollar fiberglas R90S fairing... freehand. No pilot holes req'd but I did have a very accurate "dot" marking the start point. Mike knows this as he was the "hold down clamp" for the work.

[79beem]

Thanks for the replies fbenach and Monte.

Monte you are dead right to recommend a forstner bit. I have since found other sites cautioning against using anything other than a forstner with ABS.

"A regular bit is too aggressive for drilling ABS; it will tend to jam itself into the plastic within one turn of the drill. Forstner bits work better."

 Sorry I questioned your sage advice.  [smiley=deal2.gif]

Beautiful looking bike Mike. Good job Monte.

Just have to wait for the fairing to arrive. Tick................................................................................................................tock.........................................