Stock or tour package- No brainer now

[2fast]

Besides, the way I look at it, pushing those bigass feirings must detract from the bikes power\performance.

Actually, most well designed fairings clean up the bike aerodynamically. Take a look at most of the stuff run on the salt flats. Vetter fairings are pretty popular on older bikes, but they are poor lower coverage and fairly heavy.

[Jerry]

For short rides, nothing beats the wind in your face. However, most of my riding is either long-haul or a 60 mile per day comute along a river valley....lots of bugs and 75 mph. The Vetter stays on, though I keep a lookout for another bike to keep bare. Anyone have a project Honda 550-4 they want to part with? I sold my '77 Super Sport before I left Arizona a couple years ago, miss that little sucker....

[lsippell]

In 1980 I had a 450 Kawasaki and got home one night after riding and my wife would not let me into the house until I stripped of on the porch. I was completely covered with bugs! The next day I put a windscreen on that the PO gave me with the bike and I haven’t been without something between me and the bugs (and cold wind in the winter) since if I could avoid it.
I shortly latter bought a ’79 Yamaha 750 triple and ordered a Quicksilver fairing for it. Traded it in on a new’82 XJ1100 and only rode it without a fairing for a week or so (had a bird hit me in the chest during that time) until the dealer got me the X-1 fairing and a Vetter Terraplane sidecar for it . Since then, every bike I’ve had, a Venture, a Seca 750 and 2 more XJ1100’s had had the factory fairings.
Also, on the XJ, I think the bike looks naked without the X-1 fairing, but that might be because all mine have had the fairing.

Louis

[cueball]

Mine came with a bikini fairing not fitted, tryed without, tryed with, wasn't sure until I saw another 1100R without painted all black. Went home that day and took bikini off, took other parts, wheels etc; off and painted all with good black lacquer. Been naked ever since and will stay that way.

[D. P. Larmee]

I bought a fairing a while back to use in the winter. At the time I didn't have any other vehicle and the cold was starting to get to me on long rides. Within a few months, I began craving the wind again and off she came. The fairing now dominates a large patch of shelf in my garage. Actually, I think my biggest beef with the fairing was that with any amount of rain, my visibility was cut to almost nothing; especially at night with oncoming headlights refracting through the beads of rain almost blinding me. At least with sunglasses, I can reach them to wipe them off. Besides, by my estimates, holding your torso up for few hours in the wind at highway speeds has got to be equivilent to doing a few hundred crunches. This way, you have an excuse to skip the gym and go for a long ride.

[pggg]

Found an old compact type fairing hanging on the wall at a wreckers. Apparently had been on an 80's CB900. They wanted 60 bucks. Screen was cracked so I bludgeoned them down to 30 bucks. Gave them a glimpse of cash and they soon gave in.

Made up a lower mount from a chunk of aluminium treadplate. Made 2 top mounts from a strip of S.S. Brought a sheet of polycarbonate as a new screen for 20 bucks. Set to with a hacksaw and shaped the whole contraption to fit an XS. Looks good and works brilliant right up to maximum speed.

Way less tiring on longish rides or windy days. No difference in top speed compared to naked though. A peice of polycarb fitted and slanted flush over the headlight recess could possibly maybe add an extra 1 mph.

[John]

You made that windshield?

Nice work, Kiwi.

[cueball]

Shield over the headlight may cut down on wind noise