Why didnt I do it before?
Do what you say?
removed the ducati headlight fairing from my S4 ,,,,,,, what an improvement , no more helmet buffeting at high speed , and strangely the front end seems more planted and stable , i would have thought the fairing airflow would push the front end down it seems the opposite happens ... I was wrong its much better now with no bikini fairing.
the bike looks nicer too. more like my M750.
cheers jerry
it won't push the front end down, at most it'd redirect the wind over your head/helmet.
i took mine off and replaced with with a dart flyscreen.
"looks" naked and i didn't experience the helmet buffeting.
http://www.dartflyscreens.com/ (http://www.dartflyscreens.com/)
not my bike:
(http://www.dartflyscreens.com/dart_resource/new_images/monster_1_main.jpg)
Took mine off once. road it for a week and my wife said she liked it more with the "thingy" on the headlight.
I put it back on.
took mine off as soon as I got it. I like the looks better without.
I took mine off with my knee while heading over the bars.
I don't miss it any more.
Quote from: ducpainter on December 02, 2009, 12:01:34 PM
I took mine off with my knee while heading over the bars.
I don't miss it any more.
Your knee, or the visor? [cheeky]
I take mine off and put it back on according to my mood.
Mine never had one - and I'm thankful for that. It's all a vanity thing, but I think that it looks better without it and would gladly take some wind buffeting in favor of it looking better! [thumbsup]
I keep mine on - looks better and I don't get as much wind drag. Funny how that works [beer]
My mech told me to be very careful with riding without it when raining. If water gets into the cluster (and whatever else is housed in there ??? ), you're up for big bucks to get it replaced. :-\
Quote from: ShamWOW! on December 02, 2009, 06:08:21 PM
My mech told me to be very careful with riding without it when raining. If water gets into the cluster (and whatever else is housed in there ??? ), you're up for big bucks to get it replaced. :-\
Get a new mech.
Quote from: Ducatl on December 02, 2009, 07:52:01 PM
Get a new mech.
Need a bike first.
Sold the one I had. ;)
I'm just relaying something that was said to me, which may be helpful or not. ;)
Quote from: yamifixer on December 02, 2009, 07:24:46 AM
Took mine off once. road it for a week and my wife said she liked it more with the "thingy" on the headlight.
I put it back on.
LOL same
Quote from: ShamWOW! on December 02, 2009, 06:08:21 PM
My mech told me to be very careful with riding without it when raining. If water gets into the cluster (and whatever else is housed in there ??? ), you're up for big bucks to get it replaced. :-\
Quote from: Ducatl on December 02, 2009, 07:52:01 PM
Get a new mech.
.... no no! his mechanic is wise ... do some searching on this form about water in gauge clusters. For that reason I leave it on but have ridden for a while without the bikini and perfer the look but like the wind and water protection .... and have contemplated a longer windscreen to get rid of the buffeting for longer rides ... but like naked
Quote from: arai_speed on December 02, 2009, 12:48:57 PM
I keep mine on - looks better and I don't get as much wind drag. Funny how that works [beer]
Same here. Mine didn't come with one and I had to search high and low for a matching fairing (yellow)
Quote from: ducpainter on December 02, 2009, 12:01:34 PM
I took mine off with my knee while heading over the bars.
I don't miss it any more.
Technically, you didn't miss it then, either. :P
the weirdest thing is the big improvement in handlig its almost as if the fairing was making the front end light.
Quote from: jerryz on December 03, 2009, 05:47:34 AM
the weirdest thing is the big improvement in handlig its almost as if the fairing was making the front end light.
Probably the opposite the downforce of the fairing makes the front end heavy.
took the faring off for a while then put it back on where it should be. it felt ok but i'm so used to it on with the looks and such that i can't ride without it now.
I Think that my S2R1000 is better with the headlight fairing as it gives a touch of modernity and the white stripe gives some character, fairing also preserve better the bike's instrumentation from bad weather.
A friend of mine had the same impression of improved handling when took it off...
i only put mine on in the winter (when the bike is working that is)
heh. i had the old school one on mine when I got it. Much rounder than the newer old monsters. Bent the bars and went to clipons on a get-off one time. upgraded the triple to a cyclecat in the process, since I didn't need bar accommodations anymore. This prevented a person from using the old style fairings brackets, which went through the top triples pinch bolts.
by the time I found a red fairing off a newer bike, I had upgraded the gauges to a set of DP gauges with a tachometer. The DP gauges interfered with the new style fairing, so I sold the fairing.
I had a Dart Flyscreen on the bike for the really long ride on the highway, but no fairing around town and such. Hated that buffeting feeling it gave at speed (don't be confused, i do love buffets).
i've found that the "buffeting" isn't any worse than riding on a windy day.
and the fairing keeps pleyt of air off of my torso. i'm all about that in winter.
Quote from: ducpainter on December 02, 2009, 12:01:34 PM
I took mine off with my knee while heading over the bars.
I don't miss it any more.
the right tool for the job ;) [laugh]
I found that the buffeting went away with the addition of poorducrider fairing stays. The first time I rode it on the highway with the stays, the difference in airflow was disorienting: my head felt heavy because the air was hitting me higher instead of in the chest.
I don't notice it now.
First thing that came off my S4r was that dumb fairing.
Sold for a mint on fleabay for some reason.
When I removed the windscreen/fairing from my S4RS I picked up 12 horsepower at the rear wheel on the dyno, chicks dug me even more, and fried Spam tasted like [bacon]!
Quote from: NorDog on December 07, 2009, 09:49:44 AM
When I removed the windscreen/fairing from my S4RS I picked up 12 horsepower at the rear wheel on the dyno, chicks dug me even more, and fried Spam tasted like [bacon]!
did you accidently pick up the spam that looked like this?
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/81/247564799_c04f859967.jpg)