Carbon Fiber Fairings

[freqflyer]

My old bike is getting old, and I'm planning on replacing it soon. I was thinking about a 600 Katana. I don't see any carbon fiber fairing kits for one. Does anybody make them?

I was thinking about making a set myself once I get the bike. Would there be any interest from people here for a set?

Attached are some pictures of some of my previous carbon fiber projects.



Carbon fiber airplane cowl in the mold almost ready for infusion.


Finished Cowl


Carbon fiber door. Wet layup.

Vacuum bagged.

Finished door.

[Kreylyn]

If you can make them of the right size and proper fit, I'm sure there would be lots and lots of interest.

The problem is interest and $ don't always occupy the same location... Seriously, most kat riders are on them because the bikes are inexpensive and easily repaired. Spending the kind of $ associated with other bikes is ... hard... for most to do. It's not all inclusive of all Katana owners, but it is the reason why aftermarket parts are rare and hard to come by.

Krey

[Black_peter]

The problem is interest and $ don't always occupy the same location...

Krey

Very well put!

[scottynoface]

Lol, $600 fairings on a $500 bike...

[PAIN]

I would be interested in a set if the price is right. I bet if you can make a set and sell them for about 600-750 a set a lot of people would buy them. New crap from china costs 500$ and it's not as good as factory. You do the math. I was actually thinking of just coating mine with carbon fiber but an entire set in fiber would be uber.

[DClark]

Carbon fiber on a steel framed bike makes as much sense as rum and diet coke (instead of regular coke).

[freqflyer]

Well, you see people in $500.00 cars with $5000.00 stereos in them all the time. So why not some nice plastic on a decent bike.

Carbon fiber is expensive, but since my main goal would be to recoup the mold making expenses and profit a little bit, $600.00 would be doable. Maybe even a bit cheaper. It depends what someone wants. Straight out of the mold, you trim it. No problem. Trimmed up about as well most mold shops do. Probably. Hand sanded to fit perfectly like we do on the airplane parts. I doubt it. I might even need the actually bike it goes on to do that.

As far as accuracy goes. They would be identical to whatever I splashed the molds from. The problem with poor fitment from production shops is a few things. 1. Those molds make a lot parts(hundreds) and the mold itself wears. If I made 25 sets I would be shocked. 2. They're in a hurry and pull the part as soon as it's sort of hard. I can let the part stay in the mold a day or two to fully cure. 3. They pull the parts fast, warping them and damaging the mold. 4. They probably stack a bunch on top of each other and the parts finish curing with stress on them.

I'm looking hard at a few different Katanas for sale. If you know of any good deals within 500 miles let me know.

Karl

[Rangerx52]

Carbon fiber on a steel framed bike makes as much sense as rum and diet coke (instead of regular coke).

I think the opposite.

on a steel framed bike, ANY weight reduction can only help.
However this would be of more interest if the ABS fairings were not already so light.

And having Cf fairings would make any skidding or mid-velocity impact with the pavement yield less damage to the bike (i.e. cracking engine covers)- but i cannot think of anyone that would be willing to use a cf fairing as a sacrificial layer, just to avoid a few scratches on the engine.



Start fabbing up CF swingarms, fork mounts and frames.. then we'll talk.

btw.. why, if given the option.... a 600?


thats like buying a neutered dog, hell you can get an 1100 for about the same price

[scottynoface]

Dropping 50lbs on a 500lb bike is a 10% weight saving...

That's about the equivalent of taking the backseat out of a Civic. Dont expect any performance gains, it's still an elephant.

Definitely an interesting concept.

[Kreylyn]

Hrm... You have a bike with trashed fairings you want to replace. Do you...

1. Buy the chinese thin abs sets for $550 shipped.

or...

2. Buy the custom Carbon Fiber fairings for $550 aprox. that are nicer, better fit, lighter, cooler, and supports a US bike modder who might make other cool stuffs if this goes well?

Such a hard decision. /sarcasm

Krey

[wismo]

Hrm... You have a bike with trashed fairings you want to replace. Do you...

1. Buy the chinese thin abs sets for $550 shipped.

or...

2. Buy the custom Carbon Fiber fairings for $550 aprox. that are nicer, better fit, lighter, cooler, and supports a US bike modder who might make other cool stuffs if this goes well?

Such a hard decision. /sarcasm

Krey

I agree

[freqflyer]

I think the opposite.


btw.. why, if given the option.... a 600?


thats like buying a neutered dog, hell you can get an 1100 for about the same price

I have had some pretty big 2 stroke dirt bikes, but my first street bike was a 1996 Ninja 250. I have been quit happy with it. I thought since a new or newer one costs about the same as an older 600, I would look into a lower performance 600 like the Katana or 650 Ninja. The Kat seems to be a better bike.

I would count on a performance gain because of weight reduction. The ABS plastic on a bike doesn't amount to 2% of the total weight of the bike.

I have done structural composites on airplanes. Wing spars and such. That would be similar to a swing arm or frame. The problem is there is too much liability on bikes. There's zero on experimental airplanes. Seriously, not one successful lawsuit ever.

[freqflyer]

I picked up an 05 Kat yesterday and today I started looking at the plastic on it. I can't believe how lousy the factory stuff is. The tail was made with a three piece mold. I can tell because they didn't polish out the part and the parting lines are still there.

Anyway, I'm a bit low on supplies so I'm going to order some next week and probably get started the following week. I'm going to splash some of the smaller parts first and see how things turn out.

I'm thinking the lower fairing and the tail first.

I'll post pics in a few weeks.

[ygolohcysp]

I unfortunately have to agree with several people in this thread. One, that the plastics don't account for very much weight, so CF fairings wouldn't be that great for weight savings. However, I do agree that with a steel frame bike, any weight savings can help. I managed to drop 20 pounds off my Kat, and I can feel a difference.

Unfortunately, I don't need fairings, mine are fine. But if I did need fairings, I think I'd choose to go with your CF fairings in place of the cheap chinese ones.

I would, however, be more interested in things where I could drop weight, without looking too overly done, such as the 600's removable heel guards. There's no reason that has to be such thick metal. If you can do structural things, how about the tank support, the luggage rails under the tail, and or the grab handle? None of those would undergo the stresses of a swingarm.

Regardless, I like seeing people doing unique things. Good luck!

[freqflyer]

I unfortunately have to agree with several people in this thread. One, that the plastics don't account for very much weight, so CF fairings wouldn't be that great for weight savings. However, I do agree that with a steel frame bike, any weight savings can help. I managed to drop 20 pounds off my Kat, and I can feel a difference.

Unfortunately, I don't need fairings, mine are fine. But if I did need fairings, I think I'd choose to go with your CF fairings in place of the cheap chinese ones.

I would, however, be more interested in things where I could drop weight, without looking too overly done, such as the 600's removable heel guards. There's no reason that has to be such thick metal. If you can do structural things, how about the tank support, the luggage rails under the tail, and or the grab handle? None of those would undergo the stresses of a swingarm.

Regardless, I like seeing people doing unique things. Good luck!

I'll take a look at those things. What do you call the tank support? How did you drop 20 lbs on your bike?