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Aftermarket Motorcycle Fairings
There are many factors to consider when you’re looking to replace your motorbikes old or damaged fairing panels. Our aim is to help you make an informed choice by arming you with all of the facts regarding aftermarket fairings.
This guide will walk you through the myths and also the realities of purchasing and fitting a set of aftermarket fairings for your sportsbike. You can jump quickly to the section that interests you using the links below or alternatively slowly work your way through the Simons Superbikes guide to aftermarket fairing kits.
Why purchase a set of aftermarket fairings?
Why are aftermarket fairings so affordable compared to OEM fairings?
What is the construction & quality of aftermarket fairings like?
Injection moulded aftermarket sportsbike fairings.
Hand moulded sportsbike fairings.
ABS aftermarket motorbike fairings.
PVC aftermarket motorcycle fairings.
What parts will I get and are decals included.
Can I have a custom finish on an aftermarket fairing kit?
Will I be able to fit my own aftermarket fairing kit?
How can I tell if my mounting brackets are bent or twisted?
Can Simons Superbikes fit a set of fairings for me?
What sorts of bikes can you supply aftermarket fairing kits for?
What are the delivery costs & production times?
What payment options do you offer?
Why Purchase Aftermarket Fairings?
Aftermarket fairings are the perfect choice for replacing worn or damaged fairings at a considerable saving over the cost of your motorbikes genuine fairings. Aftermarket fairings are typically less than a third of the price of original fairings and generally come fully painted with decals for your bike. Often even the cost of repairing OEM (Original Manufacturer Fairings) or having your original fairings re sprayed is often more than twice the price of aftermarket fairings. A typical good quality motorbike paint re spray with decals will cost around $2000au roughly depending on the complexity of the job and the condition of the panels. A set of aftermarket fairings will usually cost around the $1000au mark or under for a fully painted and stickered kit.
Why are aftermarket fairings so affordable compared to OEM fairings?
Aftermarket fairings are usually produced in large volumes in Asia. They are also painted and prepared in bulk and this helps to lower the production costs. The factories that produce aftermarket fairing kits do not have spend millions of dollars on research and development because the original manufacturers such as Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and others have already done this in the original creation of the OEM motorbike panels. This means that the savings in these areas can now be passed onto the end customer who is you and me.
What is the Construction & Quality Like?
The end quality or aftermarket fairing kits depends on a number of factors including the following: The type of mould used the produce the fairing kit. The skill of the person involved in the production process. The level of attention paid to the decal and paint application. The type of plastics used in the production process The reality is as we have learnt the hard way is; that not all aftermarket fairings are of the same build quality or finish quality. Over the last year at Simons Superbikes we have narrowed our list of suppliers to make sure that the end products that we ship are of a high standard with a higher level of attention to detail. There are two main types of aftermarket fairing kits and they consist of injection moulding and hand moulded kits. Both types of moulding achieve a similar end result but each has its own characteristics. There are also two main types of plastics that are used in the construction of fairings and these are ABS and PVC with each being also being quite different in their longevity and strength.
This is a 1996 Suzuki RGV250 before we fitted a new
Aftermarket fairing kit in pepsi colors. the bike was in top machanical shape but looked rough because of the poor body panels and paintwork.
We decided to freshen the bike up and bring it back to a its former glory. The pepsi colour scheme is normally only available for 1989 -1990 model bikes so we had it specially produced for this 96 model RGV.
The fairing kit that was chosen for this bike is only available as a hand moulded kit and this means the mounting points and tabs are hand welded onto the panels, once they leave the mould.
The fit of the panels was quite reasonable but there were some small modifications made to the front fairing brackets to allow the kit to be fitted. This is often the case with kits for older bikes when the panels are manufactured in this way.
Overall the kit fitted quite well and within half a day the bike looked great.
Injection Moulded Sportsbike Fairings
Injection moulding has been used by industry for quite some time but the aftermarket fairing market has only recently begun to utilize this technology in some of the newer and more modern motorbike fairings that are available. The simple reason to have a preference for injection moulding is for its consistency and perfection as each fairing panel is produced. When a fairing is produced by an injection moulding process the tabs and all of the mounting points are produced as part of the panel. This means the fit of the fairing panels is very close to the original with a 98% accurate fit.
Hand Moulded Sportsbike Fairings
Hand moulding of plastics has also been around for many years with the majority of aftermarket motorbike fairings produced this way. Hand moulding is really quite a misleading term as the process actually involves pressing a sheet of hot plastic over a hot mould of the desired shape, and then pressing the male mould over the top and allowing the plastic to cool and harden to take that shape. With this type of mould the tabs and mounting points are all missing when the panel has been removed from the mould. The tabs are then all plastic welded onto the panel and the mounting holes are now drilled. If the operator is skilled in his or her job this process will ensure a close to original fit usually within 95% of the original but if the operator is not skilled then the fairing could be quite troublesome to fit. Note: Simons Superbikes does not deal with any suppliers that cannot produce aftermarket fairing kits to a reasonable standard and quality. Hand moulding of motorcycle fairings is a cost effective solution because it doesn’t require the use of expensive injection moulding machinery in the manufacturing process. The lower production costs mean more affordable aftermarket fairings can be produced and the end retail price is able to reflect this.
ABS Motorbike Fairings
High quality ABS is the plastic of choice these days for original motorbike and aftermarket fairings. The main reason this plastic is chosen is because it’s lighter than PVC extremely durable and has elastic type qualities. Using ABS means the fairings are flexible and yet hard wearing the same as the original OEM fairing panels would have been.
PVC Motorcycle Fairings
Some older model Japanese motorbikes used to use PVC for the manufacture of their fairing kits however due to weight and the fact that ABS is more durable it’s not used for original fairings these days. Some aftermarket fairing manufacturers still use PVC as a plastic of choice for their fairings and this is done to allow the production of a more affordable lower cost end product. Simons Superbikes does not sell this PVC fairing kits as we are not happy with the quality of product produced from it.
Finish & Parts Included
Aftermarket motorcycle and sportsbike fairings come fully painted and include decals with a high quality clear gloss finish. The majority of our aftermarket fairing kits include a screen, a front fender, a rear seat unit for OEM style seat and under tray, front fairing, belly pan and a self adhesive heat shield to be placed on the inside of the panels in areas of intense heat radiation such as next to the radiator or exhaust. Some kits also include tank covers but this will vary depending on model.
Can I have a custom finish on an aftermarket fairing kit?
Yes it’s possible to have a custom paint finish and decals applied to one of our aftermarket fairing kits. At Simons superbikes we are able to offer this service for minimal extra cost to you provided you supply the graphic designs to us. We are able to help you choose colours and paints to match your existing tank and we also can offer some graphic design services if you require them. Call us to make an inquiry regarding these services so we can help you estimate the affordability of a set of fairing panels for your bike.
Can I fit my own Aftermarket Fairing Kit?
Fitment of hand moulded aftermarket fairing kits is guaranteed to be within 96-98% accuracy of your original fairings. At Simons Superbikes we have fitted a variety of aftermarket fairing kits including injection moulded aftermarket fairing kits and have found the fairings we sell to be generally easy to fit. In the majority of cases we have had to make very little modifications to fairing brackets for fitment of panels. However if you choose to fit your own fairing kit you need to have a few basic tools such as a power drill, allen keys and screwdrivers and a reasonable level of technical ability. If you are not confident in the use of tools then we would suggest that you have them professionally fitted. It is sometimes necessary to make adjustments to fit a fairing kit however due to the price the kits retail for we consider that this is well worth the effort required.
How can I tell if my mounting brackets are bent or twisted?
If you are replacing the fairings because your bike has been crashed then it is essential to ensure that all the associated brackets and mounting location points are not damaged or twisted in any way. Some people mistakenly think the kits are not the correct shape when actually the “H” frame or mirror mounting bracket or headlight bracket is bent. The same goes for the rear sub-frame. It needs to be straight not bent.
Can Simons Superbikes fit a set of fairings for me?
Yes Simons Superbikes offers a professional fitting service for all our aftermarket fairing kits and this can be combined with a tank and wheel matching service to turn your bike into an eye turning superbike. We also have a very affordable freighting service and are able to have your bike freighted from door to door so we can fit an aftermarket fairing kit for you. Enquire about our shipping and fairing fitting service here.
What sorts of bikes can you supply aftermarket fairing kits for?
We are able to supply aftermarket fairing kits for most of the big brand motorbikes on the market today such as Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Triumph and Ducati to fit many of today’s modern superbikes such as R1, R6, GSXR, CBR, ZX6, ZX10, Daytona 675, 748, 1098 and many others. You can browse some of our available aftermarket fairings by visiting our online store by clicking here or give us a call on 9546 2600 Sydney Australia.
Delivery Costs & Times
With Simons Superbikes there are no hidden surprises as our price includes delivery Australia wide and GST for all orders over $500au. A full aftermarket fairing kit will take approximately 15 to 20 working days for a door to door delivery service. For wheel and tank colour matching and fitment of your new aftermarket fairings allow up to an additional 2 to 5 days.
Payment Options
At Simons Superbikes we want to make the purchase of your new aftermarket fairing easy and painless for you. To help achieve this we accept Visa, MasterCard, Bankcard, Bank Transfer or PayPal payment options See our online store for our full range of high quality aftermarket fairings, carbon fibre fairings, fibreglass race fairings and accessories.
Call (02) 9546 2600 or use our contact form for further details.
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