Does Vetter Fairing make GS1100E run better or worse?

[Anonymous]

Hey guys..quick question:

How would mounting a Vetter Windjammer fairing to my 1980 GS1100E affect it's overall performance?

-would it make the ride more noisy?
-would it weigh the bike down and make it sluggish?
-etc?

Thanks!

Rudi

 

[MichaelHoward]

I would guess it would do both Buddy :roll:

Grab a small sport fairing and install it on there. Check out Crag Antlers fairing on his 1100E.

 

[Hoomgar]

I second what Michael said. That is if your truely worried about performance. If your just going to cruise and you want maximum rider comfort for long trips then there are several things to do to the bike to improve that and in that case the Windjammer is a nice faring for you. They are not "sporty".

 

[Anonymous]

I second what Michael said. That is if your truely worried about performance. If your just going to cruise and you want maximum rider comfort for long trips then there are several things to do to the bike to improve that and in that case the Windjammer is a nice faring for you. They are not "sporty".

How much of a performance hit would I take? Is it THAT much of a difference?

 

[Anonymous]

I second what Michael said. That is if your truely worried about performance. If your just going to cruise and you want maximum rider comfort for long trips then there are several things to do to the bike to improve that and in that case the Windjammer is a nice faring for you. They are not "sporty".

How much of a performance hit would I take? Is it THAT much of a differ ence?

HeyRudedog_USAf;

I had a chance to purchase a vetter quicksilver for a 81 gs1100 i owned a while back.Like the other said if you are going to go on an extended trip it would be nice to have the protection. But i found that riding and commuting was more of a problem than it was worth. The wind would blow me around and the cross wind was terrible. When i got behind a truck it was bad also.

The power wasn't bad as the 1100 has a lot of reserve but you wouldn't want to try to outrun another 1100. I f you are just looking for a little wind and rain protection as the others said a cafe type fairing is a lot better.

 

[pano]

There are some current posts in the Appearance Mod section right now for cafe style farings for the 1100e. Like MichaelHoward wrote...Crag Antler posted a pic of his faring a few months back. You may be able to find it with some searching.

 

[Anonymous]

From the opposite perspective I took a Windjammer off of my 850 and I found the bike was easier to handle and much faster. Having said that, I do miss the protection offered by the fairing.

 

[Hoomgar]

I believe those last few posts answer that for me Rudi. It is a trade off. The performance loss I would call minimal but then again, that type of a faring is not synonymous with the term "performance" they're at odds with each other.

 

[Anonymous]

Depends on what you want. I have a Voodoo 1/4 fairing for my bike but it hasn't been on it since I've owned it. The origional owner had it mounted and he told me after 120-130 kph it would make the bike wander in the lane and got worse as you sped up. For trips it cut down on wind fatigue, for performance, forget it.

 

[Anonymous]

It woild make it look worse. :lol: I like those little mini fairings on the E model.

 

[Anonymous]

Depends on what you want. I have a Voodoo 1/4 fairing for my bike but it hasn't been on it since I've owned it. The origional owner had it mounted and he told me after 120-130 kph it would make the bike wander in the lane and got worse as you sped up. For trips it cut down on wind fatigue, for performance, forget it.

Got a photo of that fairing John??

 

[Anonymous]

Not at the moment Dom, plus its getting a repair to the right side mounting area. I can snap one off when its done though.

 

[dpep]

Rudedog, get yourself some kind of wind protection. I don't know about "better or worse"; that's subjective. But it will definitely run more often.

 

[Anonymous]

Not at the moment Dom, plus its getting a repair to the right side mounting area. I can snap one off when its done though.

\ I really want a small fairing but have installed and removed more that one because of looks

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like the lightweight Plexifairing III is the way to go. Due to it's light weight I would take virtually no performance hit. AND I get that all important wind protection. On the down side, I would miss out on the storage space...which can be handy.

does anyone know how much a Vetter Windjammer SS weighs? Is it really that heavy?

Rudi

 

[Anonymous]

Looks good! Only $159.00

 

[Billy Ricks]

If you want something that gives a fair amount of protection, is halfway aerodynamic, and looks good try to find an 1150 fairing. They still use the big 8" headlight so you get plenty of light. Otherwise I'd use a quarter fairing. The GS700ES fairings weren't bad either. There's even a set of lowers on Ebay right now for one.

 

[Anonymous]

If you want something that gives a fair amount of protection, is halfway aerodynamic, and looks good try to find an 1150 fairing. They still use the big 8" headlight so you get plenty of light. Otherwise I'd use a quarter fairing. The GS700ES fairings weren't bad either. There's even a set of lowers on Ebay right now for one.

Is there something wrong with having the Plexifairing 3 on?

 

[Billy Ricks]

Is there something wrong with having the Plexifairing 3 on?

I don't particularly care for the looks but then that's subjective from one person to another. It's a big honking slab of plastic that rams through alot air. For just interstate riding and around town it would probably be good. Even the GS1150's with what was one of the best GS fairings handled better naked than faired. The Plexifairing probably won't have much effect, but I know I would be able to feel it. Sometimes bar mounted fairings have a big effect on handling. Frame mounted is the preferred way to go. I don't go for looks alone. It does need to look right but also not interfere with handling performance. But that's just me.

 

[mdole]

If you want something that gives a fair amount of protection, is halfway aerodynamic, and looks good try to find an 1150 fairing. They still use the big 8" headlight so you get plenty of light. Otherwise I'd use a quarter fairing. The GS700ES fairings weren't bad either. There's even a set of lowers on Ebay right now for one.

Is there something wrong with having the Plexifairing 3 on?

I had on an 81 Virago and the two things that I didn't like about it were that I couldn't see over it without standing on the pegs and second that when you got into a cross wind that came over your shoulder it acted like a sail. I can remember getting the fairing frosted up and riding the next 20 miles through the mountains standing on the pegs.

I also had an Enterprise Slipstreamer on a Honda Sabre that had the same problems.

The best of the fork mounted shields that I found for my style of riding was the SS-28 it only came 15 inches above the head light so I could see over it and it still provided reasonable protection. It took enough windblast off that my neck and back didn't lock up after the first 500 miles and it provided hand protection.

I've been thinking about changing the windshield on my GS to one but with the bar change I'm not sure if I can get it to fit.

http://www.cyclestuffusa.com/touracmotwin.html

Mike