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View Full Version : Remove fairings while learning?



sgtp
22nd March 2011, 13:07
Hey all, looking for opinions about this idea that popped into my head. I just bought my first bike, a gpx250. The street I live on is stupidly steep, and I fear I will be dropping the bike in my driveway on a daily basis! I've read too many posts of this happening to others, so that got me thinking I might want to remove the fairings on the bike till I am confident enough not to drop it will doing slow manuvers. I'd hate to scrape or crack everything up because of a newbie mistake.

So, is this a dumb idea or a brilliant one?:innocent: Any reason not to?

nodrog
22nd March 2011, 13:10
Oh FFS! :facepalm:

Fanny.

Stirts
22nd March 2011, 13:12
It's brilliantly dumb ... or is that dumbly brilliant :shutup:

p.dath
22nd March 2011, 13:13
Your just as likely to damage the sump, snap off handles, pegs, indicators, and any other manor of things as well.

Perhaps you should consider getting some crash bungs/bars/frame sliders (they go by many names). They protrude out from the side of the bike so that if the bike gets laid down the crash bar makes contact with the ground first, thus protecting most of the rest of the bike.

I'd get them fitted professionally by a bike shop.

sgtp
22nd March 2011, 13:16
haha, thanks for going easy on me. I'll look into frame sliders if I start dropping it every day

bogan
22nd March 2011, 13:22
Time and money would be better spent learning not to fall off at all! Take it slow, learn good brake control and slow speed balance, maybe park it somewhere not so steep until you get more skills/confidence.

pritch
22nd March 2011, 13:28
Since you are *that* concerned it might not be a bad idea to remove as much of the plastic as you can. Provided you can do that without it effecting anything else.

To bung or not to bung? Two major schools of thought: one says use bungs, the other says the bungs will break your engine castings. There's quite a lot about this on the web.

I guess I'm ambivalent, I've had them on two of my last four bikes. The current set came from here: http://www.rg-racing.com/

The previous set were these: http://www.satoracing.com/

There are probably cheaper but...

Whatever, as Mr Dath says, professional fitment is advised.

sil3nt
22nd March 2011, 13:47
If you remove the fairings you will have no indicators.

If my girlfriend can get my gpx down our steep gravel driveway then i think you will be fine.

sgtp
22nd March 2011, 13:51
...picking it up tonight, we'll see if I am a man or not

Stirts
22nd March 2011, 14:05
There are probably cheaper but...

Like this
<img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/01/27/article-0-080B65D9000005DC-946_306x516.jpg"></img>


we'll see if I am a man or not

:psst: just look down

Slyer
22nd March 2011, 14:16
Yes Stirts, but only if you are assuming he is not wearing pants.

sgtp
22nd March 2011, 14:27
My manliness is exactly what I am worried about. IT will tip over the bike if you dont keep it centered.

Stirts
22nd March 2011, 14:27
Yes Stirts, but only if you are assuming he is not wearing pants.

Then he has a problem
<img src= "http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRTFpkMLcTlVGl3f6n9P_YbuXNn3Vln5 9Wps3hZ3fP9Nd1UShjnnxjmIA"></img>

EDIT:

My manliness is exactly what I am worried about. IT will tip over the bike if you dont keep it centered.

Or not :rofl:

Laava
22nd March 2011, 16:12
Think maybe you should keep the fairings on as you may, by the sounds of things, have trouble with the "manliness" flailing about!

mrchips
22nd March 2011, 16:49
Nice bike !

My Oggy knobs aka frame sliders saved my bacon when i fell off while stationary. I was too busy watching some hotty walk past & lost my footing on some gravel.


:Oops:..... not a scratch !.


I don't blame you for wanting to protect your fairings. How about something like this stuff clicky click for Clear sticky stuff (http://www.cycletreads.co.nz/products/372-road/1140-oxford_paint_saver.aspx).... should do the job nicely.

Take it easy out there !

cheshirecat
22nd March 2011, 19:17
Clear protective film works quite well - get the thick stuff. Also protects from all the stuff the bike gets hit with, (except for bricks, oil drums, disintegrating truck tyres etc)

sgtp
22nd March 2011, 20:39
Well good news, I got the gpx home without a scratch in this lovely rain and gusting wind tonight, so I underestimated my awesomeness.:woohoo:

Well, sliders are out for this bike. They dont make kits that fit the earlier years. I bought a 2007, and only 08-11 kits are turning in in my searching; I dont care to fabricate my own. This protective film sounds interesting. I might try that. Cheers for all the info, guys&gals...

p.dath
23rd March 2011, 07:38
Well good news, I got the gpx home without a scratch in this lovely rain and gusting wind tonight, so I underestimated my awesomeness.:woohoo:

Take it easy tiger. :) New riders over-estimating their riding abilities causes many an off.

Slyer
23rd March 2011, 08:05
Nah, don't put anything on them. Waste of time on a GPX, the engine barely sticks out so there's not a lot to protect.
Personally I run fibreglass front fairings which will take a lot of punishment. :bleh:
Focus on not dropping it.

sgtp
23rd March 2011, 09:59
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/I_want_to_install_frame_sliders
This link gave good info not to bother with sliders on this particular bike.

And yeah, at my ripe old age of 32, I am not about to take any risks this early in my riding history. I read about that lady in the Wiariapa who had an off and ended in the ditch for 3 hrs with a broken neck. Thats a good reality check if you need one.

CookMySock
23rd March 2011, 10:49
And yeah, at my ripe old age of 32, I am not about to take any risks this early in my riding history.I thought the same, and only managed to tip the bike over everrrr so gently gently on its side in the garage when I thought the stand was down. :rolleyes::clap:

So six months later after getting my full license I went into "I know what I'm doing mode" and left the road and hit a culvert. I stood up and walked away from that, and burned eight of my nine lives in one fell swoop.


I read about that lady in the Wiariapa who had an off and ended in the ditch for 3 hrs with a broken neck. Thats a good reality check if you need one.Burned 8.998 of her nine lives I'd say. A horrible lesson, but there has been much worse.

oneofsix
23rd March 2011, 11:01
I thought the same, and only managed to tip the bike over everrrr so gently gently on its side in the garage when I thought the stand was down. :rolleyes::clap:

So six months later after getting my full license I went into "I know what I'm doing mode" and left the road and hit a culvert. I stood up and walked away from that, and burned eight of my nine lives in one fell swoop.

Burned 8.998 of her nine lives I'd say. A horrible lesson, but there has been much worse.
yep if you want a reality check check out this thread http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=1130018269#post1130018269
I don't know her apart from her posts on KB but it sounded like she had her head on right and still came a cropper.

CookMySock
23rd March 2011, 11:15
Yeah mate thats horrible. Chix skin hair and bone on tar seal is always a terrible terrible thing. :angry: