Downsides to going naked?

[BlackAndBlue]

Does anyone ever regret converting their FZ6 to being naked? I am thinking about it pretty heavily because I really don't like the aerodynamics of the fairing, and I just miss having a naked bike. But my FZ6 is just about perfect. Almost spotless. For that reason, I'm hesitant to tear it apart like that. The biggest concern is that resale will drop a lot. Though, if I do convert it, I probably won't have any issue with keeping it either.

Anyway, are there any other reasons you miss the fairing, or otherwise regret converting to naked?

 

[beatle]

Not as good for longer rides or higher speeds. Naked bikes are nice to a point, but wind blast can tire you out at speeds over 70. At 100+ you'd better hold on pretty tight.

I think you're right on the resale unless you just happen to catch someone who wants a naked FZ6 and wants it just the way you've done it.

 

[aclayonb]

I converted to naked and went back. When I commute, it's two hours per day - all highway and some interstate. It's almost all 70+mph and it's honestly just annoying trying to hold your head still. I sprung for a naked kit mostly for looks and the assumption it would be like my Honda cruiser. Wrong.

After about 5k miles, I was over the naked kit. I reverted back and am considering buying my touring shield back from LeeFZ. If this makes any sense, the wind noise from a touring shield is higher but the wind buffeting from a naked kit is worse. Having live both sides of it, the wind buffeting is way worse than the racket. I can wear earplugs but I really have trouble riding slower.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Out here in Idaho, there are so many freaking bugs, especially along the rivers, I don't think I would ever ride a bike without some sort of fairing and windscreen, at least during the summer. It gets so bad, I have to pull into a gas station every 20 minutes and grab a squeegee to clear my shield. It sucks trying to clean the bugs off your gear, especially if it's textile.

 

[raja777m]

I think you're right on the resale unless you just happen to catch someone who wants a naked FZ6 and wants it just the way you've done it.

Or if you have the original parts to revert back to fairing whenever you want, the buyer don't mind spending some time putting it back.
IMHO.

 

[Ultrarandom]

I've always owned naked bikes and loved them.
Only once have I ever wished I had a fairing and that was on a long ride on the motorway holding 110km/h. It was extremely windy and I was riding into the wind so holding my head forwards got extremely tiring on my neck.

Good thing I listen to metal or else my head would've come off :rockon:

 

[raja777m]

I can wear earplugs but I really have trouble riding slower.

I don't know in what context you said trouble riding slow, but for me, it's damn hard to keep the bike under the speed limit, once I hit the Highway, It just asks me to push it further. Blah
In no time and without my knowledge, I'll be at 95mph+ (I was under control though).
And mine is all stock..!

 

[fazil]

Went naked 3 years ago and never regretted. I don't like plastic parts like fairings, i like metal parts (mad max style :rockon

If the wind gets annoying, you can put on a flyscreen as i did to mine. For highway rides it is very usefull. Not much difference compared to fairing

http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-mods/54953-naked-touring-windshield-mod.html?highlight=puig+screen

 

[aclayonb]

I don't know in what context you said trouble riding slow, but for me, it's damn hard to keep the bike under the speed limit, once I hit the Highway, It just asks me to push it further. Blah
In no time and without my knowledge, I'll be at 95mph+ (I was under control though).
And mine is all stock..!

I meant that I have trouble keeping it under 90mph on the interstate. It's pretty common for me to be riding to work and see three digits on the speedo. The fairing makes a huge difference above 70mph. I also agree with VegasRider about the bugs and the gear. The grasshoppers in Indiana will KILL you at those speeds and scrubbing your jacket/helmet/pants/bags all the time is annoying.

 

[TofuJunky87]

I too went naked because I bought my bike with a bad front end collision and the plastics were destroyed. I've always owned fairing bikes and I have to agree with the other posts, buffeting on the interstate can be quite bad, especially around larger vehicles and trucks. The wind can be nice because it will push against your chest and take weight off of your wrists and can keep you cool on warmer days but at the same time it can feel like your hanging on for life otherwise you'll fly off.

 

[The_Paragon]

I just went naked, (Thanks to [MENTION=23482]aclayonb[/MENTION] !)

It was a chilly ass ride this morning at about 40 degrees!!!

I could see myself going back to full fairing if i end up doing another XC trip this summer, but as soon as I get back from the trip I'll probably go back naked again!

 

[mitdr774]

I started out on a Buell Blast and one of the things that annoyed me on the highway is the buffeting. The flyscreen on it does very little for wind control. It is a lot of fun around town and on back roads, but at highway speeds it is a bit rough.

When I went looking for a second bike one of my main requirements was a front fairing. Makes a huge difference on the highway. I dont have to damn near lay down on the tank to stay out of the wind and keep my head from buffeting.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

I went naked this year and LOVE it. In cooler weather it's a bit worse, but the weather has been warming up and it's a lot nicer to ride. The airflow, even at highway speeds, does not seem overpowering to me, and consistently hits your entire upper body instead of smacking you right in the helmet. I'm very glad I did the naked conversion.

 

[mxgolf]

I like having the wind screen. Too may bugs. I don't know how the Harley 1/2 helmet guys do it. I imagine those bugs especially the larger ones hurt the face!! Full Face or no face! LOL No way I would ride a naked bike. Just my opinion. :rockon:

 

[ChanceCoats123]

I like having the wind screen. Too may bugs. I don't know how the Harley 1/2 helmet guys do it. I imagine those bugs especially the larger ones hurt the face!! Full Face or no face! LOL No way I would ride a naked bike. Just my opinion. :rockon:

It probably depends upon where you live and when you ride. Lots of bugs come out at night, and different parts of the U.S. (or world) are buggier than others. I can't at I've noticed any increase in bugs after going naked because the original half fairing never really spotted many bugs to begin with.

 

[aclayonb]

Noticed more bugs with the naked setup because they would hit my chest and fly up into my helmet. Although you take more hits directly to the helmet - I never had any angry, crippled bees in my helmet with my fairing.

 

[BlackAndBlue]

I guess I'll have to take the wind screen off and see how I like that. I definitely liked the wind characteristics of my nighthawk better than I do the fz6 though but they may be completely different in naked forms.

 

[JesseeS]

I loved going naked and do not regret it. I came off of a DRZ so I was used to the wind buffeting. It does get really bad some days, but in the case I just tuck down for a bit to give my head a rest. Around town its a different animal. It feels so much lighter and agile now around turns, with all that weight off the front. It was night and day (for me anyways). It may just resale, but in that case just keep the stock stuff around in case you want to sell. Whichever you choose just go out and enjoy it

 

[payneib]

Never ridden a faired bike, don't see what all the fuss is about. You only get significant buffeting over 85 mph, or going into weather to give you a similar wind speed over the bike. Makes the bike alot easier to clean and look after. And they look better too, no big tacky lumps of plastic allover the place.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

Never ridden a faired bike, don't see what all the fuss is about. You only get significant buffeting over 85 mph, or going into weather to give you a similar wind speed over the bike. Makes the bike alot easier to clean and look after. And they look better too, no big tacky lumps of plastic allover the place.

A lot of it comes down to personal preference for the looks, but I have to agree with the easier cleaning so far. A simple wipe down usually gets my bike looking brand new.