Naked vs Faired - all year round.

[odachi13]

A question aimed at the naked all year riders (with cold winters), how much of a difference would you say that a full fairing actually makes?

I'm looking to upgrade to something around the litre mark and there are some nice street fighters that im considering - CB1000R, Z1000 etc (forgive me).

It would probably take the FZ6's place and I'd stay one just the one bike so would be an all year jobber as I don't drive. I know I can get some bolt on bits like bikini screen, handguards etc but with proper winter gear does it really matter?

 

[greg]

Hands are the main bit, and they are equally exposed on both.

I have a fly screen on mine, which helps deflect most debris, useful in summer and rain alike. Some bikes like the Z1000 are supposed to be really aerodynamic and good at directing the wind.

 

[MrMogensen]

Do you have longer highway streches (higher speeds) on your daily commute. If not... Then don't spend the extra dollars on a fairing unless you think the bike you have chosen looks better with it.

I ride my bike almost every day between 1st of March to 1st of December and I only got 1-2 red lights at the end the end of my 40km commute. My jacket+pants are pretty worn (= a bit far from 100% wind resistant), so I really like my fairing even though it does not cover hands or neck.

 

[Nelly]

I have had naked and faired bikes, in my honest opinion even a bikini fairing makes a difference. As for hands you can always go the heated bar route regardless if what you ride.

 

[odachi13]

I've had heated grips on most my bikes, although they are for heated palms at best in some weather. My communte is only 15mins nowadays (or 6mins at 11pm), but I often travel 110 miles to Liverpool and being a school teacher have lots of time for touring in the holidays.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

You can get covers that covers your grips and controls to insulate your hands and protect them from the wind. It takes a while getting use to riding with them but they do work.

 

[payneib]

I wouldn't ride a faired bike in winter. You're just so much more likely to drop it, and there's a lot of plastic there to get smashed. Also, salt. It'll just gather behind the fairing and start rotting away at everything underneath.

As for the hands: heated gloves. So much better than heated grips.

 

[nivag]

I've got a Speed Triple and you notice the cold on longer, faster roads around the 70mph mark. Obviously Im not going above them speeds

I've got heated gloves which are fooking amazing and if I had to do more high speed mileage I'd get a heated jacket too. But the gloves work a treat for a few hours of A & B road blasts. Stop for lunch, then back out for some more miles.

If you ride in all weathers its a lot wetter too.

 

[Ultrarandom]

As someone who has only ever owned a naked bike and use it all year round.

I have never had a problem personally. Only problem I've ever had has been cold and numb fingers when I reach my destination.
Sometimes I will wear 2 jackets and my riding jeans are extremely thick, I also wear a ski mask to prevent wind from going down my jacket and getting my neck which helps significantly.

However in NZ our winters aren't quite as cold but I'd definitely agree with everyone else in saying the main problem will be hands which doesn't change faired or naked.

 

[Nelly]

Hi Kenny, when I was a McMinn courier years ago I had the first generation bar mitts. They used to implode at speeds over 60mph and puts the front break.it was very disconcerting.

 

[FIZZER6]

Depends on your average riding speeds in cold weather. If you have to take the freeway forget that with no wind protection! In the city it doesn't make as much difference. I have a cruiser with detachable windscreen and it's much colder when I take it off!

 

[Marthy]

Just adding a little fly screen on my FZ09 made a huge difference. I still drive my FZ6R with the Puig touring screen. I get less tired on my FZ09! The fly screen greatly reduce the wind blast on my chest and the airflow is very clean around the helmet. And yoy kind of build up to it too.

I did a few day trip to the BRP last summer. Pound 900 miles in 14 hrs on the way back... I was still going 80-90 MPH in the last hour. I was a little beat up but would not have been much better with full wind protection. Helmet buffering is very tiring IMO, more than a nice wind flow.