Skewed Front Fairing.

[Bonner]

So I've had a spot of bad luck this week and had the bike fall off it's stand not once but twice! :rant:

The first time was partially my fault and involving a hill, the second time was on flat ground, on a spot where it's been parked before and completely defied gravity. The net result is that I have a smashed up nosecone. I gathered the bits together and epoxied them back on to the fairing to get a basic shape, then I'm going to fibreglass, filler and paint to get a reasonable match. It won't be perfect but sod spending £200+ on a new nosecone.

Anyway! I replaced the fairing so I could use the bike for a while until the fibreglass kit comes and noticed that the second impact seems to have skewed the fairing out. I'm not sure what's caused this so I'm coming to you guys with help. Any ideas? I'm assuming a bracket has probably got bent out of shape and needs replacing/hammering but I couldn't see anything. It rides well and is completely normal other than this.

(Excuse the tape, I got away with not scratching the tank and I'd rather keep it that way.)

 

[hk_fz6_05]

this is exactly what happened to mine after lowsiding it (same side even).
On mine it's down to the fairing stay (the metal "T" that bolts on to your frame and holds your fairing and headlights) being slightly (just enough to be visible) skewed. And you can't epoxy that I'm afraid....

go have a look-see and maybe post a pic. I find it's easiest if you are sat on the bike with it upright and look straight down at that fairing stay to see if it's off. I'm pretty sure it will be though

I got myself a new one and am waiting for the winter to set in before changing the whole darn thing.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

There is a small bracket that bolts to the frame and the lower fairing (should be the lowest allan key bolt on the lowest, rear fairing. That bracket will bend pretty easily. You can loosen it up slightly (in case it twisted) and bend it back by hand..

Depending on how hard the bike fell, there is a main fairing stay that holds the entire nose to the frame (two fairly large bolts at the front of the steering tube), that can/will bend.

If you put the bike on the centerstand, front wheel dead straight ahead, look forward at the fairing, especially the utside edges. IF that stay is bent, you'll see its ****ed/tilted some .

It generally won't bend alot but it will be noticable when checking it in this manner. If it does show to be crooked, I found it extremly difficult to try and straighten it and a new one would be in order... Its about impossible, the way its designed, to put it in a vise and check whats bent and what isn't. Being steel, with a plastic fairing bolted to it, it will easily torque the fairing. Its hard to tell, but in the below pictures, that black bracket sticking out from the front is the stay(the two large holes up top (as I re-call, hold the gauges).

Also, again, depending on how hard it hit, the plastic tabs, that actually hold the headlight assembly to the fairing also like to break off.

Please post your findings and good luck

 

[Bonner]

Ahh I see, cheers guys I'll have a look when I have it all apart again next week to do the fibreglassing. I'm not bothered about having it exact, I just can't deal with it touching the tank. Can't seem to find any on eBay so it looks like I'm going to have to take the entire nose off and see what I can do about straightening it a little.

Cheers guys, at least I know where to look now! :thumbup:

 

[texcollect]

I had the same issue, but chose the BFI approach (Brute Force and Ignorance). I basically got hold of my fairing and pulled it the other way until the gaps matched left to right. It's not scientific, but it worked.

 

[hk_fz6_05]

oh and one more thing:

if the main stay is bent it will also mean that your headlights are off and since a very small deviation means a big difference in location of the light cone your liable to be flashing on coming traffic (since it's skewed to the left). I only noticed this problem recently after it started getting dark early, but now I am aware that it's actually quite the issue for me with the fairing skewed about the same as yours.