Fairing fitment

Not even sure I want to do this because I like the lines of my XJ 750 without a fairing, but....
It's my understanding, as long as you have the correct bracket, you can fit any Windjammer fairing (this came directly from Craig Vetter's website).
So, my question is...will an XJ650 bracket fit my XJ750? How difficult is it to install a fairing? Is this a good idea? (I obviously know this it's subjective...just looking for pro's & con's).
Anybody know where I can get an XJ750 bracket (currently looking on ebay).
Thanks
P

 

The 750 fairing bracket will fit on the 650. Otherwise, in general, the fairing bracket needs to be pretty much bike-specific.

Now that being said.......

The fairings that will fit the type of bracket we are talking about will be the WindjammerSS, Windjammer I, WindjammerII, Windjammer III, and Windjammer IV.

The windjammer V, and later fairings, will not work with the earlier bracket. The later ones were also made by a different company after Craig sold the business.

If you do put the fairing on, you can also put lowers on, as well. HOWEVER, these also are quite bike-specific. The outer shell is pretty much all the same, but the inner shells are all different to allow fitment to bikes. The shapes are the same, but the angles how they join together are different. I added a set onto my XJ650 maxim and did some careful modifications. You can see that setup if you go into my gallery.

As far as availability...... watch eBay, that's where I got mine. If you do find one on ebay, I'd recommend that you see if it comes with the whole installation kit. The kit consists of all the nuts, bolts, washers, rubber spacers, wire harness, reflectors, ring clamps, and inner frame filler panel.

If you need more specifics, feel free to email me and I'll try to describe things better.

Dave Fox

 

For an 82 750 Maxim the CORRECT bracket mounts with bolts thru the bracket and a triangle/christmas tree shaped metal plate as well as hose clamps to the frame (yes hose clamps). The frame is sandwiched between bracket and the metal plate. The hose clamps are used on the lower part of the frame near the exhaust pipes.

http://craigvetter.com/images/Vetter%20 ... -XJ750.pdf

Once you find an appropriate bracket (or reweld one to fit your bike) the fairing mounts to the bracket with only 4 bolts.

Craigvetter.com has several of the mounting directions available in pdf format, as well as some pictures on the correct mounting angle if you make your own bracket.

http://craigvetter.com/pages/Vetter_Fai ... tions.html

Not quite correct. The V will fit the bracket just fine. However the "LOWERS" for V's will ONLY fit V's.

That being said, if you are willing to trim the lowers you can probably make any of them fit around your XJ engine. My lowers were meant for a BWM. I trimmed (and retrimmed) mine until they fit with enough clearance (to not melt any more). I may not get the full leg wind protection, but I get some and they look cool.

Note: I have the small 3 point engine/crash bars and foot pegs installed. My leg bumps the lowers while using the foot pegs. Might retrim or reposition pegs in the spring.

Some pictures to see what the fairing installed looks like. (Note that is my custom pin-stripping. Also that is an aftermarket windshield trim piece I repainted.)
Click for bigger versions:










I also made a custom "wire bucket" out of a $2 plastic tub to hold all of the wires normally in the headlight bucket. I mounted it using the existing headlight bracket and longer bolts.


Triangle metal plate.

 

As far as pros vs. cons

Pros:
Less wind and bugs in your face (might be a con for some)
Less white knuckle gripping while driving into a strong wind while doing 70 on the highway
A little bit of storage in the fairing's 2 pockets
If wired correctly you get front amber running lights instead of JUST turn signals
Uses a 7" round headlight - a few upgrade options vs. the square thing
You can mount a Cycle Sound or Vetter Sound radio/speaker housing onto it (see ebay).
Place to set gloves while parked.
Place to mount tollway pass devices.
Place to add graphics, decals, bike blessing stickers, etc.

Cons:
Headlight does not TURN with the wheel. But you get use to it fast.
It does add some weight to the bike. Turn up the settings on the front dampers.
Not everyone likes the look - it's definitely not an HD batwing fairing...
I probably changes the dynamics for going thru the twisties, but being a new rider in flat/straight ILLINOIS it doesn't really matter to me...

Try Craigslist for cheaper purchases of fairing (no shipping).
Good luck finding the EXACT bracket (both pieces) on ebay. I got lucky and bought mine from a guy selling his bike. Was willing to sell fairing and luggage separate from the bike.

I love mine. I actually have extra fairing and parts in various conditions in my shed. (WJ 3, 4 and 5 and several parts). The one I currently have mounted is a repainted WJ 4. The 5 was used while the 4 was painted and I finalized mounting and pin-stripping of everything.

EDIT:
Great for "touring" or longer rides with it cutting thru the wind.
If you figure out a good way to store all the headlight bucket wires, you COULD swap the fairing on/off in less than an hour. (4 bolts to remove fairing, replace original headlight and reconnect all wiring). Just food for thought in case you liked XJ with AND without the fairing.

 

Correcto on the lowers fitment. I got ahead of myself in typing and forgot to proofread. Also, yes, the triangle piece (that's what I referred to as the 'frame filler panel" fits on the back side of the frame and has a tang that fits up in the space where the ends of the coils are. In my fitting, that piece would always be loose no matter what, so I made an extra bracket that went across the front, and then everything sandwiched with that. The crash bars attached to the ends of that bracket that I made. I also had some off-set to that bracket and also spacers at the bottom to account for the for V-twin - to - inline-4 offsets and measurements. My kit came with a vinyl pouch with a drawstring that all the wires tucked into. Then pull the drawstring, tie it, and it would fit as nice tight package right in front of the fork where the headlight was.

Dave F

 

The Support Structure should include "Buttressing"

Even at the expense of having to add additional fasteners to well-anchored "Ribs" -- "Stabilizers" -- "Braces" to assure the Fairing remains QUIET as Aerodynamic forces act on the fairing as you increase speed.

The lack of such buttressing on the Seca-900's Fairing causes the qhole Front-end to become unstable at HIGH-speed.
With the Fairing allowed to react to Pressure Variables created by the Wing-like surface, ... the Fairing behaves like a Wing and begins to act as an airfoil.
The Fairing begins to OSCILLATE to the left-and-right.
As each side begins to Lift and Stall, ... the opposite side Lifts as the other side Stalls.
The Motion is transferred to the whole front end.

 

I had absolutely no instability issues with my 650 when I had the Windjammer on it. I'd take it up to 90 on the highway and was totally comfortable with it. The shape of the fairing splits the air nicely and I had no decrease in mpg with it on even though it added a bit of weight. Plus, I was much warmer in cold weather, not beaten up by wind strain in warmer weather, and no bugs in the face either.

Dave

 

No such luck for me, but I did see one on eBay once for to much $$.

 

You may be interested in this
Yamaha XJ650 Maxim Vetter Fairing Bracket
Price: $49.95 Buy Now

Ghost

 

Ha-Ha....I saw that post, in fact that is what prompted the very first post.
Just a little too expensive for me plus it's not complete.
Thanks

 

Rode today 42F and windy for a few hours in at toys for tots ride and the approximate 2 hour ride home. Other than crosswind and some on my sweaty gloves, I could barely feel the wind as I rode into it.

Granted the MULTIPLE layers helped, but just saying

 

Hi
I’ve got a similar question
I’ve got one of the Western Australian old police bikes
I’m looking at fitting the fz750 full fairing or getting the XJ750RL fairing and adapting the lower sections of the FZ to suit
If anyone has any suggestions hints tips information pros / cons would be greatly appreciated
Cheers