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Originally Posted by the phantom pieman Obviously there is loads of Chinese origin ABS plastic advertised on ebay ... any experiences - good or bad ? |
If it's just for the track, do you need abs or would a cheap set of "race" (fibreglass) fairings suffice? I guess that really depends on how you're going to get to the trackday - on the bike or by trailer/van?
If you're taking the bike there by trailer/van then I'd get a set of cheap fibreglass fairings. Depending on your budget (and if you can stand plain white!) you can pick them up for around £150 a set, or spend a bit more for some coloured versions. These always get good recommendations:
http://www.superbikebodywork.co.uk/Ducati_916.htm For the ABS stuff, I've heard mixed reports from other places like Ducatisti. Some are very happy but others think the quality and/or paint isn't all that. I think you have to understand that you're buying a
cheap product and just accept what you're getting - in your case (track use in case of a spill) I would think they would be perfectly acceptable with a few blemishes or paint runs! I've seen some really nice fairings on there for the 916 shape (which I was considering myself for trackdays!), like this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250887688084 When I take my (road) 748 on a trackday I will spend a few hours taking all the road fairing off, taking the headlight out, the number plate hanger off, etc, and then refitting the track fairing before putting it onto my trailer. It is a pain, but I know that if it goes down on the track I won't lose my road kit. I also have a "trackday" tank too!
Whether you decide to go ABS or fibreglass, you'll find it's a pain to switch them over without paying a bit more for some of the mounting items - the seat unit needs a bracket at the front as well as the locking mechanism at the back to save you taking them off your road kit. It's not expensive for each item, but they will all add up. You may find some fairings with bellypans are more heavy than standard two side pieces and so will need extra brackets to keep them in place, which will be more expense. You might also need to modify the fairing for a side stand, etc.
So there is no quick yes/no answer I'm afraid!
As an aside, I'm doing up a Honda at the moment, and will be purchasing a set of Chinese ABS fairings to replace the mismatched, badly painted ones on there, mainly because (a) they're cheap (...er than buying genuine) and (b) because getting decent second-hand panels is very difficult!