 916 SPS fairings...imploded.
Hello all.
I am the proud new owner of a 1997 916 SPS out here in Dubai.
I recently took it the bike for its first spin round our local track (first time I've ridden it) and I never even got an entire lap in before the entire lower fairing, both sides, parted company with the bike and destroyed themselves on the back straight.
I'm guessing my speed would have been around 70mph. my plan was to literally have a couple of slow laps just to see how the bike ran before dropping it in for a service and belts at the local dealer, that was the only reason I had it with me. I have no intention of riding it on the road out here and its a project bike which I intend to get back to mint and perhaps do 3-4 track days a year.
The fairings were collected and returned to me in about 25 varying sized pieces and it looks like they have shattered. all the fairing fasteners were still in the frame and where they connect to the headlight/top fairing they have broken every mounting point. its almost as if the entire fairing has been pulled away from the bike, breaking every plastic mounting point in the process.
I had someone behind me at the time and its confirmed that I didn't hit anything as I suspected, they just fell off! My only suspicion is that the plastic has got brittle over the years, I know that this bike spent some of its life outside (not in direct sunlight) where it can reach 50C+.
Has anyone else heard of such a thing happening?  | 
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