Fairing reinforcement project

[boatdetective]

Good morning. I have been messing with a  project that might be of some interest to you folks. I recently bought a Honda CB1100 with a sexy little bikini fairing.

As I trailered the bike home, I noticed in the rear view mirror how the fairing was twisting and flexing quite a bit. This is an aftermarket unit made from glass fiber. Looking at the inside of the unit, you can see that they used chopped strand mat (CSM). It's easy to apply to complex shapes like this, but doesn't offer the best stiffness. Basically, the two long "wings" of the fairing that support the screen are twisting in torsion. The thin sections needed some diagonal reinforcement.

I started by taping off the paint job and sketching out the paths that I wanted to reinforce. The plan was to use unidirectional carbon fiber set in epoxy resin.


I carefully buzzed the surface with a 100 grit 2" roloc disc to provide good adhesion


Next I sketched out the plan of attack and cut out all my pieces of reinforcement ahead of time. I uses a soldering iron to cut the stitching of the uni fiber. The heat melts the white stitching fibers and prevents the carbon from falling apart.

Everything taped off and ready to rock. Note that I weigh out the resin and hardener to make sure I get a precise measure. I use a small scale inside a plastic baggie to prevent it from getting munged up.

You can't see in this picture, but I started by wetting the surface with neat resin, then spreading on a layer of thickened resin to smooth out any hollows- you want the carbon to drape naturally without sharp bends.

After layup, tuck it under a heat lamp to help cook the resin. Even though the resin cures at room temp, it doesn't hurt to help the cure process with moderate heat.


I just bolted it up and took the bike for a quick spin- no twist whatsoever. If you've never worked with carbon before- it is amazing stuff. Excellent for repairing or reinforcing your bike's body work.



 

[kballowe]

Good morning. I have been messing with a  project that might be of some interest to you folks. I recently bought a Honda CB1100 with a sexy little bikini fairing.

 

I am pretty sure that is my old CB1100
That's a Chic Design Road Comet II fairing - ordered directly from Japan, complete with custom matching paint and stripe

[boatdetective]

I bought it from a guy in New Jersey who had owned it since 2015.

[kballowe]

I bought it from a guy in New Jersey who had owned it since 2015.

OK, that's not mine.   Just some other guy with really good taste in motorcycles and motorcycle accessories.

 


Oh - and good job on that project !
 

[boatdetective]

I love the machine- it's like a magic carpet. Smooth as silk.
The fairing looks great on the bike- I'll report on actual effectiveness after I get some time on the highway. I never intended this to be a tourer, though. I have the R12R for that.


 

[kballowe]

Here's the only pic that I could put my hands on - at the moment

[oldbike54]

 Timely thread for me Jonathon 

 Dusty

[boatdetective]

Timely thread for me Jonathon 

 Dusty

Epoxy and carbon are your friends. Once you've used this stuff you will never go back to JB welding ABS cracks. You can get the materials at Jamestown distributors. The woven cloth is light and good in two directions, but the Unidirectional stuff is much better for adding precise reinforcement to an area (you just have to be correct in identifying the load paths).

[Chuck in Indiana]

Thanks for the tutorial.. Dusty would have used duct tape for sure..

[larrys]

Nice job! Them marine trade skills come in handy... I always have West System stuff in the shop. You're in Marblehead? My daughter is the director at Pleon.
Larry

[boatdetective]

Nice job! Them marine trade skills come in handy... I always have West System stuff in the shop. You're in Marblehead? My daughter is the director at Pleon.
Larry

Yup- I learned to sail at Pleon.  I figured that a little learnin' about fiberglass might help some folks out. Thge secret is the carbon. it's so stiff that it only takes a minimal amount to dramatically improve the part.

[alanp]

Thanks for  the info, really purdy bike with that fairing.
GUZZI CONTENT, Chic Design makes a fairing specifically for the V7.  It is a really nice unit and I think looks great.  It does flex a bit, but at least on the V7, seems to be adequately stiff.

[boatdetective]

Wow- awesome looking fairing on the V7! I absolutely garon-damn-tee that some uni carbon will help your fairing from flexing.

BTW- I just looked it up- that company makes the same same fairing as on my bike!  If that's the case, you probably had the same side to side wiggle wobble of the thing twisting in the breeze.