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Are FXRT fairings a passing fad?

24K views 118 replies 24 participants last post by  Homesick 
#1 ·
I was cruising Youtube the other day found a video discussing FXRT fairings. I've actually kinda sorta been looking for one in the right price range but when you add it all up, it runs over $2000 for a decent fairing, brackets and doo dads. I'd like to have one, but right now, the banker won't let go of the cash.

Love or hate FXRT fairings

The Dyna guys are snapping them up.

Greg
 
#3 ·
Can you try before you buy? I've never experienced one.
How much do they weigh? Enough that you need stiffer springs?
I saw a mint one with all the components on E-bay with a buy it now price of $4999. Yowch.

journeymanjohn - Beginning in Dec. prices are generally at their lowest of the year on used bikes IMO.
 
#7 ·
Can you try before you buy? I've never experienced one.
How much do they weigh? Enough that you need stiffer springs?
I saw a mint one with all the components on E-bay with a buy it now price of $4999. Yowch.

journeymanjohn - Beginning in Dec. prices are generally at their lowest of the year on used bikes IMO.


Most hilarious thing I have read all day.
 
#91 ·
Yeah I remember you had mentioned that



Would be interesting to ever ride one, just for the experience.
Still I would not want to buy one, I am actually not really function about form, I also have a built Softail.
Mostly it`s Vintage (but not Knucklehead tech Vintage) that I like, with the exception of the Buell XB which I also have.
For what exactly the FXR`s touched me, I can`t say, really no idea.
But it became the bike I am busy with, without knowing why.
Must be love.
When they were new I was amongst the guys that called her ugly duck. Especially the RT.
Different Zeitgeist. Some things get only interesting when old.
Back then I bought a Ironhead and a Batwing Shovel.
 
#8 ·
Well Greg before I spend $2,000 on a faring and brackets I would go buy a used boat, Silverado, couple pounds of pot, or find a used faring at a decent price. Depending on your location I find that used bike and parts are cheaper in February. I shop eBay usually and it will be awhile before riding season so plenty of time to wait for the right price. I realize fairings for your bike might be up there and they think they have you by the ballz, but if you wait and cruise ebay you will find what you want at a decent price.2¢

Sent from my moto g(7) supra using Tapatalk
 
#22 · (Edited)
All fads are passing, that's what makes them a fad. Being that the fairing is coming up on 40 years in existence I don't consider it a fad, but it has become more popular as baggers have become fashionable. When I was much younger back in the 80's and early 90's, me and my buddies would never consider an FXRT, or Electra Glides for that matter, these were old man bikes. We were pretty much right because, with the exception of me, they all have baggers and they're old men.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Yeah I remember well we ignored them like a p.o.s., they were a fad (to us) when on the showroom´s floor brand new.
Back then in my circle it was total philistine design to us....remembered us to the BMW tourers of that time which were the uncoolest thing to ever have.
I Would not have believed centuries later I would own two bikes with that fairing.
Zeitgeist is different....taste, point of view, everything, can change....
Vintage and Retro now, but was the to-avoid-pseudo-modern look at that time....
Maybe I would have thought differently, if I had seen one with cool paint and a Klockwerks shield.....which wasn't there of course...
I remember someone told he has seen the fairing for almost free at a village flea market........long long ago

E-Glides were kind of geezer bikes or at least for the older ones, but by far not hated as philistine bikes like we rated the RT´s.
I was an exception in some way as I bought an E-Glide at age 21.
It was a rare FLHX (´84 latest Shovel to get, stock wire wheels and special paint, belt drive) and nobody else in his twenties as a young gun had a HD-tourer back then, but when i cut the windshield (bat wing stayed on), removed the tour pak and stereo, threw a Wide-Glide seat (easy bolt on) and fishtails on, they all said the bike is so cool.
One year later I removed the fairing and bags, lowered it and put a horseshoe oil bag and Staggered´s on. Beautiful bike.
But a RT - no way in hell this would have been a thought for half a second for anyone i ever spoke to, at that time...
Have no pictures left, but this is the same bike :


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#26 ·
Based on what I've seen on Ebay, the RWD website, JD Choppers website and the Big Bear website. They outwardly look similar but it's apparent they are not of the same quality. Some have pockets, some do not. Other little things as well but since I haven't seen one up close, I'm curious about them from people that have them.

Greg
 
#27 ·
Kevin at Big Bear doesn't manufacture anything. There are only a couple places that actually make these. Most are resellers. With or without pockets should not be considered an indicator of quality, but rather an option. I have two FXRP fairings from JDs in my garage right now. One was made two years ago, the other was shipped a few weeks ago. Both f them were almost perfect right out of the box.

But regardless. Here is something to think about. The newest oem harley units were made in '93 for the '94 model years and were made from thin ABS plastic. Would really suck to spend a couple grand on a paint job only to have an antique plastic part crack. I am going to go out on a limb and say that unless someone is doing a concours restoration, why use an antique and uber expensive part when all of the units from reputable sources have superior strength and are without hidden cracks or fractures. Seriously, seems almost a mute point. JD and RWD are well known and respected within the FXR community.
 
#34 ·
Biker fashion is weird and many follow trends like a teenage girl. The prices for nine-spoke mags have gone insane lately because everyone has to have them. FXR prices are a bit odd too as most HD riders never exploit what FXRs are best at (weighing only~ 600 lbs and being nearly as agile as a Sportster) but buy them to be kool. Fine with me since they're not ruining necks to make Marlboro Man bar bikes out of them. (Bikers are so pathetically desperate for bikertainment that anything sells, hence the success of the Sons of Assbanditry soap opera.)
If I score an RT fairing cheap enough I'll hang it on the wall and wait for prices to go even further nuts. Today is "peak FXR" era since men who wanted one in their youth are retiring with plenty of toy money but still mostly young enough to ride them. It would be a wise time to sell off collections but collectors rarely collect to cash out (that's a good excuse for wives though) and mostly just hoard until they die then their clueless descendants cash out cheaper than they could.
 
#35 ·
Eventually they will be as unpopular as the low slung, billet choppers of the early 2000's. For now they're very popular and overpriced because every basic Harley "bro" wants one to match his flat brimmed cap. That's just my opinion though. That's the beauty about bikes, make them your own.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Actually the "flat brimmed cap" (you forgot the green or yellow high tops with white soles) type doesn't care for RT/RP fairings, they like the quarter fairings (I do like quarter fairings also however), all thats necessary to wheelie to the cornwr bar and back..Mile makers, rain or shine, love the best fairing HD ever designed. They don't care about what's in style or not. A Roadglide rider will agree, about the 2nd best fairing, HD designed.
 
#53 ·
My story. In 1986 I was stationed in Okinawa with the Air Force. At the BX was a Harley dealer with models for GI's to drool over and order for stateside delivery. One of the models was an 86 FXRS. I used to walk by that damn near everyday and sit on it, pretending I was wheeling it down the road. During that same time, I saw a Marine riding an 84 FXRT he'd brought to the island and I said "Now THAT is the scoot I REALLY want!". I never got it, but, a buddy of mine had purchased an 87 Sportster 1100, found out he didn't want it anymore and sold it to me at a discount. That was my first Harley. I sold it several years later to a German in Germany. A couple years ago I got the jones again and picked up my 87 FXRC for short money. I'm making it an FXRT. Yes, I turned 65 last year, so I'm entitled to have what I've really wanted!

Greg
 
#54 ·
Well, I got lucky and found for short money, a slightly rough FXRT fairing from a gent in Ohio. It has one crack between the turn signal cutout and the outer edge. No pieces missing though and it came with the X bracket. I also picked up a set of FLT turn signals from another guy. None of these items were nowhere near Elvis or EBay prices for sure. Notice the FLT turn signals will work but the contour in one corner is not quite the same. I'll have to fab up a set of rubber gaskets to smooth it out. Like anything, patience pays off.

Greg
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#57 · (Edited)
Notice the FLT turn signals will work but the contour in one corner is not quite the same. I'll have to fab up a set of rubber gaskets to smooth it out.
Greg you have the right signals, you just miss the correct rubbers. HD only grabbed into their shelves when they loaded the Nova fairing and threw the FLT signals in.

Those fit the curvature of the FLT fairing but not quite well the contours of the Nova fairing, that`s why they designed an offset rubber.

For that reason the signals stick out so silly at two corners on FXRT´s.

It's just one corner in your mock-up because you positioned it that way, but HD "leveled out" the discrepancy so that it is divided up into two opposite corners.

AMF has not been too cheap when they formed the fairing via wind tunnel, but the new owners of HD at the time were stingy when it came to signals for the RT .
 
#60 ·
Like I've said, far from perfect but any ideas on how to address this crack would be appreciated.

Greg
If the original fairing is made of ABS plastic, they make repair kits you can get at auto stores. A friend of mine repaired his Ninja fairing and it looked just like new and lasted for years.
 
#58 · (Edited)
Yesterday, I got the opportunity to compare my original OEM fairing with an aftermarket, fairing. After looking at them I will agree with several other posters and say that the fairing is just as good or maybe even better quality than the original. Therefore, I'd say, there is really no reason to seek out the original Harley fairings over the ones you may find on eBay. The new ones are a whole lot less expensive and work just as well.

Greg
 

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#59 · (Edited)
Not sure what the difference is from oem-ABS to aftermarket glass regarding stability or durability - I have three early fairings ( `83 - `85 ) and none has cracks or shows signs of material fatigue.
I actually wonder why they don't have any, because one of them on one edge even shows how a previous owner must have slid across the pavement with it !
Not a sign of weakness imo...?...!...

As others have documented, cracks often occur around the headlight area if not all of the stock mounts have been used over the years, the X-bracket alone is not enough.
Did you note on the fiberglass fairing in your picture, it has to be cut and worked on to accept the upper winglets (mounts from gas tank bolts to rear position of fairing) ?

After all it`s a matter of personal preference.... I have always been a custom guy and never cared about oem parts, but with the FXR I very much prefer the stock part over the aftermarket fairings.
.......especially when they don`t have the recessed area (where some mount speakers) and also show a closed-up plain surface where the stocker is empty to take up the separate glove boxes.
As how I feel that`s one of the reasons why they have that ´knock-off-look` to them, but others may like them better or simply don`t care.
Some of the custom ones have raw inner surfaces and need tons of filler to get them plain, same with most of the lower fairings.
Whenever I had a glass part in my hands, be it a fender or whatever piece, they never were totally accurate to shape, had uneven edge thickness and have been
painter`s headache (and overtime) when he tried to smooth them out before painting (before handing over the finished product while saying ..."...sorry couldn`t get
it better than that..."...) .
Some cost double after all the work it you want to get things perfect (and might still not be perfect).
My friend who had an Indy shop, building custom bikes for centuries, refused to use glass parts like the devil avoids holy water.

When I look at a stock fairing-FXR it appears to me as the more desirable and worthier bike than one with an aftermarket fairing (given the rest of the bikes is comparable).
But I don`t mean to talk down the custom part.....what the "better" thing is for the one guy, might not be for the other one and has more to it than overall cost or even
stability etc..........for some it is about oem-originality, for others about certain details which a stock part does not offer.

Finally, I might be obsessed with the historic part ( that I had an aversion for back then... ..😂 ).












 
#61 · (Edited)
Sometimes after a couple of beers, my brain gets working. As I said, I got the OEM fairing from one guy and the FLT turn signal lights from another. I just didn't get the gaskets that go them. Found out those go for $150-$250 each on EBay. Come on man...

But, in my eBay travels I saw a set of front turn signals for an 80-83 Goldwing GL1100. $20 for the set with gaskets. Under the influence, I went for it on a hunch. Got them today. Guess what. They could work. Contour is VERY good. With some trimming of the rubber seal, looks VERY nice. Ignore this if you're a purist. Pay attention if you want to keep your coin in your pocket.

Top pic - FLT on top, Goldwing with rubber seal on bottom

Center pic - Goldwing light in FXRT fairing with no rubber seal

Bottom pic - same as above.

Greg

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#62 ·
Sometimes after a couple of beers, my brain gets working. As I said, I got the OEM fairing from one guy and the FLT turn signal lights from another. I just didn't get the gaskets that go them. Found out those go for $150-$250 each on EBay. Come on man...

But, in my eBay travels I saw a set of front turn signals for an 80-83 Goldwing GL1100. $20 for the set with gaskets. Under the influence, I went for it on a hunch. Got them today. Guess what. They could work. Contour is VERY good. With some trimming of the rubber seal, looks VERY nice. Ignore this if you're a purist. Pay attention if you want to keep your coin in your pocket.

Top pic - FLT on top, Goldwing with rubber seal on bottom

Center pic - Goldwing light in FXRT fairing with no rubber seal

Bottom pic - same as above.

Greg

View attachment 269273 View attachment 269274 View attachment 269275
LOL Don't be a tease.

Show us the GW lens in the FXRT fairing-- once with each rubber. Then, the FXRT lens with the GW rubber [except for any that might damage your parts and pieces].

joe
 
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