Rally Fairing for DRZ400
 

I am currently in the process of researching and developing a larger rally style fairing for the DRZ. My goal is to adventurise the 400SM and I realise that the fixings between the S & E are different for each so part of my research is making something that will fit them all or at the very least create one fairing and brackets that will adapt to each variant.

Right now I am working around the existing headlight. I am also investigating how the design could accommodate better lighting should someone want to upgrade in the future. I will either create a separate "deluxe" full spec fairing or make a version that can accommodate a lighting upgrade. I just have to see how everything fits.

I mocked this up in Adobe Fireworks. I am in the process of making the plug for this.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6042/6...c7c2b0ea_b.jpg

Good lighting always comes at a premium and I would not be getting into that side of things. I just want to make a decent fairing that does not cost the Earth and is easy to install without a complicated framework behind.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6223/6...a1107d1f_z.jpg

I would be interested to know if there is a market for this sort of thing. I would be happy to adapt the design to accommodate other makes of bike provided there are sufficient numbers... lets say over 10.

I'm not a vendor yet. This is just a straw poll to see if it is worth my while. Either reply here, PM me or email motoeverywhere@gmail.com

Cheers

Jon

For inspiration: http://soe.se/mek/rallykapasnik/rallykapasnik.html

Text is Swedish but I'm sure you understand the pics.

I made a plug using the fly-screen off my road bike and knocked up a couple of "extensions" to the existing DRZ light cowl. My idea was that I fit it while mile-munching but remove it for the trails.

Here's a couple of Dakar DRZs from a few years back for inspiration.

Nice pics above. The Swedish one is funny but it's creativity at its best and if it does the job then why not. When travelling to Austria last year on a CB500 I required a little fairing and a friend in Belgium obliged with an old helmet visor. It was remarkably efficient. :scooter:

Nice idea. I wish someone would make a fairing or windshield for the DR650 that is functional and looks good. You might try creating an offer on Kickstarter. You'll be able to create the offer and actually keep track of the people ready to put down money. Just a thought.

Troy I'm not opposed to creating a fairing that would work across many similar bikes. My only difficulty is having access to the various different types of bike so that I could create brackets for them. Unless the fairing is sold as seen and people make their own brackets to suit their particular setup whether they have a road book or other modifications. That is what I am mulling over right now but certainly the DR650 is also in my sites as well as the XR400 :thumbup1:

That's a good idea about kickstarter. Although I don't want a Diaspora scenario where I get $200K in 6 months :rofl:

[sic] in my sights! Damn that auto spelling correction

just a small update. Getting there with fine tuning the plug. Cutting, filling and lots of sanding!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6...9d8a1704_b.jpg
trying to produce the first one by Christmas but time is at a premium.

Looks interesting.

Did you test a prototype ?

When I made a little flyscreen for my naked road-bike, I "dummied" up my rough design and tested it out at different speeds. I set it up with adjustable mounts and messed about with cutting bits off and adding bits on.

I settled on a much smaller one than first built, with a very different angle. I found that subtle changes made huge differences to the effect on rider comfort and bike behavoir. My "Mark One" caused a drop in pressure behind the screen that pulled my head forward and wobbled it about.

This was of course on a road bike with speeds never likely to be experienced on a Dr. Zed.

Looking forward to seeing the end results.

This is not my own product, and I will certainly be building something similar. However, Dan from Brighton2Expeditions fabricated up his using a Buell Ulysses headlight, some GRP and an after-market screen.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_1...2/IMG_0480.JPG

What a beauty. :whistling:

Hey Jon, if you're still looking to get a feel for the potential market, put me down as somone who would definitely be interested. I'm planning to get a DR-Z 400 SM and would want four aftermarket items for it: a better seat, a larger fuel tank, a luggage rack, and a fairing.

It seems to me that those four things could transform a stock DR-Z supermoto into a bike I'd ride anywhere, anytime. The first three are not that difficult to find, but a decent fairing appears to be something nobody sells.

Will do Craig. Things are hotting up now. I have created a dedicated work bench and facility in the garage that can cope with the mess and fumes of fibreglass. It just so happens that interest has peaked this week too so there will be more photos to follow soon.

Jon

Very timely! I have my DR-Z 400 SM now and am in the process of kitting it out for adventure. Keep me posted!

In the end it didn't work out for a number of reasons. Firstly I got a new job. The noxious chemical smells were getting into the house much to the annoyance of everyone else. The ranges in temperature affected the quality of the moulds. I didn't have a DRZ to work on and had no means of creating brackets.

So while it seemed like a good idea the hassle factor was too great. Having the right facilities and bikes to test these things on is crucial. :(

Sorry for getting all your hopes up.