Batwing on a 2014 Valkyrie

[bscrive]

I finally got my batwing fairing yesterday and I spent a good part of the day fitting it and then refitting it.    It looks like I have to put the fairing up higher, so that I don't have to cut most of it off.  When I turn the steering all the way there is about 3/8" space from the fairing to the pods.  I do have to cut out a bit of the bottom of the fairing, so that the turn signals are visible.

It actually doesn't look too bad.  The only thing I need to do is fill in the area where the light would normally go. 

I made a piece out of cardboard with put tape on it and then painted it black to get a good feel on the look.  Now I just have to figure out if I like it enough to get the 'nose cone' portion made.  The only thing I can think of is to find a place that does vacuum forming, but I am afraid to ask how much it would cost.  I am going to see if I can find something already made in ABS that is close to the form that I can modify.  I will have to do some filling and repaint, but that is not a problem.

Here are some pictures with the 'nose cone' portion on the fairing.  They were taken with my phone, so the quality is not that great.

I am looking for honest opinions, so give them to me.  Does it look good, or does it look like crap. 

[Prgrmerror]

You asked for honest opinions so I will give it to you.  Not that it matters to me what you do to your bike. For me I would not move forward.  Just 1 persons opinion.

[bscrive]

Thanks, Prgrmerror.  I appreciate your opinion.

After looking at it for a while I decided that it looks weird.  I am in the process of lowering the front nose portion, so that it is not nearly as high.  It involves cutting the bottom of the batwing.  I will post pictures when mocked up.

[pago cruiser]

Brian,
Wondered when you'd get going on this...

As we all know, fairings are...challenging on this bike; perhaps why Mother Honda never went down this path...  The radiator cowls are so massive, and the relation of the front tank bottom being raised above the bottom triple tree clamp, and the non-standard headlight makes fitment, let alone aerodynamics difficult.

IMHO (and just like anuses (ani?) , everybody has one.... ) , I think your fairing would look more... conventional, if it could be lowered.  When I resurrected the "other" Batwing thread, I kind of changed direction because the Legacy Valk Interstate Fairing fit so well; but the thing that enabled it to work was cutting the cowls down, and eliminating the space-helmet based, dimensional-challenging headlight.  

Still on that project , and will post an update in the other thread later.  But you might consider cutting the cowls down. I finally received the HD Batwing yesterday that I ordered a few week ago, and taped it onto the bike  - remember, this is the direction I wanted to go before I got...distracted with the Interstate Fairing.



It actually is much closer in the mock-up than the Interstate Fairing - primarily because it is almost half the width at the headlight.  

Same style as yours, but the difference is that the shrunk and lowered cowls allow the lowered fairing position; it looks more ...conventional. It would still need some work, as it STILL interferes with the cowl on full lock - but it would need a lot less trimming than the Interstate Fairing.

In the Photoshopped Batwing pic in the other thread, the fairing opening is enlarged to fit around the stock headlight.  Might work, but Photoshop stuff in 2D is easy; shaping 3D ABS is a little trickier; alternatively, a stock HD headlight (which is also available in LED) would literally bolt right up to the fairing.    

I really think that if Honda had devoted one guy to this 5 years ago (along with porting over Interstate Saddlebags, and a reasonable sized luggage rack), this problem could have been solved at the factory.  The Valk would have been way more popular, they would have sold a boatload, and they would still be being made... Instead we have 3, no, now that Bill has gone another direction ( ) , 2 guys trying to solve this in our garages; or on the patio...

Note that while the cowlectomy appears radical, it was actually pretty easy in execution.  And it's an almost have-to for a fairing project.  You cannot get the fairing low enough because the cowls are so high.  Spoke to a friend who does my major steel welding (as well as ABS fab), and he assured me that getting the cowls from what I have to what I need is not a problem.  Even if the Interstate Fairing does not work out, the (conventional) Batwing mounting will still be much easier with the cowlectomy.  

Someone should make mini-cowls in fiberglass. Hmmm....

My $0.02...or maybe a bit more.

[Jess from VA]

Man, I had problems with the complexity of Tinkertoys, Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets and model airplanes as a child.

I just bought bikes that already had fairings on them. 

My CB750 already had a Vetter Windjammer on it, and I suspect it was pretty much a straight bolt up.

[Robert]

Note that while the cowlectomy appears radical, it was actually pretty easy in execution.  And it's an almost have-to for a fairing project.  You cannot get the fairing low enough because the cowls are so high.  Spoke to a friend who does my major steel welding (as well as ABS fab), and he assured me that getting the cowls from what I have to what I need is not a problem.  Even if the Interstate Fairing does not work out, the (conventional) Batwing mounting will still be much easier with the cowlectomy.   

Someone should make mini-cowls in fiberglass. Hmmm....

My $0.02...or maybe a bit more.

Wow had not really kept up on this post but by trimming the pods it made a major difference in the look of the bike. I wonder what it looks like without the fairing and the pods trimmed, any pics? I also wonder if it will make a difference in air flow without the fairing. Really interesting and some nice work.  I always get the jitters when cutting something that maybe, possibly, I shouldn't have since its always on me to make it come out right without a clear idea of how its going to be done and come out. The pods although large there is nothing in them so the size reduction is merely aesthetics.

There may be one issue though since you choose the left side I think its the right side that has the radiator cap on it at the top of the radiator. If clearance is an issue on the left side you may really have a problem on the right side.

[Bill Havins]

There may be one issue though since you choose the left side I think its the right side that has the radiator cap on it at the top of the radiator. If clearance is an issue on the left side you may really have a problem on the right side. [emphasis added]

....and there's the rub.  I wrestled with these issues for weeks before building my "scooter-looking" fairing the way I did.

The size and position of the radiators is a real issue.  Then, when you combine that with the rake of the steering head you end up with pieces that want to hit the tops of the radiator cowls when the handlebars are turned lock-to-lock.  That is if the pieces turn with the handlebars.

The other option is a frame mount.  Nope.  That's not an option because you will likely not find anyone who will be willing to weld/drill the aluminum frame of the Valkyrie.  And then there is the issue of turning the handlebars and interference with a frame-mounted fairing.

All of the effort Mitch and Brian are putting in is well worth it (IMHO).  I was on my Valkyrie in 35 MPH winds the other day, and I had to make a 360° route in those winds before the day was over.  I was very comfortable the whole time.  Well, not really.  At one point I had to back into a parking place and I had the wind at my back - now that was a workout for my legs...Dawg!  But otherwise I was fine.

I can help with building a mold for modified radiator cowls.  Now that I have my routine down it should be rather uncomplicatted.

Rock on!  And good luck!

Bill

[bscrive]

I finally got my batwing fairing yesterday and I spent a good part of the day fitting it and then refitting it.    It looks like I have to put the fairing up higher, so that I don't have to cut most of it off.  When I turn the steering all the way there is about 3/8" space from the fairing to the pods.  I do have to cut out a bit of the bottom of the fairing, so that the turn signals are visible.

It actually doesn't look too bad.  The only thing I need to do is fill in the area where the light would normally go. 

I made a piece out of cardboard with put tape on it and then painted it black to get a good feel on the look.  Now I just have to figure out if I like it enough to get the 'nose cone' portion made.  The only thing I can think of is to find a place that does vacuum forming, but I am afraid to ask how much it would cost.  I am going to see if I can find something already made in ABS that is close to the form that I can modify.  I will have to do some filling and repaint, but that is not a problem.

Here are some pictures with the 'nose cone' portion on the fairing.  They were taken with my phone, so the quality is not that great.

I am looking for honest opinions, so give them to me.  Does it look good, or does it look like crap. 

Ok, I have come to the conclusion that the fairing looks horrible like that.  Looks kinda like one of those whales with the lump on it's head.

I am modifying the fairing to sit lower on the bike and still miss the pods.  I am hoping to get to it this weekend.

I will post pics when mocked up.

[pago cruiser]

"Looks kinda like one of those whales with the lump on it's head."

 

[Jess from VA]

[bscrive]

Yep, Jess.  It looks like a black Beluga. 

[bscrive]

I redid the fairing, so that it sits lower on the headlight.  I was able to cut out the bottom, so that the signal lights are visible.  I mocked it up and I am still on the fence on whether or not I like it.  My next thing to do is make some brackets to mount it properly.  When that is done, I will take the bike for a test ride to see if the fairing flops around.  It does give quite a bit more wind protection then just the windshield that I was using.
I did scratch up the fairing a bit while cutting it up even though I had masking tape on it, so if I decide to keep it, it will need to be sanded and painted.

Here is the mock up picture.  The picture isn't that great because I took it with my phone.

[Jess from VA]

BS, as you go back and forth on this, my advice is to make your decision on how it works much more than how it looks.  If it works good for air management, it doesn't have to be perfect looking to be a keeper.

The most important thing is how you feel from the seat at 40-80mph, not standing off to the side looking at it.

JMHO.  (Be careful if you are one of those guys who will go 125 once in awhile, it could always have some unexpected affect on aerodynamics at those speeds)  

[bscrive]

I finished the brackets and mounted the fairing properly.  It is pretty solid and I doubt it will flop around.  Mind you, this is a cheap ABS fairing, so you never know.  If the test runs go well, then I will purchase a good quality fairing and trace out my lines on it and cut it out.  That will be done later this summer.  This one, I had to glue the crap out of it to get the inside brackets to hold because the pins used to hold the two pieces together were slightly off and I had to remove a couple of pins to put the brackets on.

I made a couple of metal brackets welded to sone 1-1/2" angle iron to go on both sides that use the existing bolts on each side of the forks.  I then used a couple of handle bar windshield mounts to hold the top of the fairing.  I used my cousins plasma cutter to cut out the brackets. 

I wasn't crazy on the look at first, but it is growing on me.  My main concern with me is the air management.  How it looks is not as important as long as it doesn't look horrible like my first try.  The black beluga.

Excuse my welding, I am not great at it, but it holds.  I bolted the metal bracket to the plastic inner bracket.





Here is how it looks.  I did order a windshield for it, but I haven't received it yet.  I will post a picture of the completed project when I get it.

[pago cruiser]

IMO...its better.
By the pic the gent photoshopped, it looks like he got it down lower still.
As you are now trying to duplicate that in the real world, I assume there is an impediment to getting it to wrap around the headlight?

From the front pic, it looks like there are channels, for lack of a better term, for air to flow in obstructed between the top of the shrouds and the bottom of the fairing.  I'm fighting this now on my Legacy Valk effort; trying to minimize it. 

Maybe we need to figure a way to add some Baker Air Wings type of deflectors?