Memphis Shades Batwing Fairing?

[Crazyhorse]

IS anyone using this fairing or seen one up close?

Crazyhorse

[Fritz]

Check out the Bob Dron Fairing post

[Bagger John - #3785]

As soon as mine arrives at my doorstep I'll start writing up my experiences with - and observations of - the thing. Chief among them will be whether or not I can modify an existing set of Fats mounts to use with the Batwing. I sure hope so...counting the new arrival there are four different fairings and shields for which I'll need to buy the new "Trigger-Lock' mounts if the old ones don't work. 

[RTaz]

...I've seen one on a vtx 1800n and it looks really good...the quality and price is great I only wonder how it will fit on a Valk and is the 9" windshield going to be tall enough...I like it so much I may order one for my Tourer....

[Crazyhorse]

Thanks for the infor. I know with some batwings you have to relocate your speedo & tach what about the MS batwing?

Crazyhorse

[Bagger John - #3785]

Thanks for the infor. I know with some batwings you have to relocate your speedo & tach what about the MS batwing?

Crazyhorse

Going to find out...I'll be sure to post some pix of the results.

[Crazyhorse]

Looking forward to the pic's John. 

Crazyhorse

[Freaksize]

Hi, new to the forum...I saw this post and thought I would respond....I have modified the shell of a HD Ultra fairing, and mounted it using the Memphis Fats windshiel mounts and some other relatively easily fabricated parts. Can post pictures of my completed project for those interested. Lemme know

[Bagger John - #3785]

Hi, new to the forum...I saw this post and thought I would respond....I have modified the shell of a HD Ultra fairing, and mounted it using the Memphis Fats windshiel mounts and some other relatively easily fabricated parts. Can post pictures of my completed project for those interested. Lemme know

Do that. Over the winter I picked up an older HD fairing ('66-'84 FL) and was going to use it on my Tourer until I found out about the Memphis setup. The Harley part is now headed to Blondie's Tourer, courtesy of a combination of OEM Hondaline windshield mounts and modified HD fairing hardware. I am curious to see how yours was done "just in case".

I got an e-mail today from the place where I ordered my Memphis setup; it's inbound and should be here soon. Unfortunately, Ohio's weather isn't going to cooperate for an outdoor fitting/photo session so I'll have to wait a week or so. 

[Freaksize]

John
Is late now, so will hit ya back soon when the daylight is better for those pics......

[dreamaker]

There is one on Ebay for Valk. for sale, doesn't look bad and it is a great price.

Dan

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Memphis-Shades-Batwing-Fairing-97-03-Valkyrie-COMPLETE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1205Q7c66Q3a4Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a200QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem300303491291QQitemZ300303491291QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[Crazyhorse]

Thanks Dan for the ebay infor about the MS Batwing Fairing. The picture in the add answer my question about the relocation of the speedo & tach. Placed my order. 

Mac

[Madmike]

Is the Memphis Shades Batwing outer shell made of ABS or fiberglass?? 

[dreamaker]

Aerodynamic shape with an inner structure constructed of black textured ABS and outer structure of opaque black Lucite with a finish that can be painted but is designed to look great as is
Fairing body is 36 1/2 in. wide and 17 in. tall, (excluding windshield and wind deflectors)
Memphis Shades exclusive No-Tool Trigger-Lock mount kits feature a detach system that allows you to quickly and easily remove or install your fairing
Trigger-Lock kits are a combination of CNC machined, black E-coated aluminum plates, gray polymer bushings and glass filled nylon latches making it durable and stylish
Fairing is predrilled and fitted with push-out hole plugs for easy deflector installation
Windshields are available in three heights and seven translucent colors
5 in. windshields are solid translucent while 7 in. and 9 in. windshields are gradient translucent
Optional wind deflectors extend the lower fairing surface for smooth and increased air flow
Also available is a windshield tri-pouch for additional storage and fairing trims for additional decoration

[Bits]

Crazyhorse,

Just wondering what your conclusion was regarding the necessity of relocating the gauges.
Do you think they will need to be relocated?

Thanks,  Bits

[Crazyhorse]

From the picture on ebay of the fairing you will not need to relocate the speedo&tach. This is what sold me on the MS Batwing fairing, I didn't want relocate them. If you go to the ebay site that Dan gave there is a good pic of the inside of the fairing.

Mac

[ladderman]

From the picture on ebay of the fairing you will not need to relocate the speedo&tach. This is what sold me on the MS Batwing fairing, I didn't want relocate them. If you go to the ebay site that Dan gave there is a good pic of the inside of the fairing.

Mac

  I emailed the guy from the ebay add and asked if he still had the Memphis Shades Batwing Fairing set up for Valkyries.  He said he would have to order it and it would take a couple of days.  He is in Fall River, Ma., about 70 miles from me.  I'm leaning towards ordering one.
                                                                                             Ladderman

[Bits]

To Crazyhorse,

Thanks for your thoughts on relocating gauges.

I have found a couple of other photos of installations [other bikes, not valk], and I would concur with your evaluation.
The fairing seems to set back off the triple tree a few inches, which would seem to allow enough clearance.

Seriously thinking of doing it also.

Al

[Crazyhorse]

I think these fairing will sell. The price is great and they are universal as John was saying in an earlier post. I have a BD fairing and from what has been posted it will not give much wind protection but will look good running around town. I like the idea of being able to change them out without much hassle. The guy in MA has a good price. 

Mac

[Crazyhorse]

MS Batwing Fairing shipped today. 

Mac

[Bagger John - #3785]

MS Batwing Fairing shipped today. 

Mac

Mine's supposed to be delivered tomorrow...

[mirion]

Please put up some pics when you guys get them mounted, I am pretty sure I am going to do it also.....Mike

[Crazyhorse]

I know John has said he will be posting pic's. I will also take a few while mounting mind. I will be leaving out for the GOTF'S tomorrow. Have a great weekend everyone. 

Mac

[Bagger John - #3785]

Update:

Just got the fairing off the brown truck and out of the box...checked a Memphis Fats bracket for fit. Looks doable. Also measured the center-to-center width dimension of the mounting bolts on the Batwing as compared to one of my Fats windshields; they're within 1/8" of each other.

Got to run into the office for the afternoon and when I return I'll do a test-fit. No windshield or air deflectors will be mounted at this time...I just want to check the fairing for fit, and check the Fats mounts for useability.

[Crazyhorse]

We'll be looking for the pic's.

Mac

[Bagger John - #3785]

Here is a summary of the project thus far, along with a few pointers and a couple disclaimers.

Disclaimer 1: Memphis states that their "Fats" mounting hardware will not work with the Batwing. This is partially true, and I'll explain a workaround later in the thread. If you're buying the entire assembly new (fairing, shield, mounts, etc) go with the complete package and buy their "Trigger Lock" mounts. On the other hand...if - like me - you've already got half a dozen "Fats" shields (or other setups which use those mounts), you may wish to modify a set of "Fats" side brackets.

Disclaimer 2: In light of Memphis' commentary regarding inapplicability of the Fats mounts for attaching the Batwing, proceed with the following in mind: IANAL. FWIW. SNAFU. FUBAR. Last but not least, YMMV. Mine often does. If the setup comes loose at speed...you probably did something wrong.

Disclaimer 3: My Tourer's light bar is from National Cycle, while the turn signal/fog lamp assemblies are Harley parts. The stock turn signals and related hardware - along with the OEM windshield - were among the first things to come off the bike when I took delivery of it. Thus, if you're trying to make the fairing work with OEM signals, Cobra light bars and whatnot, a bit of extra work may be required. I don't have a way to test this.

Engineering notes: As set up for use on a Valkyrie, a Memphis Fats shield's mounting brackets are 13.5" from outside edge to outside edge; this where they mount to the conical hardware on the fork leg clamps. If these brackets are mounted to the Batwing, the distance is 13.0". To make them work with both the Batwing and an existing Fats windshield setup, a little bending is required. I have a sheet-metal folding tool which looks like a Vise-Grip with two 1x2" pieces of metal welded to the jaws, you clamp this onto a flat sheet of metal and can bend it with relatively little distortion. Each of the right-angle tabs which mounts to the fairing must be gently bent away from the plane of the bracket; what you're looking to do here is to open up the angle a little more than it already is. Each bracket edge only needs to move 1/4" relative to "stock", so take your time.

When done, loosely install the clamps on the forks then test-fit the brackets to the clamps. Mine were already on the bike, and I loosened them up a bit to check things out. This is a picture of the brackets, dash area and rear of fairing. As you can see, there's no need to relocate the gauges...at least with the Fats mounts:



Left-side pic...of the Fats bracket. Note the extra Memphis fork clamps; I occasionally run a Bob Dron fairing on the bike during the hot months and also use the Memphis mounts to secure it, along with a set of FLH wind deflectors:



Right-side pic. You can use the Fats' long T-handled Allen wrench to loosen or tighten the mounting hardware if no OEM signals and whatnot are in the way:



Front view. There is no windshield...garnish...or air deflectors mounted yet. The fairing appears to be cocked slightly in this view but it's squarely and evenly mounted. After I post this writeup I'm headed off to EvilBay to get a 9" smoked gradient shield and any other goodies needed to complete the project:



As far as strength of the Fats brackets is concerned: While I didn't try to lift the front of the bike via the fairing and its hardware, I did give it several good tugs once I had all the mounts cinched down. Everything appears solid.

[mirion]

Thanks for the pics John, I'm convinced this is the one to get, especially due to the triggerlocks. I have been debating about a Bob Dron for a while but now I'm glad I waited.

[dreamaker]

Do you guys have more pics. I would like to see them. Maybe wide  and different angles.

Dan

[Bagger John - #3785]

Do you guys have more pics. I would like to see them. Maybe wide  and different angles.

Dan

Not yet.

My windshield and other goodies are en route. As soon as I get a chance to mount all the stuff I'll post pix of the completed setup.

[fhattix]

I, too, would like to see some more pics. It looks like the color of the fairing goes well with the stock black of your valk. This MS fairing idea seems like a good one especially the quick release thing.

[ArmyValker]

How does it ride? What about windshield height? I'm interested in one of these things, but I really like the stock Valk windshield as well.

[DFragn]

Here is a summary of the project thus far, along with a few pointers and a couple disclaimers.

Disclaimer 1: Memphis states that their "Fats" mounting hardware will not work with the Batwing. This is partially true, and I'll explain a workaround later in the thread. If you're buying the entire assembly new (fairing, shield, mounts, etc) go with the complete package and buy their "Trigger Lock" mounts. On the other hand...if - like me - you've already got half a dozen "Fats" shields (or other setups which use those mounts), you may wish to modify a set of "Fats" side brackets.

Disclaimer 2: In light of Memphis' commentary regarding inapplicability of the Fats mounts for attaching the Batwing, proceed with the following in mind: IANAL. FWIW. SNAFU. FUBAR. Last but not least, YMMV. Mine often does. If the setup comes loose at speed...you probably did something wrong.

Disclaimer 3: My Tourer's light bar is from National Cycle, while the turn signal/fog lamp assemblies are Harley parts. The stock turn signals and related hardware - along with the OEM windshield - were among the first things to come off the bike when I took delivery of it. Thus, if you're trying to make the fairing work with OEM signals, Cobra light bars and whatnot, a bit of extra work may be required. I don't have a way to test this.

Engineering notes: As set up for use on a Valkyrie, a Memphis Fats shield's mounting brackets are 13.5" from outside edge to outside edge; this where they mount to the conical hardware on the fork leg clamps. If these brackets are mounted to the Batwing, the distance is 13.0". To make them work with both the Batwing and an existing Fats windshield setup, a little bending is required. I have a sheet-metal folding tool which looks like a Vise-Grip with two 1x2" pieces of metal welded to the jaws, you clamp this onto a flat sheet of metal and can bend it with relatively little distortion. Each of the right-angle tabs which mounts to the fairing must be gently bent away from the plane of the bracket; what you're looking to do here is to open up the angle a little more than it already is. Each bracket edge only needs to move 1/4" relative to "stock", so take your time.

When done, loosely install the clamps on the forks then test-fit the brackets to the clamps. Mine were already on the bike, and I loosened them up a bit to check things out. This is a picture of the brackets, dash area and rear of fairing. As you can see, there's no need to relocate the gauges...at least with the Fats mounts:

Bagger, Nice Job. Looks like a great fairing.
I'd be curious to know with the MS Fairing seated somewhat forward of the headlight if you experience any light bouncing back at you when night riding?
Does it appear possible to carve out the opening to allow the headlight to slightly protrude ahead of the fairing? Would the mounts also allow this mod?

[Bagger John - #3785]

Bagger, Nice Job. Looks like a great fairing.
I'd be curious to know with the MS Fairing seated somewhat forward of the headlight if you experience any light bouncing back at you when night riding?
Does it appear possible to carve out the opening to allow the headlight to slightly protrude ahead of the fairing? Would the mounts also allow this mod?

Will let you folks know about the light - and wind buffeting, stability, etc - as soon as I take the bike out for its first seasonal ride. This will be sometime after next week, as Ohio's weather has turned to (insert_4_letter_word_beginning_with_"s"_here) for the foreseeable future.

As for as the light cutout - there's ample clearance for the fairing to fit over the headlight; the mounts I've used result in its leading edge being positioned out from the front of the headlight by a small amount...approximately 3/8". If one used the Trigger Lock mounting system, the fairing might be positioned closer to the rider.

I arrived home today to find a notice that my windshield, deflectors and other goodies are scheduled to be delivered on Monday. Hopefully I can get everything fitted this week and take some more pics.

[Crazyhorse]

Here are some pic's of the MS Fairing.

[Crazyhorse]

I'm really impressed with the quality of the fairing. I went with the 7" windshield which I think will be great for running around local but will be ordering a 9" for trips. For the price you can't go wrong.

[dreamaker]

I think that looks super !!  One thing I notice is the grips are behind the wings, were my grips sit higher on my Trike Shop Fairing.  Yours will keep your hands protected from bugs and the wind.  I think the shape conforms with the style of the bike.  I notice three little like holes on the lower of the wings.  Is that for additional wind deflectors?  You couldn't ask for better, very nice.

Dan

[Bagger John - #3785]

I notice three little like holes on the lower of the wings.  Is that for additional wind deflectors? 

Yes. I ordered a set for mine, and they should be in today...along with the windshield. Initially bought the 9" gradient smoked version (for use in the cooler spring weather) but will eventually get the other two heights for interchangeability.

[dreamaker]

Good thinking on the different size windshields. When I got my radio caddy/fairing it came with a shorter shield and I was use to a full winshield. I ordered a taller shield for the fairing, it came with a slight tint. After a while I noticed at night I would get a glare from on coming vehicles, so I put the shorter one back on. I really couldn't tell the difference far as wind between the two, but I like the shorter on because I get a clear view looking over the shield.

Dan

[ladderman]

I'm really impressed with the quality of the fairing. I went with the 7" windshield which I think will be great for running around local but will be ordering a 9" for trips. For the price you can't go wrong.

  Crazyhorse,
                                   Did you order the fairing from Ebay?  Wondering if it was the guy listed on the web site, I think he is from Fall River , Ma.  Did the kit come complete, brackets, etc.?  Thanks, it looks great, I'm going to order it.  Ladderman

[Crazyhorse]

I order it from the guy on ebay (Murrays cycles in MA). It came with the mounting brackets, fairing and shield of your choice. I got the 7" shield may order a 9" later depending on the wind buffeting. I wear a half helmet the one in the picture and get a little buffeting at high speeds. He had the fairing shipped within two days and it took about two days to arrive.

Mac