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Is smaller frontal area more important than keeping the front curve smooth over the guts of the vehicle?
I am working on a new fairing design for my kawasaki ninja 250. I am wondering if it would be more beneficial to keep frontal area small, or should the fairing extend out past the handlebars?
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You are only going to be able to guess at which is better. If the extended fairing is aerodynamic enough, it can reduce drag even if it increases total frontal area, but without a windtunnel or CFG there is no way to tell for sure whether you've achieved this.
Remember, the frontal area of the fairing itself is not important; the amount of frontal area the fairing adds to the whole bike is what you have to consider. So if the fairing covers the handlebars (and where your arms are), but just barely so as not to add much FA, and the fairing is quite a bit more aerodynamic than the handlebars—which it should be if designed properly, it will likely reduce drag.