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Ironside . Do you have a finished rear fairing shape in mind ?
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It’s unlikely that a fully enclosed rear fairing will ever happen. A ‘helmet fairing’ is planned, similar to this :-
without the tail fin.
I understand that streamlining at the rear is equally important, but I’m prepared to sacrifice some fuel for the sake of practicality. Spring is here and some serious touring is planned, the project will evolve as time goes on, and will be a running test bed for various ideas.
A 500 mile round trip next weekend will give me real life performance and economy data which will be used as a baseline for any subsequent mods. I've been asked why I don't use my other bikes, it's because this is my favourite ride and if I have to explain, you won't understand.
One idea I’m keen to try, is a removable side skirt to fill the gap between the fairing and panniers. This will probably be a ‘Dacron’ type material held on with strips of Velcro.
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Ironside, would you have a photo of yourself on the bike with the fairing fitted ?
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Not a particularly good photo, but the only one I can find at the moment.
I'm about 5ft 10, and the seating position was specifically tailored for me, and is very comfortable.
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since it is a street bike and rider comfort is a bigger factor than on a racer.
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A larger person could be accomodated quite easily by altering the seating and footrest position.
In reply to the comments regarding the air scoops, the fairing arrived like that, and without any evidence with regards engine cooling, I thought it best to leave it as it was, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.
I believe the air scoops have some advantages :-
1. They equalise the pressure behind the fairing and so prevent buffeting.
2. They may help improve the air flow between the fairing and panniers.
(I accidentally noticed this while messing about with a steam cleaner, incidentally much easier than smoke testing!)
3. They will keep me cool during heat waves.
Thanks for all the interest and comments, I will update the thread as and when I have anything interesting to say.
Ironside.