I've had two unfortunate spills on my GS500F so far, both on the left side. The left fairing is scratched a lot, missing a significant amount of paint. On the left side one bracket is cracked that keeps the left fairing attached to the headlight housing. I'm really considering removing the fairings and having a naked bike. Is this recommended or would it be cheaper to repaint the fairings? My biggest worry is handling the wind at high speeds. Are high speeds something I should avoid once I convert to naked? I'm also looking for a good headlight in the $100 or less range as the original GS500 headlight seems like a rare find. Thanks for your advice!

What's high speed?  Are you traveling long distances?  Unless you're on the highway for a significant amount of time, don't worry about it.  If you find you don't like so much air, get a screen.

I love the air blast from no screen.

The most I spend on the highway is about 3 hours, doing anywhere between 62-86mi/hr. Sometimes I take even longer trips and might spend 5-6 hours on the highway. This is probably once a year though.

If you're gonna give naked a try, you'll get used to the air blast. I was a little intimidated at first too but got used to it. Traffic on freeways around here is ~70-80mph and I do fine on the GS. If I get frequent strong blasts like around cars, I just tuck down low. You don't really have a stable air bubble with a naked bike but it gives the wind less to push on. What you wear has a big effect on perceived wind. I had a jacket that was starting to fit a little big and was scooping up tons of air. I dropped down a size to get a snug fit again and it made a big difference.

I guess it would cost a lot to get the fairings repainted?

I'm repainting my own right now because of the same situation. Probably about $50 invested so far.

Quote from: jonathanneely on July 19, 2010, 08:06:03 PM
I'm repainting my own right now because of the same situation. Probably about $50 invested so far.

Is it a lot of work?

It's not "a lot" of work per se. It just takes time for coats to dry before moving on to the next step. I'm knee deep in 2 weeks right now....

I've never had a bike with a windshield. Someday I'm going to have to try one out to see what all the fuss is about. The closest I've come was my old ninja 250 and that barely even had one. My sister is supposed to come to town in early August with her zx6 so I'll have to see if I can try it out.

I think the wind is more about your body position than anything else. My last naked bike had clipons and I never thought a thing of the wind. The GS and my other bike have upright bars and the wind beats the hell out of me if I'm going over 60 for any extended period of time. I can still tuck down, but with my arms up high and out to the sides I still catch the air. Having them tucked into my sides with the clipons really makes a big difference. I had clipons on the GS for a few weeks and the wind was definitely much less of an issue.

What size torx screwdriver do I need to remove the fairings?

Still stuck between having the fairings or taking them off. Don't know which is better. I guess I'll try it in the wind. If I don't like it, then I'll have to re-paint my fairings.

the fairings use allen screws, not torx. not sure the size but it only takes 15min to remove them.

Don't recall the size of the allen heads but it comes in a standard pack of the tools. Be very careful with them they strip very easily and cross thread even easier.

Mary

Quote from: tt_four on July 20, 2010, 09:01:43 AM
I've never had a bike with a windshield. Someday I'm going to have to try one out to see what all the fuss is about.

It's pointless for city streets and local backroads, but very nice for long freeway jaunts, and straightaways at 70+MPH. My GS has an electronically adjustable windshield - tall as a touring bike at full height, like a sport bike at the lowest position. Generally, it stays up for the morning commute, and goes down when I go riding for fun. In the summer, it stays down except on the freeways. In the winter it tends to stay up.