Hi Everyone-

I love my new (used) GS, and I was wondering about fairing solutions? I found this site via the targa fairing link, but that looked like a newer GS although extremely similar to mine. So are there any suggestions or places I should be looking to get a fairing?

Thanks!

Happy riding!

Matt

What color is your '93?  I've got the OEM purple one that I don't use much.

I've got a black GS 500, I didn't know they had OEM fairings!? Do you have a picture of what they look like?

Thx!
Matt

Really big picture from the side: http://grapeape.specialgreen.com/img/left-side-in-driveway-big.jpg

Really big picture from the front
http://grapeape.specialgreen.com/img/bikeArrives/onTrailer-front-big.jpg

Anyone have any clues on the cost of the OEM fairings or comparable fairings? Targa Fairing perhaps?

Thanks!
Matt

ps- had a really enjoyable ride home tonight...gotta love so-cal

The old 1/4 fairing?
It listed for something stoopid like $300 from Suzuki.

You can find used and even new ones on Ebay for less than $100.

And Targa's clone of it is less than $200.

Quote from: Rema1000What color is your '93?  I've got the OEM purple one that I don't use much.

Rema you can't  seperate that purple fairing from the bike, the statement it makes is just too cool!  If you must, at least i got wallpaper (resized of course) outta the deal.

Cheep faring: www.powerbronze.co.uk

I have since removed the decal.

Actually, I have several fairings, and the OEM one is used the least (shown below, right).  It looks good, and it keeps the tank bag dry (or my pants, if no tankbag), and if you lay on the tank, all the water misses your jacket too.  On the plus side, I don't notice it at all (no head buffeting); on the negative side, if you need protection (for example, heavy rain, or a truck is kicking-up rocks at you), then you need to lay on the tank to protect your chest.  For clear weather, I feel comfortable at speeds of up to about 65 mph... about the same as with no fairing at all.

A step larger than that is the Givi A750 (below left).  It provides some noticable protection for regular highway riding. I get less wind blast, and can ride comfortably up to about 72 mph or so.  However, there is some buffeting of my head, but it's not too bad.  I've heard others report no buffeting at all; I think I sit up higher than most, so this is probably not an issue for others.  The Givi can be ordered through any m/c shop, but is expensive for what you get IMO.



When it turned cold, I bought a Slipstreamer Turbo (shown below, left), which is a little shorter and narrower than Kerry's Plexistar2 (shown on the right; notice that his comes up higher over than mirrors than mine), but still very wide at the hands:

.  

Many people find it unattractive. On the positive side, it keeps my hands well-covered, so it is comfortable at 80mph and 40 degrees F.  It seems as though you can always add warmer clothes, but there's not much you can do to warm-up your hands except electrics or a fairing.  On the negative side, I catch a lot of buffeting with this windscreen: it sounds like I'm riding in a car with a plastic-and-ductape window (ouch).  However, if I slouch down, the buffeting stops.

Now that I'm using different winter/summer fairings, I'd probably trade the Slipstreamer Turbo for a taller Plexistar2 or Plexifairing3 for winter, and keep using the A750 in summer.  I think the extra inch of height from the Plexi fairings would stop the buffeting I experience with the Slipstreamer Turbo.

EDIT: If this thread is still around in October/November, I'll try to update it with a pic of the Slipstreamer in the same position as Kerry's, to help make an apples-to-apples comparison.  Kerry: hope you don't mind that I Gimp'ed the picture off your homepage?  I couldn't figure out how to do side-by-side pictures with BBCode.

Quote from: Rema1000Kerry: hope you don't mind that I Gimp'ed the picture off your homepage?  I couldn't figure out how to do side-by-side pictures with BBCode.

I don't mind at all.  As for the BBCode question, you just put img entries side-by-side, with no white space between the end tag for one and the start tag for the next:
[img]http://www.bbburma.net/MiscFotos/Thumbnails/SparkCheckerTool.jpg[/img][img]http://www.bbburma.net/MiscFotos/Thumbnails/PartsNMore_CarbRebuildKit.jpg[/img][img]http://www.bbburma.net/MiscFotos/Thumbnails/100_0130_IdleScrew_ChokeCable.jpg[/img]


As you can see, it works a little better if they're the same height.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adding a space between the img entries will separate them a little:

Hey Rema1000,

Do you have a P/N or place where I can find that stock Fairing (Black)? I'm wondering if I can buy that fairing because I imagine they made it to fit multiple model years.... any ideas?

Thanks,
Matt

Bikebandit has their part number 733020-001:

http://houseofmotorcycles.bikebandit.com/partsbandit/oem_schematic_view.asp?schem_dept_id=721318&section_dept_id=1&section_dept_name=OEM+%28Stock+Parts%29&dept_type_id=2&model_dept_year=1992&model_dept_mfr=Suzuki&model_dept_id=703254&model_dept_name=GS500EN

...not sure if that is the Suzuki part number too.  But they show it as discontinued (not surprising).  I would think that the stock part would probably cost some ridiculous amount, like $200-$300 even if you could find it.  Your best bet is to find it used; maybe post a "wanted" on the For Sale board.  I'd be happy to sell mine, as I don't need 3 fairings, but mine is purple, so you'd need to paint it.

Another option is the aftermarket "Targa" fairing, which has a similar shape to the stock cowling (maybe a little longer, and rounder):

Here it is in black:


Sadly, it costs (gulp) $335 at targa-acc.com.  Again, you may need to pick one up used if you want a reasonable price.

Cool, thanks Rema!

I'll poke around eBay and some other for sale boards to see what I can dig up

Thx!
Matt