Chinese replacement fairings

I had a fairly low speed low-side last fall, and scratched up my left side lower fairing pretty bad.  I bought rattle can paint from Color-Rite and tried repairing it myself, but the color is not a good match. Checked out having a pro do it, but it seems like a repaint of the side and blending into the front fairing will be $500 plus.
So, my question is this:  Has anyone tried the Chinese-made fairing kits being sold on Ebay?  You get a full fairing set for as low as $400.  Since I've got some minor scratches on the other pieces too, this sounds good IF the product is good.  From the descriptions on Ebay it's obvious they're not wasting any money on translators - the English is pretty bad!
If anyone has tried this product I'd love to hear about it.
Thanks.

I'm in a similar quandary as I'm taking delivery on a 04 VFR800 next month with fairing damage. There are minor scratches in 2 places, but the fairing isn't cracked (as far as I can tell), but will need to be painted/replaced. If painting it myself doesn't work, another option is decals.

I've searched for fairing online and you can get them for 400-600, but I really don't wanna spend that kind of money on minor damage like this.

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The universal opinion is that they do not fit well, the tabs break off, and they crack easily.

A lot of the mounting tabs are not reinforced, and there are no brass inserts in them.

I thought briefly about the Chinese bodywork, but in the end, bought scratched non-cracked OEM bodywork off Ebay and had it painted.
Even so, initial fitment was a little challenging, as the panels seem to have "relaxed" during the paint process, possibly from the solvents in the paint?

I got the entire bike painted for $900, and another $140 for decals.

[image: index.php?app=gallery&module=images&section=img_ctrl&img=445] 100_0477.JPG Album: VFR rebuild album Uploaded 22 Feb 2010 - 21:05

[image: index.php?app=gallery&module=images&section=img_ctrl&img=445] 100_0476.JPG Album: VFR rebuild album Uploaded 22 Feb 2010 - 21:05

[image: index.php?app=gallery&module=images&section=img_ctrl&img=467] 100_0604.JPG Album: VFR rebuild album Uploaded 11 Jun 2010 - 03:36

I quite liked the "Piet Mondrian Edition" you had going there...

Ciao,

Haha, I got ribbed for that. It was either the Partridge Family Bus, or the Harequin Golf.

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There was a guy here that tried the "not Chinese" version, and found it to be lacking. I think the general consensus, despite their claims, is that they are also Chinese made. Or at least just as poor copies of Chinese copies.

I'm gonna cast a vote for fixing your existing fairings. That way you know they'll fit with relative ease. I just spent $550 for:
--fill in frame slider holes in both lower fairings (hate sliders that require fairings to be drilled)
--fix light rash on right lower and edge of upper
--paint all as necessary
--sand rash off of and powdercoat clutch cover

I flirted with the idea of Chinese fairings, but have purchased two sets and they were far inferior to OEM plastics.


'99 VFR800, '08 1125R, '06 675, '91 F2, '03 DRZ400

Thanks, everyone, you've pretty much confirmed what I expected - that the Chinese fairings probably won't work well.  Guess I'll just have to keep on looking for a better deal on repainting.
Mark

[image: View Post]markben, on 11 March 2012 - 08:00 PM, said:

Thanks, everyone, you've pretty much confirmed what I expected - that the Chinese fairings probably won't work well.  Guess I'll just have to keep on looking for a better deal on repainting.
Mark

Ask the local trackday hounds/club racers in your area who is good for doing bodywork. You'll get lots of answers. Those guys crash a lot. :laugh: