Why is my Fairing Different from Most?

[Bigdownut]

Hello I have been looking at lots of pics of fairings and mine has air vents and glove boxes.Also the angle of the fairing around the handle bars sweeps closer to the grips and doesn't drop away like most. Is this because mine was a Police bike?

[Kurt in S.A.]

I thought air vents and glove boxes were standard? There was a replacement for the vents which was a pop out light. Could it be that your handlebars are different, thus creating the sense that the fairing is different? Kinda of looks like the grip ends of the bars are bent at a greater angle than most.

Kurt in S.A.

[khittner1]

I would guess that you've been looking at pictures of airhead RS fairings. Your bike has an airhead RT fairing---the best touring fairing conceived by the minds of mortal men! It looks like someone did up your RT fairing in the blue-ish silver and blue pinstripe paintjob of a '77 RS, but that's not what the bike started out as. It looks like your wheels have the single blue pinstripe running around the circumference, which would be consistent with an '77 RS wheel set, but you only have a single disc brake ('77 RSes had two discs) and the single caliper is not anodized blue in the manner of a '77 RS. The handlebars look like stardard RT high bars to my eye. The bike appears to be an array of parts that have been put together. Actual RTs didn't come out until 1978, and I think the '78s were all in the root beer/biege two-tone paint scheme.

[PAS]

The fairing and bars look the same as my 81 R100RT.

[Major Softie]

Keep in mind, guys, he's a Kiwi, so they may not even call an RS and RT the same thing we do.

[Ken in Oklahoma]

I would guess that you've been looking at pictures of airhead RS fairings. Your bike has an airhead RT fairing---the best touring fairing conceived by the minds of mortal men! . . .

Hmm, I'd say it depends upon what you value in a fairing. For looks, the RT fairing wins, hands down. But doing things with the fairing, such as replacing a headlight bulb or getting at the instruments and switch, no way.

A Luftmeister or Vetter fairing looks a bit like what it is, an add on. But when it comes to motorcycle maintenance the Luftmeister or Vetter is much more mechanic friendly.

As for rider protection I prefer the RT fairing, but not by all that much. I can ride happily behind either fairing.

All things considered, my personal preference is for the Luftmeister, primarily for maintenance accessibility.

In case you haven't guessed I have both Luftmeister and RT fairing equipped airheads.

Duane has posted often about how Matt Capri stole the Vetter design to create the Luftmeister fairing. Though apparently legal, what was done was unethical. But in the business world legal seems to equal ethical. In any event, my use of a Luftmeister fairing at this point neither helps nor hurts Paul Vetter (an admirable man).

Ken

[enigmaT120]

You mean Craig?

I love my windjammer IV. In the winter.

[Ken in Oklahoma]

You mean Craig?

Oops!
Uh, he didn't change his name did he?

Ken, desperately trying to salvage something in Oklahoma

[khittner1]

It's like those analogies they have on standardized tests, Ken: "Paul" is to "Craig", as "Diane" is to "Duane".

[Bigdownut]

Thanks everyone.
Now for my next question can I fit the smaller RT windscreen to my RS fairing and still keep the screen height adjustment that comes with the RS fairing? Or could I cut the current fairing down to resemble the shape of the RT fairing? Also I have noticed that the bikes with RS fairings have a higher handle bar. I would like to lower these if the fairing allows it.