Inconsequential ramblings of an Old Git

[mangocrazy]

I've not felt like updating this thread in the last month or so, mainly 'cos there's little to report. But I haven't been completely idle - The Falco has been measured up for a belly pan (suits you, sir...) and said BP has been ferried to the paint guy who has had my top fairing since February (mutter, mutter). So when he paints the top fairing (when?) he can kill two birds with one stone.

The above post was dated 19th November 2022. Mid-way through January it dawned on me that I'd heard nothing from the paint guy since November and that on 21st February 2023 the paint guy would have had my Falco top fairing for a whole fucking year!

So that thought gave me the impetus to start chasing him up to get the bloody thing finished. I tried ringing him - went straight to voicemail. Then I sent him a message on his FB page - didn't hear anything. Then, completely out of the blue I get a phone call today to say that it will be going for paint next week and asking me whether I want the belly pan burgundy red or anthracite grey (I want it red, with a contrasting grey aprilia logo). So with any luck I just might have the bits back before the end of January.

Woo and hoo. Perhaps. I'll believe it when I see it.

[Supermofo]

I'd re-re confirm the colour, be a fucker for you to wait a year for him to paint it the wrong colour

[Skub]

I'd re-re confirm the colour, be a fucker for you to wait a year for him to paint it the wrong colour

My thoughts too.

[mangocrazy]

I'd re-re confirm the colour, be a fucker for you to wait a year for him to paint it the wrong colour

My thoughts too.

The top fairing he's painting is a modified (crash damaged and repaired) one that was originally black. He already has the original top fairing to use as a colour match and one of the things that has annoyed me is that not only am I waiting for the modified one to be painted, he also has the OE one, meaning I can't really use the bike. The Falco never turned a wheel in 2022, something I was more than a bit peeved about.

So yes, take your point(s), but I think that angle is covered...

[Supermofo]

I'd re-re confirm the colour, be a fucker for you to wait a year for him to paint it the wrong colour

My thoughts too.

The top fairing he's painting is a modified (crash damaged and repaired) one that was originally black. He already has the original top fairing to use as a colour match and one of the things that has annoyed me is that not only am I waiting for the modified one to be painted, he also has the OE one, meaning I can't really use the bike. The Falco never turned a wheel in 2022, something I was more than a bit peeved about.

So yes, take your point(s), but I think that angle is covered...

Unless he paints the OE one black

[mangocrazy]

I'm not even going to consider that possibility...

[mangocrazy]

Well, glory be, Hallelujah and pass the Courvoisier...

My Falco top fairing and bellypan are ready for collection.

It's only been 11 months and 14 days since I dropped them off...

Falco_top_fairing_and_belly_pan.jpg (466.44 KiB) Viewed 249 times

[Skub]

The look good. Right colour,yes?

[mangocrazy]

The look good. Right colour,yes?

I'll know that in an hour or so. Just going to collect them now...

[mangocrazy]

Colour looks good, but as with all paints of this type changes massively according to light source. According to Arnie the base coat is pink and the paint is more like ink, and you build the layers up until the colour matches. Sounds like a f'n nightmare...

[Demannu]

are we allowed to laugh if its got a jaffa finish?

[mangocrazy]

are we allowed to laugh if its got a jaffa finish?

Indeed you could if it had. But the finish is genuinely mirror-like.

[Demannu]

Good things come to he who waits...............11 months and 14 days

[mangocrazy]

Short progress report, pics to follow. The 'new' top fairing has been fitted to the bike or, more accurately, has heen force-fitted to the bike. Nothing lined up properly and not a single fastener went in without a fight. I can only conclude that the top fairing had suffered earlier crash damage (i.e. earlier than the damage shown in earlier pics) and was badly repaired. When re-fitting the top fairing the two air inlet 'snorkels' have to be fitted to the frame spars before the top fairing can be fitted. Then you have to fasten the snorkels and the fairing to brackets off the main frame as well as to each other. And get the mirror mounts to line up with the main fairing support bracket. You really need a minimum of three hands to do the job and preferably more. Not a single screw went in without pulling, pushing and mauling the various parts. It got so bad that on the last screw I had to enlist Mrs Mango's assistance to fit the screw while I forced all the other bits to line up.

Then when it came to the side fairings, the process was repeated - once again nothing lined up and everything had to be forced into position. It was around this time that I noticed that the fairing around the RH mirror mount had cracked and delaminated, doubtless where an earlier repair had been made. So my bargain crash-damaged fairing wasn't quite the bargain it appeared to be. And lastly, when it came to fit my fancy new belly pan, it quickly became apparent that it would never fit properly due to all the bits it mated to also being out of position. Which was a shame, as for a couple of minutes it was starting to look a bit tasty. So off it came, and back on went the little black plastic oil cooler surround. And as with every other piece, not a single screw went in without a fight.

But at least everything is buttoned up now. How long it stays that way is anybody's guess.

[Bustaspoke]

You've got my sympathy,fitting slightly skewed bodywork can test anyones patience.
Here's hoping that after a few thousand miles you don't get to many stress cracks around the mounting points

[mangocrazy]

You've got my sympathy,fitting slightly skewed bodywork can test anyones patience.
Here's hoping that after a few thousand miles you don't get to many stress cracks around the mounting points

Yeah, that's my concern. I'm definitely on the lookout for a decent top fairing, unfortunately they're like rocking horse sh1t.

[Bustaspoke]

You've got my sympathy,fitting slightly skewed bodywork can test anyones patience.
Here's hoping that after a few thousand miles you don't get to many stress cracks around the mounting points

Yeah, that's my concern. I'm definitely on the lookout for a decent top fairing, unfortunately they're like rocking horse sh1t.

The reason I mentioned the stress cracks is because it happened to me on my old FZ750,I got the fairing to mount to the ever so slightly tweaked upper fairing mounting bracket with a little bit of persuasion & thought I'd got away with it.A few thousand miles later & stress cracks appeared in the paint around the mounting points ...

[mangocrazy]

You've got my sympathy,fitting slightly skewed bodywork can test anyones patience.
Here's hoping that after a few thousand miles you don't get to many stress cracks around the mounting points

Yeah, that's my concern. I'm definitely on the lookout for a decent top fairing, unfortunately they're like rocking horse sh1t.

The reason I mentioned the stress cracks is because it happened to me on my old FZ750,I got the fairing to mount to the ever so slightly tweaked upper fairing mounting bracket with a little bit of persuasion & thought I'd got away with it.A few thousand miles later & stress cracks appeared in the paint around the mounting points ...

Yes, fully understand. That's already happened on mine... It has to be a previous repair. I suspect that the bike was in a crash that deformed the main fairing bracket (very easy to do, it's made of aluminium) and over tens of thousands of miles the upper fairing developed a 'set' which I'm now trying to fight. If all else fails I can put it all back to standard, as I've kept my original (unmolested, never crashed) top fairing as a backup. But the main thing will be to road test the fairly drastic change I've made to the riding position. If that's a definite improvement then it will have been worth it.

[mangocrazy]

In the last 2-3 weeks I've managed to acquire a straight but garishly painted top fairing. This is good as I don't feel so bad about hacking rare plastics about - someones already made it look shite. No photos of that as it's already gone off to a paint man (a different one...) to make it look pretty. I've also been having some serious thoughts about those bars I had fabricated. Photo of unloved and unlovely bars below:

DSCF3565.JPG (591.43 KiB) Viewed 213 times

I'm pretty sure that those bars will do what I want, riding position-wise, but I'm not sure I could live with them on an aesthetic basis. So I've been investigating a Plan B. This was triggered when I dropped into CMC in Clay Cross to have a quick butchers at (and a sit down on) an MT-09 SP. The answer was right in front of me - a pair of much more aesthetically pleasing bar risers. So by the power of eBay I now have a spare Falco top yoke and a pair of MT-09 SP bar risers:

DSCF3571.JPG (930.67 KiB) Viewed 213 times

I will need to get a pair of aluminium wedges machined to fix to the top yoke so the risers have a flat base to sit on, but I have a local machine shop for that. And in case anyone is interested, this is the cut down top fairing and screen that took nearly a year to paint (and fits about as well as David Byrne's Big Suit.) Paintwork is lovely, shame it doesn't fit correctly.

DSCF3566.JPG (532.76 KiB) Viewed 213 times

[Count Steer]

Yeah, I know what you mean about those bars. I'm a fan of function over form but...

Look forward to the next iteration.

PS The amazing thing about David Byrne's Big Suit is that it DID fit! It didn't flop about or anything. A miracle of engineering.