donn@oracle.UUCP (Kevin Donn) (04/22/86)
For any of you who saw Eric Aubery's posting for his GS1100E for sale and
were interested, forget it; I already bought it. And now I'd like some
recommendations.
The bike has no fairing, and I, being the wimp I am, refuse to tour without
a fairing. I'd like to get one with a full set of lowers so that I would have
rain protection for my legs. I'm not interested in great big Windjammers or
their ilk, but something more sporty yet still functional. Any suggestions?
And while you're at it, why don't you tell me what the perfect set of tires are
for this bike...
I'm all ears (eh, eyes).
Kevin Donn
{hplabs|pyrcorp}!oracle!donnanimal@ihlpa.UUCP (D. Starr) (04/24/86)
<tire biting is usually not dangerous unless the motorcycle is in motion> > ...the bike has no fairing, and I, being the wimp I am, refuse to tour without > a fairing. I'd like to get one with a full set of lowers so that I would have > rain protection for my legs. I'm not interested in great big Windjammers or > their ilk, but something more sporty yet still functional. Any suggestions? > And while you're at it, why don't you tell me what the perfect set of tires > are for this bike... > > Kevin Donn > {hplabs|pyrcorp}!oracle!donn You're probably right about not wanting a Windjammer; while the GS1150 probably won't complain (in the sense of handling badly), such a fairing would seriously compromise the sporting nature of the bike. The bad news is that it's hard to provide worthwhile lowers without a big bulky fairing (consider that your legs are a much wider target than your upper body). Even on a big touring fairing the lowers are of limited utility in the rain and are a damn nuisance on a hot day because they tend to channel engine heat right onto your legs. For leg protection in cold and wet, I've found that leather chaps (heavily treated twice a year with mink oil for waterproofing) are better than any set of lowers. As for the fairing itself, check out the RIFLE SPORT fairing. This bar-mounted unit offers protection equal to most frame-mounted fairings, for a lot less weight (about 9 lbs vs. over 30), has built-in turn signals and running lights, headlight cover (you use your stock lamp), and a couple of small storage compartments (about right for a spare pair of gloves or your wallet). For cold or wet weather they sell a pair of hand flares which extend the edges of the fairing out about six inches. The appearance is vaguely reminiscent of the old BMW R100RT fairing, and should blend nicely with the styling of the GS. It comes in black, silver and prime (for color match) and sold for about $225 last fall. I can recommend this fairing based on two long tours (including plenty of rain) and several days of sub-freezing riding over the past three winters. By the way, if you're a little bit inventive you can rig one of these fairings in such a way that you can remove it in about five minutes for local riding. That's the way I have mine set up--I have a pair of turn signals clamped to the handlebars and some special bracketry so that I can switch two connectors and remove four screws to get back to a bare bike. Dan Starr