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The Power Bronze Voyager Full fairing.
Fitted to Ian "TwoVXes"Johnsons VX (Dec 1999)
I first saw this fairing about 6 years ago, and liked the look
of it so
much I decided that one day I would have one. According to Powerbronze's blurb, it's
standard fitment for the AA, RAC and many high-profile UK courier companies and is a
Suzuki-approved accessory for the GSX1100G.
Ordering.
<RANT>
Originally I ordered it from M&P *spit*. However, all they do is relay
your order on to Powerbronze - or not, as the case may be (and it was
definitely *not*, in my case). About a week after I placed my order for a
white one (which I was going to go for to see what the cagers' reactions
were :) M&P contacted me because there was a problem with my credit card (bloody
house names again!). I therefore assumed that it would be duly despatched as they
were charging me.
After another week (or was it two?) without any sign of a fairing I thought
I'd ring Powerbronze to see if they'd despatched it yet. "Order for a
Voyager in white? Through M&P? Sorry mate, no record of it. Anyway,
there's a supply problem with white at the moment - wouldn't be able to
despatch until after Christmas". Suitably incensed, I rang M&P who said
"Oh - we've got a record of your order, but for some reason it hasn't gone
through". So I told them to cancel it and credit my card as I was going to
order a red one direct from Powerbronze, which I did, and just over 3 weeks later it
arrived. Cost a bit more to buy direct (for some reason), but at least I got it :)
</RANT>
Pricing.
Now the nitty-gritty. It ain't cheap. 425ukp if you want to risk buying
through M&P, or 438ukp direct from Powerbronze (presumably the difference is the UK
shipping charge). Colour-matching's 188ukp extra (which is why I went for the plain
red), and lockable compartments (which I wish I could have afforded too) 52ukp
extra. I rang Powerbronze and spoke to Andy, on +44 1903 783222 to order
direct. Their web site is:
http://www.powerbronze.co.uk
and according to the "E-mail" link you can e-mail them:
sales@powerbronze.co.uk
for a catalogue or to ask questions, but there's no mention of ordering by
e-mail or overseas shipping.
Fitting.
There's a bit of drilling and stuff to do. They don't drill the lowers
because of the huge variation in frame widths (across-the-frame fours,
etc.), and I had to make up bracket extensions of about 6" each side
because the VX is so narrow. There are a couple of brackets which are
attached to the frame downtubes by Jubilee clips, and as the radiator cover is flush with
the downtubes I had to cut some plastic away to give a bit of clearance.
Other comments.
One of the nice things about the fairing is that (as you'll have seen from
the pic) you can keep your existing mirrors, and as long as you get the
fairing lined up properly they don't foul the screen on full lock. On the
downside, I've got a pair of fairing-mounted mirrors that I was going to
put on but the angle of the fairing shell meant that there was nowhere near enough
adjustment in the mirrors to be able to see anything other than the sides of the road
:( Maybe there are fairing mirrors out there with more adjustment...
As Brian mentioned, he knows someone who's got a VX with a Voyager on it and who's made up
a couple of small panels because the gap between the lowers and the engine lets a draught
through (wimp! :) To be honest, I can't say I've noticed it as yet - I rode in rain
last Monday, and
temperatures down to around freezing for the rest of the week, and I felt
comfortable most of the time. But then I do wear a BabyGro (one-piece
lined suit :)
Thinking about it, I'd assumed that the inferior wet weather protection
(compared to the Rickman on my GT750) I mentioned was due to the smaller screen, but maybe
it's to do with water coming up through the gaps. A bit of experimentation necessary
here, methinks.
Hope this has given you all a bit more info on the fairing - I know Steve's
convinced!
Ian "TwoVXes" Johnson.
'92 Red VX800
'90 Blue VX800
Somerset, UK
http://www.windfalls.u-net.com
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