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Race Bodywork Questions and Answers

Motorcycle Race Bodywork Kits

Here are some common questions that road racers, track day enthusiasts, novices (new to roadracing) and street riders all have about motorcycle race bodywork kits and their answers.

Construction

QUESTION: What is motorcycle race bodywork made of?
ANSWER: Motorcycle race bodywork comes in either fiberglass or ABS plastic depending on the bodywork manufacturer and motorcycle make and model. Fiberglass is most common.

Fiberglass Race Bodywork Comes Primered and Ready for Paint

Styling

QUESTION: What is the difference is between the Superbike kit and the Supersport kit?
ANSWER: Supersport kits re-use the stock seat. Superbike kits integrate the seat base into the fiberglass tail section. You must attach a separate seat pad. Most kits do not come with the foam seat pad. You must purchase it separately.

Superbike Tail Section Without Pad

Stock Parts

QUESTION: Can you keep the stock tank cover?
ANSWER: Some bodywork kits come with a new tank cover and some don`t. Some manufacturers sell the tank cover separately.

QUESTION: Does the lower piece fit around the stock exhaust system?
ANSWER: Yes, but like it is with all aftermarket bodywork - it is close. Cheap bodywork will just melt away. Higher quality bodywork like Armour Bodies will not, but heat resistant tape should be put on the bodywork where the muffler gets close to it anyway.

QUESTION: Do you have to change the windscreen?
ANSWER: You can use your factory windscreen.

QUESTION: Do you need a fairing mounting bracket to mount the motorcycle bodywork?
ANSWER: You can use your stock fairing stay.

QUESTION: Can you use the stock gages?
ANSWER: Yes, you can use the stock gauges.

QUESTION: Can you still use the kickstand?
ANSWER: No, you will lose the use of your kickstand and need to get a front stand or a rear stand instead.

QUESTION: Will a race front upper fairing fit with a stock lower fairing with some minor modification?
ANSWER: Race bodywork will not work with OEM parts. It will not bolt up correctly.

QUESTION: Do you have to change the stock top fairing in order to install a race lower?
ANSWER: You would have to use a race upper to fit the race lower.

Drilling

QUESTION: Does sportbike race bodywork come pre-drilled?
ANSWER: No, race bodywork kits do not come pre-drilled. You will need to drill holes in the bodywork for your mounting hardware. To install, you match drill the holes to the bike. The manufacturer does not build two frames exactly alike, so this is necessary for a good fit.

QUESTION: Does roadracing bodywork mount directly to the factory fairing mounting holes?
ANSWER: Roadrace bodywork will bolt to most of the stock mounting holes in most cases.

QUESTION: What kind of cutting is involved in installation?
ANSWER: No cutting is involved. You unfasten the stock bodywork to remove it.

Installation

QUESTION: What kind of fasteners do I need?
ANSWER: Most people install quick release Dzus fasters at areas that are frequently worked on. Most often, Dzus fasteners are used to hold the upper & lower together.

Dzus Quick Release Fastener

QUESTION: Since you cannot use the headlights, is there an adapter necessary for the motorcycle to start?
ANSWER: The bike will still start with no head lights.

QUESTION: Is sportbike race bodywork easy to remove and put back on? How easy is it to set up the bike for the track and then return it to street use?
ANSWER: Taking off race bodywork is very easy. Putting on the stock parts back on will take most of your time because of all the bolts the stock bodywork and lights use.

Conversion to Street Bodywork

QUESTION: Do you have to remove the headlight to install the race bodywork?
ANSWER: Yes.

QUESTION: Can the factory pre-cut for the headlights before sending out the bodywork?
ANSWER: Race bodywork manufacturers will not pre-cut the head light out of a race bodywork upper fairing. Race bodywork is not intended for street use.

QUESTION: Is it possible to mount a head light into sportbike race bodywork? Can the fairing be cut to install the headlights and make the kit street legal?
ANSWER: You would have to modify the bodywork. Motorcycle race bodywork does not have some of the stock mounting points for the accessories, so you would have to fabricate those parts. You can cut out a headlight holes but you will have to make custom brackets to hold the headlight in place.

Testimonials for Armour Bodies Race Bodywork

"....fit was great, it took just over 20 minutes to install. We drill all the holes directly in the middle of the mounting points and the fit was perfect. The flexibility is crazy. For $650, there is no better value for premium bodywork. If you put this stuff head to head with Sharkskinz the only difference is $350 in price." Brian V. 06/2008

"..got the parts and the fit and finish are 2nd to none....great fairings" Paul L. 06/2008

"...straight out of the box, the primer is so perfect that you could almost spray on some clear coat and call it a grey paint job. The inside of the bodywork is painted black giving it a professional, finished look. Areas where the attachment is tricky with less expensive bodywork have been thoughtfully reengineered here. Armour Bodies must actually mount their fiberglass after manufacture to see if it fits.....other bodywork manufacturers could learn something here. Our test bike was a 2006 GSXR750. We`ve installed several other less expensive kits and none have had such ease of fitment. The shape was spot on, with no warping at all and crisp, well defined body lines. Mounting points on the bodywork lined up exactly with the screw holes on the machine while the upper and lower fairings mated perfectly.....we have to rate this the best set of fiberglass racing skins we`ve ever mounted. " Chris O. /Track Day Mag.com /review 09/2008

" ..Finish - a showstopper. The lay up of the bodywork boasts clean lines due to the use of one large piece of cloth in each layer as opposed to many smaller pieces. Fit - Super flexibility made the Armour Bodies fit nice and clean, as we expected. Flexibility - Armour Bodies was #1. Abrasion tesing - Armour Bodies showed absolutely no burn through" Roadracing World /Bodywork comparison/

Click here to see available Armour Bodies models and prices.