Half fairing vs. full fairing

[Orson]

I hadn't considered the maintenance aspect. Pulling fairings off just for an oil change could be a pain.

On my Aprilia Mille the lower fairings come off quickly by means of dzuz fasteners.

Just a quarter turn of a screw driver on each fastener....takes but a minute on each side.

[Sport-Touring]

[county]

On my F650CS, w/no lower fairing after a number of hours at speed it actually requires work to keep my legs tucked in.  Not that big a deal though.

What you gotta decide is how much of yourself you want out there.  The ultimate fairing is a car.

I wouldn't want to have anymore coverage than is on the Blackbird because I want to know I am out there.  I hafta have some kinda coverage because it is exhausting riding w/o a windscreen at speed over distance.

[Zerosum]

There isn't a huge difference, except for riding in the rain your legs will get a little more wet.

Yeah, instead of being soaking, dripping wet, your legs will only be soaking wet!     I got caught in the rain on my VFR a few months ago... not a square inch of me was dry.  Unless you're talking about a Gold Wing or something comperable, the lower fairing doesn't do much of anything.

[Rincewind]

I prefer the 1/2 faired bikes myself for aesthetics and ease of maintenance.  But the biggest reason is the high cost for replacement plastics.  Plus when I have checked on insurance for fully-faired, it was usually quite high.

The effectiveness of the fairing (1/2 or full) is a result of the fairing design and riding position.  The sportbikes that I have ridden had surprisingly little wind protection despite being fully-faired.

[Hardware]

...But the biggest reason is the high cost for replacement plastics.  Plus when I have checked on insurance for fully-faired, it was usually quite high...

Something else to consider.  When some retard gently backed into my then brand-new parked Hayabusa it cost her the equivalent of about $3500 USD.

[jstark47]

One thing you might want to consider is heat.  This will vary quite a bit depending upon the bike, but I remember riding a couple of the earlier Ducati Supersports (up through 1998) and was shocked at the difference in the heat put off by the two styles.  I barely noticed the heat on the half-faired SS, but the fully faired SS simply cooked my legs.  Again, I think this example is more of an exception, and hopefully, the difference won't be as much with other bikes.  I would suggest test riding perspective bikes on a hot afternoon, possibly even doing a short stint in traffic, to see if the heat would be a factor.  

Bingo.  My wife's Trophy is sure nice in cold weather, but it's an absolute cooker in summer.  In 90 degree weather, I want all the wind on my legs I can get.  The V-strom (would that be called a half-fairing or quarter-fairing?) is a nice compromise.

[tomek]

Another angle not mentioned by anybody else yet is fuel consumption difference. Bikes with full fairings have better aerodynamics, which results in better mileage. Between naked bike and fully faired bike, there can be up to 20 mpg difference, for two bikes of similar weight, horsepower/torque, etc.

Well,20mpg,I don`t think so,,,,,,,,bikes in general, even those with full fairings have aerodynamics of darn door,,,,,,,,,,,

Kevin Cameron mentioned in one of CW articals that he had seen bikes go FASTER at Daytona once lower fairing was removed,,,,,,,,one of those things