[rev616]

i was coming back from my grandmas house down US 131 here in michigan.i came up on this spot where i usually crank her up to about 100 or so..as soon as i got up to about 95,i saw a ball of light shoot out from around my engine area and felt somethig hit my leg.first thing in my mind was "fuck i blew my motor". but i was still on the throttle and gaining speed,so i put my hand down to see if i felt a hole on my plastics.well what happened,was my whole lower left fairing,and part of my upper fairing ripped right the fuck off my bike! the ball of light i saw was my front turn signal and coming off with the fairing,then disconnecting itself and flying into traffic!

as soon as i got home i grabbed a car and went back.i found everything laying in a few pieces on the shoulder,and quickly grabbed it all.my whole botom fairing is gone.and the part of my upper fairing where the lower connects is gone.i guess i have to call the insurance company and see what can be done.

 

[KnuckleBuster]

wow! That doesn't happen every day. At least I don't think so anyway....

Funny story about fairings (not to kijack, of course) - a guy I work with just spent $10 grand on a 2 year old Kawasaki. He took it home and had his neighbor weld (kinda looks like peanut butter applied with a caulk gun) a new pipe onto it. Well, without trimming the fairing, the new pipe hit - he rode it to work and when we asked about his freshly melted fairing he replied, "Oh yeah, that's what I wanted to happen. As the fairing rests on the pipe, it melts and shapes itself around it - real custom stuff." Then he took a sawzall to his tail section because there were too many screws he couldn't get to to take it off. The other day he was doing a burnout donut and dropped the thing. Time for all new fairings, I guess.

Hope you make out okay with your bike. Any idea how the panels came loose?

 

[rev616]

10K on a 2 year old kawi is high! that sucks.

its a combination of a couple things.not having all the fasteners,and also not having the triangle piece on,that goes between the two lowers.like i said,i was winding it out at the time.i had it hammered and it was picking up quickly (just re-geared).i was @ about 100 and probaly around 8 or 9k rpms.luckily it was a part of the highway that doesnt usually have much traffic and it was also night time.the last car i passed was already about a mile behind me.i found the pieces of the fairing on the the left and right shoulder of the highway..here are some pictures i just took.

notice that one if the fairing brackets is bent up,and still has the piece of the fairing it bolts too bolted on.the other bracket is not bent but has the piece bolted on still.up on the upper fairing,there is a piece missing that the lower bolted onto,which is still on the lower.there is also a piece of the lower that goes under the engine and bolts on near where the exhaust exits.luckily the screw went through the rubber grommet on that piece and also that piece broke.so it didnt get caught under my wheel or in my chain (which is gaurdless right now).things could have been alot worse,but it is going to be at least $600 in plastics,and who knows what in labor.i have a friend that works in a yama-dealership who is going to write up an estimate for me,and then we will probaly go race plastics with quick release d-ring hardware (like dressers have for saddle bags)

 

[james]

You couldn't glass it up?

 

[rev616]

You couldn't glass it up?

it more than likely wont be worth it.i might as well get a claim and get it all replaced while i can.i

 

[james]

I'm glad this post came up, alot of us can come out of the closet as to sport bikes. I recently rode a friends Kawa 636 ninja and was blown away. When I move to Asheville I'm gonna buy a 600 something (not sure what yet) for all those crazy mountain roads. I love my chop way more, but damn those are fun to throw around!

 

[labelkills]

I'm glad this post came up, alot of us can come out of the closet as to sport bikes. I recently rode a friends Kawa 636 ninja and was blown away. When I move to Asheville I'm gonna buy a 600 something (not sure what yet) for all those crazy mountain roads. I love my chop way more, but damn those are fun to throw around!

Ya I ride a sport bike and love it (01 gsxr 750)
I stay in the closet about it because most sport bike riders are the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked, they just plain suck.

I also get shit from them for my old hondas
also get shit about my Ironhead
o'well they can eat a dick.
sorry to rant

 

[rev616]

i love 636's.i tried to buy a new one a while ago.kawi didnt want to finance me though.you should look at the new R6 when you move up there.the redline on the new ones is supposed to be 17,500RPM!!!!


i get alot of shit from alot of people for my bike.im a harley mechanic.hah.i too try to stay in the closet too because of how most sport bike riders are.i get alot of shit for wanting an ironhead also.hah oh well.

 

[james]

I've read about the new R6- WOW! It's kinda cool that it has lap timers and crap built in. Not sure how the wife'll go for the price, I may have to find something used. Around here the sport bikers are asses, giving bikers in general a bad name (70 mph wheelies on crowded streets and such). Of course my chop is a 79' xs650, so I don't care, I don't really fit in anywhere, I just like to ride.

 

[labelkills]

I've read about the new R6- WOW! It's kinda cool that it has lap timers and crap built in. Not sure how the wife'll go for the price, I may have to find something used. Around here the sport bikers are asses, giving bikers in general a bad name (70 mph wheelies on crowded streets and such). Of course my chop is a 79' xs650, so I don't care, I don't really fit in anywhere, I just like to ride.

ya, finding a group to ride with that I fit in is hard.
to top it off one of the two guys I got along with riding had to go and die last new years (he was one of those 70 mph wheelie guys and he fucked up)

Everyone is trying to take a bite out of the suzuki's pie they have kicked everybodys ass for this millenium but they better up thier ante because all the others are.
like cars I have no brand loyalty
make a superior product and I love you until something better comes along

 

[james]

While we're on the subject, what are some good 600's to look for from say the early 2000's? I've got a cycle trader and seems like 3 year old bikes drop to about 50% of new price. (pretty bad depreciation!) All the shops around here are full of used car salemen types. I'm pretty lucky as far as riding budies because my wife finally rides. I took the class with her and bought her a little Honda Rebel (I know, but it was what she learned on and wanted, and the nice thing is they don't seem to depreciate, so when she wants something new we'll get most of our money back...

 

[KnuckleBuster]

Talk about nobody to ride with - I've got a couple of old Jap bikes from the late 70's and early 80's. Around here there are the guys on the Harleys and the jackasses on the brand new street bikes. Every once in a while you see a guy on something that doesn't fit into those two groups, but he's just commuting. So, I ride by myself and that's the way I like it. I miss the comraderie a bit, but oh well.

Yeah, the 10k Kawi was just plain dumb. He didn't have any money to put down on it. Went to a bank for a loan, the dealer is a rip off in my opinion - overpriced on everything, but they know a sucker when they see one. Their excuse for the high price - it only has 4 miles on it. Never mind that it's a 2 year old leftover that nobody wants to pay brand new price for.

 

[rev616]

While we're on the subject, what are some good 600's to look for from say the early 2000's? I've got a cycle trader and seems like 3 year old bikes drop to about 50% of new price. (pretty bad depreciation!) All the shops around here are full of used car salemen types. I'm pretty lucky as far as riding budies because my wife finally rides. I took the class with her and bought her a little Honda Rebel (I know, but it was what she learned on and wanted, and the nice thing is they don't seem to depreciate, so when she wants something new we'll get most of our money back...

yamaha yzf600r.thats what i ride.they are cheap.easy to ride and pretty comfy.they have been making em since the early or mid 90's.they got a cosmetic make over in 97.mine is a 98.

the kawi zzr600 last year and up are bad ass.they are basically an 02 zx6r

 

[labelkills]

i love 636's.i tried to buy a new one a while ago.kawi didnt want to finance me though.you should look at the new R6 when you move up there.the redline on the new ones is supposed to be 17,500RPM!!!!

I hear they are still gonna offer the old body style in 2006 for a little cheaper
but ya those r6s are gonna be sweet

I get a ton of shit for my 81 Honda 750, but I try and explain to the sportbike guys that is were thier bikes came from.

 

[rev616]

I hear they are still gonna offer the old body style in 2006 for a little cheaper
but ya those r6s are gonna be sweet

I get a ton of shit for my 81 Honda 750, but I try and explain to the sportbike guys that is were thier bikes came from.

yup 2 R6's this year..last years model and the new model. last years is like 8100 and this years is 9100,or somehting like that.

the zzr600 though is better priced,its like 7something thousand.

i really want to ride the new r6..17,500 redline!!!

 

[labelkills]

i really want to ride the new r6..17,500 redline!!!

Hell I just want to hear one hit redline!
that has to sound crazy!

 

[rev616]

Hell I just want to hear one hit redline!
that has to sound crazy!

formula one car maybe?

 

[james]

Happened to drive past a Kawa dealer this morning and stopped in, they had a 2006 636ninja in this flat blue--wow! Can't wait to have some extra dough!!

 

[rev616]

Happened to drive past a Kawa dealer this morning and stopped in, they had a 2006 636ninja in this flat blue--wow! Can't wait to have some extra dough!!

i tried to finance a couple 636's this summer.turned down both times..

update on my bike.the insurance company checked out my bike and sent me a check..for $98.they are only covering the lower fairing,because the upper has scrapes on it from being layed down by one of the previous owners.so i am going to cancel my claim and go naked.i guess put a round headlight on it,like one of those honda 919's.or maybe cut the upper fairing like one of those kawa z1000's..

any ideas other ideas?

 

[McQueen]

while we're out of the closet here, I'm not sure I could resist one of these for the right price: